View Poll Results: Is Ignorance `Bliss ?
Yes, I think it is ?
5
29.41%
No, I don't think so ?
12
70.59%
Voters: 17. You may not vote on this poll
~> Ignorance is bliss ?
#1
01-16-2012, 08:09 AM
~> Ignorance is bliss ?
Ignorance is bliss definition:
Not knowing something is often more comfortable than knowing it.
Note: This proverb resembles “What you don't know cannot hurt you"
-----------------------------------
Is Ignorance `Bliss ? or Not ?
Not knowing something is often more comfortable than knowing it.
Note: This proverb resembles “What you don't know cannot hurt you"
-----------------------------------
Is Ignorance `Bliss ? or Not ?
Ignorance Is Bliss - Decline of the Empire
I was sent the above link by one of my
senior citizen teacher's.
It's a very interesting & informative article
from the Decline of the Empire Site!
I share.
=====
....Do you want to know ?
...I'm not sure ?
===========
Filling the empty space in my Mind
&
on the MCF
I look 4ward 2 seeing our Poll Results.
Do I want 2 know them ? or Not ?
?
I was sent the above link by one of my
senior citizen teacher's.
It's a very interesting & informative article
from the Decline of the Empire Site!
I share.
=====
....Do you want to know ?...I'm not sure ?===========
Filling the empty space in my Mind
&
on the MCF
I look 4ward 2 seeing our Poll Results.
Do I want 2 know them ? or Not ?
?
Last edited by Space; 01-16-2012 at 08:33 AM.
#2
01-16-2012, 10:26 AM
Can't spell PIMP without an MP
Monte Of The Month -- November 2010
2010 Monte Of The Year
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Grove City, Ohio
Posts: 2,626
#5
01-16-2012, 12:44 PM
I'm the opposite. The unknown bothers me far more than the known. If I know about something, I can deal with it, even if I can't control it. But the unknown is just that, unknown. You can't prepare for it, you can't adjust fire to it, you can't do a whole lot until you actually know what you're up against.
#7
01-16-2012, 04:09 PM
I'm the opposite. The unknown bothers me far more than the known. If I know about something, I can deal with it, even if I can't control it. But the unknown is just that, unknown. You can't prepare for it, you can't adjust fire to it, you can't do a whole lot until you actually know what you're up against.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I know this is a deep subject for a automotive forum, but it's a subject that affects every human on planet earth.
Sometimes I wish I would not keep up on world events, or what is happening in our country
. Maybe I should just escape into self gratification & just live in bliss & avoid the below subjects in the quotes below... , but I can't. I've been working hard on my dreams all my life, and I don't like what has happened in our world, in our country...
We use to be a Super Super Power in our World, but I think that many of our leaders have sold their souls for gain, for greed. I am not saying that everyone has, but I think maybe the majority has traded their souls for power...
The below was written by a graduate student & was just published by the American Psychological Association.
(I've took the time to read it several times)
I hope that "we the people wake `up" and get involved in supporting those that have the best interest of the majority of people.
What are you doing to make it better ?
I know I'm thinking of going to a private island & just living in ignorance, because it is bliss...
Bliss | Define Bliss at Dictionary.com
supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment: wedded bliss. 2. Theology. the joy of heaven. 3. heaven; paradise: the road to eternal bliss.
============================================
As we know in 2012, and are likely to find out with a vengeance in the near future, ignorance is not bliss. More precisely, ignorance appears to be bliss right up to the moment when it's not—that terrifying moment when Reality rears its ugly head. In the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008, and during the preceding 30 years of the Empire's decline, lots of Americans have learned that lesson the hard way. But denial is resilient.
Therefore, millions more of our fellow Americans will find out to their great dismay that ignorance isn't bliss in the future. They won't have long to wait until they are on the receiving end of this hard lesson about life.
I try to keep a open `Mind (maybe that's why everything keeps falling out ~>
)I hope that some member's have the time to read the below & posts their thoughts/comments...I'm sure our friend MoparMan `Gregg will contribute...
Please read to be informed
« Remedy du Jour -- January 7, 2012 | Main | Movin' On Up? Not In America »<!-- entry -->
01/08/2012
Ignorance Is Bliss
You can't make this stuff up.
WASHINGTON—The less people know about important complex issues such as the economy, energy consumption and the environment, the more they want to avoid becoming well-informed, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
And the more urgent the issue, the more people want to remain unaware, according to a paper published online in APA’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology<SUP>®</SUP>.
[Follow the link to read the paper (pdf warning).]
“These studies were designed to help understand the so-called ‘ignorance is bliss’ approach to social issues,” said author Steven Shepherd, a graduate student with the University of Waterloo in Ontario. “The findings can assist educators in addressing significant barriers to getting people involved and engaged in social issues.”
And the more urgent the issue, the more people want to remain unaware, according to a paper published online in APA’s Journal of Personality and Social Psychology<SUP>®</SUP>.
[Follow the link to read the paper (pdf warning).]
“These studies were designed to help understand the so-called ‘ignorance is bliss’ approach to social issues,” said author Steven Shepherd, a graduate student with the University of Waterloo in Ontario. “The findings can assist educators in addressing significant barriers to getting people involved and engaged in social issues.”
You can regard this post as an adjunct to my important essay The Optimist's Brain. That article noted that humans normally deflect or bury unwanted, pessimistic (albeit realistic) inputs. What level of ignorance are we dealing with here?
Individuals are often confronted with information that they do not know how to comprehend or evaluate, even though this information can be of critical importance to the self (or society as a whole). In the case of energy, nearly 40% of respondents in a Public Agenda (2009) survey could not identify a fossil fuel. Nearly one third could not identify a renewable energy source and incorrectly believed that solar energy contributes to global warming. This lack of knowledge should be of concern to these individuals, as 89% of respondents worry about increasing fuel costs, and 71% worry about global warming.
[My note: The language incorrectly believed that solar energy contributes to global warming is misleading. It should say that changes in solar irradiance have contributed to recent warming of the Earth. Changes in solar irradiance can not account for that warming.]
[My note: The language incorrectly believed that solar energy contributes to global warming is misleading. It should say that changes in solar irradiance have contributed to recent warming of the Earth. Changes in solar irradiance can not account for that warming.]
Even I was taken aback by that stunning result—40% of those surveyed could not identify a single fossil fuel! One's ignorance on this subject could be remedied by asking Google what is a fossil fuel? It's that simple. Most of these ignorant humans undoubtedly have an opinion—it is often a strong opinion—about anthropogenic climate change.
We can learn more by reading the abstract (summation).
We can learn more by reading the abstract (summation).
How do people cope when they feel uninformed or unable to understand important social issues, such as the environment, energy concerns, or the economy? Do they seek out information, or do they simply ignore the threatening issue at hand? One would intuitively expect that a lack of knowledge would motivate an increased, unbiased search for information, thereby facilitating participation and engagement in these issues—especially when they are consequential, pressing, and self-relevant.
I think these APA scientist guys need to get out of the house more, take off those white lab coats and stroll among the people, observing as they go. If they did, they would quickly discover that there's no reason whatsoever to expect that—intuitively or experientially—a lack of knowledge motivates an "unbiased" search for information. That might be the case for scientists in the general case, but this expectation certainly wouldn't apply to the man in the street (non-academics).
And of course "unbiased" research can hardly be said to exist. You might be amazed at the number of stories I don't cover on DOTE because a cursory investigation reveals that the story (or analysis) is simply bull**** (based on a false premise or alleged fact).
Back to the abstract—
And of course "unbiased" research can hardly be said to exist. You might be amazed at the number of stories I don't cover on DOTE because a cursory investigation reveals that the story (or analysis) is simply bull**** (based on a false premise or alleged fact).
Back to the abstract—
However, there appears to be a discrepancy between the importance/self-relevance of social issues and people’s willingness to engage with and learn about them. Leveraging the literature on system justification theory (Jost & Banaji, 1994), the authors hypothesized that, rather than motivating an increased search for information, a lack of knowledge about a specific sociopolitical issue will (a) foster feelings of dependence on the government, which will (b) increase system justification and government trust, which will (c) increase desires to avoid learning about the relevant issue when information is negative or when information valence is unknown.
In other words, the authors suggest that ignorance—as a function of the system justifying tendencies it may activate—may, ironically, breed more ignorance...
In other words, the authors suggest that ignorance—as a function of the system justifying tendencies it may activate—may, ironically, breed more ignorance...
Is it truly surprising that ignorance is self-reinforcing? I think not. Ignorance is the default case. How many people learn anything important about the world they live in after the age of 18, outside of specific skills acquired in college or practicing a trade? Very few. And Ignorance + an Optimist's Brain = Disaster. A picture is worth a thousand words.
What I found interesting about this study was the self-reinforcing "trust in government" part. According to various surveys I've seen, trust in government is at an all-time low. (Congressional job approval currently stands at 12.7%!) That's if you ask people whether they trust the government. However, at least 50% of them are going to vote in the 2012 elections, indicating that this substantial segment of the population does indeed trust the government to solve their problems.
Thus if the government is not solving their problems under the current regime, it's simply a matter of tossing the bums out and electing a new set of self-serving posers who are not going to solve their problems. Our insane, pointless four-year election cycle has all the intelligence of a washing machine—wash, rinse and repeat.
Avoiding learning about the relevant issue when information is negative does not increase due to increasing trust in the government's ability to solve our problems, as specified in (c) in the abstract. Avoiding negative information is a hallmark of our species. See The Optimist's Brain. What increases is the desire to stick with one's psychological habits, along with fear of the unknown. We might call this cognitive hardening of the arteries. That's an altogether natural process, especially when people are confronted with a barrage of negative information they can't do anything about (as in this study). People dig in, not out.
Trust in government—in authority figures or ruling institutions—does not increase desires to avoid learning if there's no desire to learn anything in the first place. That's another hallmark of our species. As always, when I say these sorts of things I am talking about the general rule of thumb. The rare exceptions only serve to prove that rule.
And when people are motivated to figure out what's going on, it's usually due to a simple desire to make money. Think about investor types. Even these people are relatively rare in the general population.
As we know in 2012, and are likely to find out with a vengeance in the near future, ignorance is not bliss. More precisely, ignorance appears to be bliss right up to the moment when it's not—that terrifying moment when Reality rears its ugly head. In the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008, and during the preceding 30 years of the Empire's decline, lots of Americans have learned that lesson the hard way. But denial is resilient.
Therefore, millions more of our fellow Americans will find out to their great dismay that ignorance isn't bliss in the future. They won't have long to wait until they are on the receiving end of this hard lesson about life.
What I found interesting about this study was the self-reinforcing "trust in government" part. According to various surveys I've seen, trust in government is at an all-time low. (Congressional job approval currently stands at 12.7%!) That's if you ask people whether they trust the government. However, at least 50% of them are going to vote in the 2012 elections, indicating that this substantial segment of the population does indeed trust the government to solve their problems.
Thus if the government is not solving their problems under the current regime, it's simply a matter of tossing the bums out and electing a new set of self-serving posers who are not going to solve their problems. Our insane, pointless four-year election cycle has all the intelligence of a washing machine—wash, rinse and repeat.
Avoiding learning about the relevant issue when information is negative does not increase due to increasing trust in the government's ability to solve our problems, as specified in (c) in the abstract. Avoiding negative information is a hallmark of our species. See The Optimist's Brain. What increases is the desire to stick with one's psychological habits, along with fear of the unknown. We might call this cognitive hardening of the arteries. That's an altogether natural process, especially when people are confronted with a barrage of negative information they can't do anything about (as in this study). People dig in, not out.
Trust in government—in authority figures or ruling institutions—does not increase desires to avoid learning if there's no desire to learn anything in the first place. That's another hallmark of our species. As always, when I say these sorts of things I am talking about the general rule of thumb. The rare exceptions only serve to prove that rule.
And when people are motivated to figure out what's going on, it's usually due to a simple desire to make money. Think about investor types. Even these people are relatively rare in the general population.
As we know in 2012, and are likely to find out with a vengeance in the near future, ignorance is not bliss. More precisely, ignorance appears to be bliss right up to the moment when it's not—that terrifying moment when Reality rears its ugly head. In the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008, and during the preceding 30 years of the Empire's decline, lots of Americans have learned that lesson the hard way. But denial is resilient.
Therefore, millions more of our fellow Americans will find out to their great dismay that ignorance isn't bliss in the future. They won't have long to wait until they are on the receiving end of this hard lesson about life.
The `End, or new begining...Yes, you can make a difference...Yes you can make it better!
I hope the above inspired someone to get involved & keep informed on your world. The Internet + people are a very powerful tools....It can be used for bad, but I believe it's so much better to be used for good & for a better world 4 `all.
Thank You from `Space
======================
Thanks `Drew & Member's for your posts/comments & contributions to this thread..
I hope everyone will have fuel to drive their Monte's into the future, and have the $'s to pay for it...etc
Last edited by Space; 01-16-2012 at 04:30 PM.
#8
01-16-2012, 04:26 PM
Wow that guy completely trashed the form of government we have. While the system is not in an ideal state right now (especially due to lobbiests and the fact that you have to be extremely wealthy to get elected to a relatively high office or above), it was designed so that if the people don't like what's going, they have an influence (if they choose to) on the course of the future government. Sounds like he prefers a more authoritarian government where power does not change hands at all (and as a result the people have no real ability to change the course of anything going).
#9
01-16-2012, 04:36 PM
Hi `Drew,
I think we both got a different message from the article.
I thought the main point was that the people are not getting involved, and do not want to take the time to research the problems in our world and what they could do to make things better... There seems to be many according to their research that would rather be ignorance to the problems of the country/world & put their heads in the sand...
Thanks for sharing your views...I look 4ward to see `what other member's will post/share...
Peace/Out from `Space
p.s `Brent, I look 4ward 2 your input & you 2....It's your world 2...I'm go'in back 2 my space now...EnJoy your `Present - Now - WoW
I think we both got a different message from the article.
I thought the main point was that the people are not getting involved, and do not want to take the time to research the problems in our world and what they could do to make things better... There seems to be many according to their research that would rather be ignorance to the problems of the country/world & put their heads in the sand...
Thanks for sharing your views...I look 4ward to see `what other member's will post/share...
Peace/Out from `Space
p.s `Brent, I look 4ward 2 your input & you 2....It's your world 2...I'm go'in back 2 my space now...EnJoy your `Present - Now - WoW
Last edited by Space; 01-16-2012 at 04:43 PM.
#10
01-16-2012, 04:40 PM
What I was looking at was the section where he was talking about how trust for the government is at an all time low. He them mentioned how many of those were planning to vote in the elections, and then proceeded to make them out to be idiots because they're voting despite their distrust. Shouldn't distrust for the government be an even greater motivation to get out there and try to do something about it? Yet the writer of this article bashes those people. And then he called the 4 year election cycle "asinine."
I was just commenting over that one section of the article that really struck me the wrong way.
I was just commenting over that one section of the article that really struck me the wrong way.