Silje Tørring, elev ved Stavanger katedralskole i Stavanger, oppnådde en imponerende 4. plass i Norgesmesterskapet i filosofi for skoleåret 2023-24. Dette skoleåret deltok 796 elever fra 41 skoler, og finalejuryen besto av Sara Kasin Vikesdal fra Universitetet i Oslo og Håvard Løkke fra Universitetet i Agder. Vi i FilosofiAvisen er glade for å kunne presentere det tankevekkende essayet nedenfor. For mer informasjon om Norgesmesterskapet i filosofi, besøk filosofiforeningen.no.
The wiser you are, the more worries you have; the more you know, the more it hurts. For in much wisdom is the much grief; and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Ecclesiastes 1:18. Good news bible. american bible society. 1976.
The quote from Ecclesiastes 1:18 could easily be summarised by comparing it to a much more common saying: “ignorance is bliss.” Most English speakers are probably well-acquainted with this saying, although many might not truly understand what it entails. As with the quote from the Good News Bible, I believe it could be interpreted as an argument that ignorance is more valuable than knowledge, because of the hardships that come with gaining knowledge. Although I believe that knowledge may increase worry and sorrow, I believe the consequences of simply accepting ignorance may be much worse. For what is the purpose of living, if we can not learn anything along the way? In this essay I will be discussing the importance of seeking knowledge, despite the hardships that might come with it.
I believe that to live is to develop. As humans, we grow and change all our lives; as can be seen both on a large, evolutionary scale, and on a small, social scale. I would argue that many of these unconscious changes happen because of “naturally” or unconsciously acquired knowledge. Development triggered by unconsciously acquired knowledge can easily be found in every human’s life. It can be seen in the way a child learns what is right and what is wrong, and the way a teenager learns what is “cool” and what is not. Whether or not it is conscious, the knowledge and experiences we gain are what makes us adapt and develop. It almost seems impossible for humans to live without constantly acquiring knowledge. To place more value in ignorance than in knowledge, would therefore be to undermine one of the key aspects of human life.
Some may say that this is irrelevant and argue that the quote does not refer to our “naturally” or unconsciously acquired knowledge, but rather the knowledge we actively seek. However, in order to properly discuss the quote, it is essential that we do not dismiss the fact that humans will acquire knowledge whether we try to or not. I believe an instinctual or unconscious conviction of humans is that knowledge is a way to ensure security and comfort. As discussed in the last paragraph, knowledge and learning is what triggers development, which again leads to a better situation for the person gaining insight. This means that actively seeking out knowledge, is merely a more conscious version of trying to better your situation.
Simply the idea that seeking knowledge is natural, could also be an argument as to why we should do it. I am not claiming that we should follow all our natural instincts with no regard to the outer world. However, if we follow the idea the quote suggests that the wiser you are, the more worries you have, all consequences of seeking knowledge seemingly falls on the person doing it. This means that following this “instinct” would seemingly not have any negative consequences for the rest of society. If we then also believe that new knowledge could lead to positive development as shown in how humans adapt to situations based on the knowledge they gain about them, the positive consequences of a person seeking knowledge might outweigh the negative feelings that could come with it.
One could also argue that knowledge could be used as a way to form relationships with other humans. Conversing is an important way for humans to form bonds with one another, and we require a certain amount of knowledge about the world in order to do this. I also believe that there is a very important social aspect of talking about something you are especially interested in and know a lot about, with someone who has the same interest. It allows an understanding between people on the basis of something other than themselves, which for many might feel like a much safer way of forming a connection. Feeling connected to other humans and being able to have your emotional needs met, could lead to a more positive attitude towards other humans and therefore more general goodwill within a society. If we all stopped seeking knowledge, how would we then form these connections with each other? With the intellectual and emotional needs humans have now, I do not believe we would find physical affection to be enough. We yearn for the conversations that seeking knowledge allows us to have.
An important aspect to remember when discussing this quote is that it may originally have been used to keep people from seeking out knowledge they were “not supposed” to gain. If the reason for claiming that knowledge might cause sorrow, is to scare people away from learning something, I believe the whole statement loses its validity. Because even though I agree to a certain extent that knowledge could cause pain, I believe that if the purpose behind claiming so was to keep information from people, it invalidates the statement from this specific source. Most humans would feel hurt or worried if they found out something that had been kept from them, especially if the information changes large parts of their view on their own reality. This means that by hiding something from someone and then claiming that people will get hurt from seeking knowledge, the quote will create false proof to its own statement.
As I mentioned, I do not dismiss the statement that knowledge may increase worry. Frankly, I believe it very often does. Lacking someone to share your newfound knowledge with could cause a feeling of loneliness and grief, and knowing something scary or something you are not supposed to know could lead to worrying. However, this is not reason enough to stop seeking knowledge. If we always chose the path with the least amount of hardship, we would lose almost all our moral values. And if we want to uphold the society we have built, we need to maintain a certain amount of generally agreed upon values. This means that we can not always act on what seems easiest; quite often we must take choices based on what we think is right. And if there is proof to believe that seeking knowledge is right, there is reason to do it despite the difficulties it comes with.
So, what could be examples of why seeking knowledge is right? First of all, I believe the instinctual way knowledge-seeking appears in humans combined with the lack of negative consequences it seemingly has on other people is important to discuss. There is no “true” argument against seeking knowledge in a society where we value liberty and free choices, as seeking knowledge does not negatively affect anyone other than the person doing it. But not only does it lack negative consequences for other people, it might have positive consequences for the whole of a society. The way we use knowledge to converse and form relationships with one another is greatly beneficial for maintaining a stimulating social platform. This again might lead to more benevolence amongst people, as their emotional needs are met in a much better way than what would be possible without knowledgeable discussions. All in all, these are some of the arguments why I believe that seeking knowledge has great value despite the hardships that might come with it.
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