I like to think of everything being curved, going in a circle, that is that starting point is very close to the finishing point. When you feel extreme cold, doesn't it feel hot, when you feel extreme heat, doesn't it feel cold? I find that my "curved" perception holds true to many aspects of life. Anyway at the very bottom you have total ignorance. You have a man living in a wooden barrel. This man knows of no luxuries. With his total lack of awareness of things he may want, he wants nothing. He has no greed, he has no need for anything except food,water, and a clear view of the sky so that he may enjoy the sunset. You can offer this man the whole world but he will refuse, he does not desire it. To you this may sound ludicrous, but you have to understand, we are all corrupted by having witnessed all the many luxuries of the world and now, as humans, we are filled with greed to pursue these luxuries. We know that a big screen tv exists, and we want it. We will work off our arms and legs for these luxuries, some people would kill for them. Just by knowing something exists, you, by human instinct, will forever be haunted by greed to desire it. The man living in the barrel does not want a big screen tv because he does not know what it is, and he doesn't want to know. This man is in "bliss" because there is no way he can be happier. He has everything he could possibly imagine of having. All he has left to do is live his life with utmost joy. No one reading this will ever be as happy as this man, because we know what we want, and we will desire it and that desire will prevent us from being happy. There is only one other way to be as happy as this man. So if the happiness scale was curved, what would be right next to the bottom? It would be the top. The top consists of something like being a dictator with the whole country catering to your wishes. Having everything you can possibly imagine, that is the only way to become as happy as the man in the barrel. And no, if you didn't get it the first few times , you can't sell your house and go live in a barrel, it is too late for you. You have gained knowledge of many things that exist but are not available to you. Unless you can somehow erase all your memories, you can not be as ignorant, or as happy, as the man in the barrel.
The only problem with that is that ignorance tends to haplessly expose you to rather severe problems of life, such as the kind of imminent deathtrap which somebody marignally less ignorant could easily avoid. edit: That is, its the only problem so long as you don't also invoke the powers of reality and wrathfully cast them down upon the allegory.
I don't get what you think is "bliss" about innorance. What you don't know is more than capable of hurting you. I find it hard to "blame" a TV, car or house for the fact that someone came, saw and liked. The source of the problem is not that you are exposed to something.
This is a philosophical topic. You guys have no idea what this topic is about. I don't know how you misinterpreted it so much. Have you ever heard "ignorance is bliss" this is my explanation for that.
You somehow tried to equate the lack of "want" with the idea of "ignorance", and that misses the mark quite distantly. An ignorant person might well want things that he sees or hears about; wants more food, more drink, better home, warmer home, better woman, more sex, ....., etc. But he can still be ignorant. You seem to want to define "ignorant" as nothing more than a vegatable or a tree! Ignorance is simply the lack of knowledge about something. "Ignorance is bliss" is a simple way of saying "People who don't know about something won't worry or concern themselves with it ....and thus, with the lack of worry or concern, they're happy." It seems to me that you've tried too hard to explain something that's so simple that even an ignorant person understands it and has no need of your involved, complicated explanation. Baron Max
Well, to some people, discussing various topics is fun. There's just one "practical application" right there ....fun with friends over drinks and dinner. Philosophy is simple a controlled, non-violent argument without any means of determining which side has or is going to win. "I'm right, you're wrong" without the possibility of violent reactions! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Baron Max
Perhaps Marx55 was merely discussing ignorence of luxury and comfort and the act of aquiring it. Without knowledge of T.V and money you cannot want it. Although on the other end of the curve theoretically you would not desire because you had everything, but this does not take into account human factors like paranoia. Life is not satesfying if you live in fear that someone is going to take everything you have.
I thought he was executed because he could 'make the weaker argument defeat the stronger' or something like that?
