The ignorant are the smart ones

If the sphere of what can be known in the universe is infinite, then no matter how much knowledge one possesses, one never comes any closer to possessing all knowledge, for all knowledge is infinite.

One could spend a hundred lifetimes gathering and acquiring knowledge, and would still not be any closer to possessing all knowledge. When one realizes the absoluteness of this situation, an interesting paradox becomes apparent: the smarter (or more knowledgeable) one becomes, the more ignorant one truly is, in the cosmic sense.

Have you ever met somebody who was totally stupid, and yet, moved through life with a smug confidence that suggested that they thought they were smarter than they really were? I am not suggesting there is anything inherently wrong with this situation, however, this is a common phenomenon.

The less intelligent one is, the less they are capable of realizing how truly unintelligent they are. They believe they have all of the answers.

However, the smarter one becomes, the more they realize how vast the sphere of total knowledge in the universe is. So even though the knowledge that the smart person possesses continues to grow, it continues to diminish in light of the limitless infinity of all knowledge.

This symptom only progresses. When someone who possesses limited knowledge has a question answered, they have reached the end of their quest. Conversely, when someone who possesses great knowledge has question answered, it typically serves to generate more questions regarding the answer to the first.

This is the punchline to the great cosmic joke. The paradox that renders the intellectual somehow less informed than the simpleton. To put it in simpler terms, the more one knows about something, the more aware one is of how comparatively little one knows, in comparison with what, objectively, could be known.

Turns out ignorance truly is bliss after all. At least, in theory.

The proverbial rub here, is of course that one can’t select the amount of intellectual capability one has. So is the intellectual then relegated to a life of nihilism? Doomed to bob aimlessly adrift on a sea of apathetic stupidity, with nothing to keep them afloat, save the lifejacket of perspicacity?

On the contrary. It may seem futile to participate in some sort of backwards race where the winner is the one who moves the slowest and finishes last, however, we must picture Sisyphus happy.

In spite of its unattainable grandiosity, we must embrace the absurd, and strive to possess as much knowledge as we can.

Knowledge is the only thing one can possess in life that is not transitory. Money, material things, and even loved ones are temporary. Knowledge, barring some sort of medical malady, is permanent.

We should spend our time as a living, existing thing stockpiling as much knowledge as we can. That way, when the intellectual feels that the simpleton is unfairly winning the race, the intellectual is at least far more adept at talking shit. Which can work wonders in the “feeling good” ledger of life.