life help: A matter of ethics: “the unexamined life is not worth living” -vs- “ignorance is bliss”. - Help.com

Intentional ignorance would be grounds for immediate drawn-and-quartering were I running the world. I think that is the largest waste of a human life ever imagined. I have NO respect anyone who is willfully stupid. If you’re going to waste your life, then you DON’T DESERVE IT.

Amen to that.

Just out of curiosity…what percentage of the population do you think falls into each category?

I would guess:
Examined - 15%
Ignorant - 85%

I might be a little optimistic there.

Xeno Dragon wrote:
Intentional ignorance would be grounds for immediate drawn-and-quartering were I running the world. I think that is the largest waste of a human life ever imagined. I have NO respect anyone who is willfully stupid. If you’re going to waste your life, then you DON’T DESERVE IT.

I’ve examined that idea and disagree with it.

Depends on which country you’re talking about.

Overall, though, I don’t even know where to start. I am hoping that the truly ignorant are in the minority. I’m not talking about simple, stupid people. I’m talking about WILLFULLY ignorant people. People who deliberately avoid learning about one or more subjects in favor of being ignorant.

Verum Causa wrote:
I’ve examined that idea and disagree with it.

That’s why it’s MY opinion, and not YOURS.

Good point. I was thinking the US, although I guess I am thinking more about the state I live in.

And I was referring to people who deliberately avoid learning about things.

I live in Idaho. ‘Nuff said.

I know, but if we’re saying that examination is better than ignorance - which we both are - then it is important to examine that statement.

He was aggressively saying that the unexamined life is not worth living.

Or rather that he would inflict the “not worth living” on someone who was living an unexamined life.

I don’t know. I will just say that people who don’t care to learn about themselves and the world around them are a disappointment.

I really need to get around to publishing a credo of my personal belief. Here’s what I think based upon examination.

I start off with the axiom that people are more alike than they are different. We’re people.

Then, I reason that since I am a person, observations I make about myself can be relatively safely applied to others.

So the major observation I made about myself is that I enjoy and seek pleasure and I dislike and avoid pain.

That leads me to reason that most people enjoy and seek pleasure and dislike and avoid pain like myself because of the first axiom.

Now, I think drawing and quartering causes pain. So I’m going to avoid pain and dislike it and work to ensure that it doesn’t happen to me. Since it causes pain to me, it causes pain to others according to the first axiom and I’m going to ensure that it doesn’t happen to them. This is what we label fairness.

So that is the examined reason why I don’t agree with Xeno Dragon. What we do unto all people may also be done unto us. Since I don’t want to be drawn and quartered, I don’t want anyone else to be drawn and quartered. This is what we label the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Verum Causa wrote:
I know, but if we’re saying that examination is better than ignorance - which we both are - then it is important to examine that statement.

Which I’ve done. And that’s my opinion. Were *I* running things. If *I* had my way. It’s *MY* view.

Huh. Good point.

Although I tend to not take things literally (maybe I should, but I don’t).

I just figured he meant, “Boo on people who are not introspective.”

Then after further examination, I can conclude that I’m glad you’re not running things.

Like I said, I have NO respect for people who would waste their brains. I don’t expect everyone to have the same view. That’s why it’s mine. The post asked for opinions, and I gave mine.

Verum Causa wrote:
Then after further examination, I can conclude that I’m glad you’re not running things.

Examine deeper. You’ll realize when I’m serious and when I’m not.