By not seeking knowledge
and instead choosing ignorance, we are only occupying ourselves with the lowest
of pleasures. In Plato’s Republic, he
argues,
“Therefore, those who have no
experience of reason or virtue, but are always occupied with feasts and the
like…never reaching beyond this to what is truly higher up, never looking up at
it or being brought up to it, and so aren’t filled with that which really is…Instead,
they always look down at the ground like cattle” (Plato, 586a)
By choosing ignorance
rather than seeking knowledge, we deprive ourselves of a higher understanding
and of higher pleasures.
If the lack of acquiring knowledge
is of the lowest type of pleasure, why would some choose it? Going back to the
example of the experience machine, why would some people choose to plug in? There
would also be some who would choose to plug in because they truly believed that
ignorance is preferable to knowledge. I see such beliefs particularly in the
Astronomy class I tutor for. Some people would much rather believe that this
world, Earth, is all that matters; that we need not question further. They would rather not try to come to an understanding of the universe we are a part of. We are part of something so much greater than this mundane life we live. Yet, to some, this is all they wish to understand. I would
suggest such a purpose is foolish. To limit oneself to understanding the bare
minimum is unfortunate. However, perhaps in some cases, there would be
individuals who were ill who would plug into the machine in order to experience
what it meant to not be sick. In which case, perhaps such ignorance could be
excused. However, they would still be living in a false world. Outside of this
experience machine, they would still be sick. It would not matter that they
didn’t feel sick within the illusion. I would also argue that such conditions
make people stronger and, in some ways, happier, for they can understand the
value of life. Take for example Stephen Hawking. Hawking developed ALS, a type
of motor neurone disease, and was only given a couple years to live. Yet, he
found happiness in gaining knowledge of the universe.
Another example would be Albert Einstein. Einstein is recognized mainly by his Theory of Relativity. However, Einstein had Aspergers Syndrome and was also believed to be dyslexic. What if individuals such as Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein decided that this life was not worth living and decided to plug into a machine? Stephen Hawking perhaps would have never discovered such intellect about cosmology and Einstein would have never published his Theory of Relativity. I would suggest that they would have a moral obligation to attribute such knowledge rather than plug into such a machine. I would suggest similar obligations to all individuals. We all have a moral obligation to humanity to seek and distribute knowledge.
Another example would be Albert Einstein. Einstein is recognized mainly by his Theory of Relativity. However, Einstein had Aspergers Syndrome and was also believed to be dyslexic. What if individuals such as Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein decided that this life was not worth living and decided to plug into a machine? Stephen Hawking perhaps would have never discovered such intellect about cosmology and Einstein would have never published his Theory of Relativity. I would suggest that they would have a moral obligation to attribute such knowledge rather than plug into such a machine. I would suggest similar obligations to all individuals. We all have a moral obligation to humanity to seek and distribute knowledge.
In some ways, the Ancient
Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato agreed. In Plato’s Republic, those who lived in accordance
with the virtue of wisdom were likely the philosophers, who were to be the
leaders of his ideal state. They contemplated the importance of wisdom and how
it led to the virtuous life. In the case of Plato, he believed that it was the
virtue which led to live in accordance with the others, ending up in living a
just life. He argued that if one lived in accordance with the virtue of wisdom,
one would also be moderate and courageous.
We also receive a sense
of enlightenment from the pursuit of knowledge and understanding. We get such
an experience each time we learn something new, understand new ideas, and learn
more about our universe and our place within it. Such concepts of wisdom and
mindfulness can be found in the teachings of Buddha. The three pillars within
the practice of Buddhism are mindfulness, and wisdom, and virtue. I will be
focusing mostly on the first two. By mindfulness, Buddha refers to the
attentiveness of the self and the world around us. I would argue such a state
of being is important to one’s happiness because in order to understand one’s
happiness, one must have an awareness, an enlightenment, of one’s self. The
other, wisdom, simply refers to the common sense necessary to make rational
decisions. In Buddha’s Brain: The
Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom, Rick Hanson writes,
“Then—with time, effort, and skillful means—virtue, mindfulness, and wisdom
gradually strengthen and you feel happier and more loving” (Hanson, 15). When
we can have an awareness of self and knowledge, we gain happiness because we
learn how to appreciate the self and the world around us. Such contentment
surely cannot come from ignorance.
Link to my first installment
First comment
Second comment
Link to my first installment
First comment
Second comment
Hey Chelsea! I think that you have some very important points regarding the necessity of not accepting ignorance and finding pleasure in the more arduous task of seeking knowledge and questioning one's surroundings. I do, however, sympathize a bit with your astronomy tutees' narrow minded focus on their own earthbound lives rather than having curiosity of the cosmos and their place in the universe. I feel sometimes so overwhelmed by the attempt to understand myself and life on earth that it takes away from my ability to understand the incredible vastness of the universe I am a part of and the fact that I am immensely smaller than an atom in respect to its scope.
ReplyDeleteThe Buddha and Aristotle (among others) are surely right, that facing reality is prerequisite to the highest human flourishing. And yet, there's still much to be said for strategic, occasional bouts of "thinking of nothing and doing nothing" as a corrective for too much refined intellection. That option is available to all reflective persons, but not to those who NEVER think. Ignorance may be bliss, but it's not flourishing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post as well as Liam's comment. It is so hard to balance between finding yourself and your purpose as well as finding the pleasures of the world. I like to think that we find ourselves through our experiences and combining knowledge of self and world is the best way.
ReplyDelete