Mill states that it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than to be a swine satisfied. This automatically made me think of Hume's ideas on despair and his categories. There is the higher conscience of despair and then the lower, which is better? Well, as the saying goes, ignorance is bliss. Is it really? Mill says no, and I agree. I would much rather be aware of that which falls short and be in despair, or unsatisfied, than a wishful thinker, unaware of the horrors I face.
I commented on Kristina Swearingen's post.
I understand where you are coming from but I don't know if I agree. When I read this I thought childlike ignorance compared to adult knowledge. Children possess this uncanny wisdom, yet they are ignorant of the true working of the world. They also simply enjoy life. They aren't worried about money, jobs, wars, etc. They simply worry about playing. But as they grow, life starts to come in. Today I am surrounded by grades, graduate school admission, job, money, etc. and sometimes I wish I could go back to simpler times. Maybe it's just me... Also, Mill reminds me of Plato's allegory in the cave.
ReplyDelete