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On Blissful Ignorance

I’m sure that all of us have heard the phrase, “ignorance is bliss,” at least once, the idea that sometimes, we’re just better off not knowing. The phrase itself originated in the poem Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College written by Thomas Gray in 1742. The general sentiment goes even further back, even being mentioned in the Bible, with Ecclesiastes 1:18 stating the logical inverse: “He who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” But is there merit to this idea? Are there times when we are simply better off not knowing? 

Real image of me when I was ignorant to the fact we had this assignment.


Life is often simpler the less information you know. Think back to your elementary school years; you’d mostly be worried about grades, friends, and your parents. Not much else had to be processed in those days. I’m quite sure that we miss those times every once in a while, but now we’re here, applying for college. At the start of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun, Klara is in a similar position, an AI who has never seen the world beyond the store window. Despite being particularly observant, her life remains rather simple, standing and looking pretty for the customers. After she is brought to a home, life becomes far more complex, as people aren’t always as straightforward as AIs are. “But [at] Morgan’s Falls, despite my complying with Josie’s and Mother’s wishes, had produced such [negative] consequences” (Ishiguro, 113). Here, Klara simply cannot understand why people are acting the way they are, due to her lack of experience with people. 

In Oedipus Rex, the city of Thebes is stricken with plague and famine, and the only way to be rid of it is to exile the man who killed the last king. Because of this, Oedipus searches for the one who killed the last king, despite people attempting to dissuade him from doing so. In the end, Oedipus discovers that, not only is he the killer, but that he has been sleeping with his mother. As a result, his mother kills herself and Oedipus stabs his eyes out and leaves Thebes . 

Here, you might be thinking that this tragedy is caused by the discovery of the truth, and it is. However, his exit from Thebes has taken its plague with it. In the case of Oedipus, while his discovery brought him pain, it saved the rest of Thebes. Though gaining more knowledge may not have immediate positive effects, it is beneficial to know what is true in the long term. Therefore, it is better to be knowledgeable and suffer, than to be ignorant and happy.

Returning to Klara and The Sun, although the flood of new information initially confuses Klara, she begins to pick up some concepts in human interaction. “I believe Rick was trying to be kind” (Ishiguro, 126), Klara suggests to Josie after she argues with rick. She grows to suggest things people cannot understand in the moment. She goes on to mend the relationship between the two. Throughout the novel, she experiences more, learns more, and 

I myself have had moments where my knowledge puts me at odds with other people. For example, my interest in biology has clashed with one of my church leader’s presentations. Now, for those of you that read my first blog, this may sound familiar, because it is essentially the same point. If you have yet to read my first blog, then do it. I want more views on that post.

Yes, you, read it right now


Anyway, moving back to the topic at hand, a leader in my church gave a presentation on evolution which was, by my measure, factually incorrect on many counts. Despite this, every adult still nodded and applauded along to the points that were made. I wouldn’t say this is a willful ignorance, but rather an apathetic one; this information simply isn't what’s at the core of their faith. But for me, this was a big deal. Ignorance muddies the waters of discussion, and this certainly wasn’t doing any favors. After all, misunderstanding is often the root of conflict. The nervousness of the human mind combined with a lack of information is what creates the “skaz effect,” as dubbed by George Saunders. Misunderstandings often compound, and people end up with a preconception of another person before any words are exchanged. In this way, knowing relevant information can reduce this issue, and make communication far clearer. For someone like me, who isn't the best at all the social stuff, that would be a dream come true. 

OOOooooo, cool picture that represents self-reflection, oooooOOO


Apart from communication, knowledge about one’s own mind is vital to understand. Some of the most difficult, yet important truths to discover are ones pertaining to the self. In Garrard Conley’s Memoir, Boy Erased, he recounts his experiences in realizing he was gay in a Southern Baptist Church community, as well as the following conversion camp he went through. A condensed version of his story can be found here. It's never a great experience to discover something like that, but it will ultimately save confusion and/or struggle in the future if it is discovered now. When Conley realized, he was in a relationship with his girlfriend, and simply couldn’t bring himself to have sex with her.  In a metatextual sense, this memoir was his way to confront his feelings and memories on the matter, compiling information from friends and family alike. He has stated that he “had to write this book” in the epilogue of the memoir, so it ended up being therapeutic. This approach to exploring the self by reflecting is quite good, and I would highly suggest it. Understanding oneself is the best way to know why you act how you act. Just do a psychoanalytical critique like we learned to last week, but treat yourself as the character and your life as the book.

In the end, I would lean on the side of knowing. It seems that it is better to have an accurate view of the world, no matter how terrible it might look. As Francis Bacon once said, “Knowledge is power,” and I think that he is correct in this regard. 


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