I believe Mark Twain also said something along the same lines, and given that I can rationalize, it would seem that ignorance is the greatest of evils, except that i myself am ignorant therefore my conclusions about such things are bound to be faulty and therefore also ignorant.
Hence ignorance may not be the greatest evil, because I am ignorant, as is human nature, which though we try to escape from, is an inherent part of humanity and as you've said can only be achieved through what you've already said, but given that our nature by itself will likely defeat an attempt at achieving Enlightenment because we are human, we cannot break from the cycle. Blahblahblah...so Tab, your analysis and conclusion, though believable and logical, may also be an ignorant view on human evils, nevermind that I agree that ignorance is a major contributor to the evil acts done by mankind.
:rambles on:
As for the greatest of all evils, i could care less, each has done it's own amount of damage and each is as great an evil as another when held by the person most likely to exploit it or be exploited by it.
:rambles:
What is the greatest evil?
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Lyrs
- Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2002 2:41 pm
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Lyrs
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)v(ajin Koji
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Chaos Angel
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Flint the Dwarf
- Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2002 6:58 pm
- Location: Ashland, WI
Since I've got some time...
Saul Bellow once said, "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep." Meaning in life, as far as one can truly know, is to find and adhere to something akin to happiness. Maybe just being content. Egocentricism drives everyone in one way or another, some more than others. But at the center of all our ideals is, undeniably, our center or ourselves; our being. When we look at what we do and why we do it, it eventually leads back to ourselves; whether it be a deed done for someone else, or working for money.
So the problem of ignorance versus awareness is a good one. In my current state, aware as much as one can be called aware, I choose to be aware. However, ignorance seems by far the more appealing choice. With ignorance, even the worst things, even pure pain, are small and insignificant. What is pain when compared to ignorance? Pain (in ignorance), possibly, can be felt but it cannot be understood and therefore the feeling never reaches awareness and thus doesn't exist. A life without pain is the perfect life to live. A truly ignorant person (which doesn't exist) would not even be able to comprehend this absence of pain, thus losing its affect.
However in awareness we understand, comprehend, and feel pain to its fullest. And, with pain, it is nearly impossible to reach real contentment. So, is it possible to be content under ignorance? Insomuch as contentment can be obtained, ignorance is the only way to conceivably achieve it because of the absence of pain and loss.
Saul Bellow once said, "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep." Meaning in life, as far as one can truly know, is to find and adhere to something akin to happiness. Maybe just being content. Egocentricism drives everyone in one way or another, some more than others. But at the center of all our ideals is, undeniably, our center or ourselves; our being. When we look at what we do and why we do it, it eventually leads back to ourselves; whether it be a deed done for someone else, or working for money.
So the problem of ignorance versus awareness is a good one. In my current state, aware as much as one can be called aware, I choose to be aware. However, ignorance seems by far the more appealing choice. With ignorance, even the worst things, even pure pain, are small and insignificant. What is pain when compared to ignorance? Pain (in ignorance), possibly, can be felt but it cannot be understood and therefore the feeling never reaches awareness and thus doesn't exist. A life without pain is the perfect life to live. A truly ignorant person (which doesn't exist) would not even be able to comprehend this absence of pain, thus losing its affect.
However in awareness we understand, comprehend, and feel pain to its fullest. And, with pain, it is nearly impossible to reach real contentment. So, is it possible to be content under ignorance? Insomuch as contentment can be obtained, ignorance is the only way to conceivably achieve it because of the absence of pain and loss.
Kusoyaro: We don't need a leader. We need to SHUT UP. Make what you want to make, don't make you what you don't want to make. If neither of those applies to you, then you need to SHUT UP MORE.
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nailz
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OtakuForLife
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A badly snyced AMV...-
TallonKarrde23
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Flint the Dwarf
- Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2002 6:58 pm
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Basically. But one damn tasty, happy, gelatinous cube.nailz1000 wrote:wouldn't you be the equivalent of a gelatenous cube if you were purely ignorant?
Kusoyaro: We don't need a leader. We need to SHUT UP. Make what you want to make, don't make you what you don't want to make. If neither of those applies to you, then you need to SHUT UP MORE.
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LindenRathan
- Joined: Tue Oct 14, 2003 1:58 pm
- Location: Indiana
