Knowledge = power? Honesty = best policy? Or ignorance = bliss?

Is knowledge always power, or is ignorance bliss? This question implies that power doesn't coincide with bliss, and being blissful doesn't make one powerful. Also, is honesty always the best policy?

A potential question to be raised is whether Internet dating is good. Hiding behind the computer screen could mean shaving off a couple of kilograms from your weight and tuck your stammering away from earshot, and one doesn't have to be on their best appearance to have a fulfilling conversation. One could do away with the frills of dinner dates, and eliminate first-time meeting jitters. Let's say you're talking to this fat balding man, but you don't know he's fat and balding. You strike up a pretty decent conversation with him and you like him quite a bit. However, when you meet up with him, his looks disappoint.

Maybe concealing the truth in this scenario can be justified by the fact that if it weren't for his lies, you would have denied yourself the opportunity of getting to know this person better. Therefore, it's actually beneficial in this case for both you and the fat balding man, because both of you found a soulmate in each other.

Also, what if you like someone very much, and then one day you discover that this person used to be a serial murderer? Or a cat drowner, whatever you like. Would you still hang around with this person? Does it benefit you to know the person's gory past? Instead of helping you better make decisions that the additional knowledge you now possess about your friend, you are torn, because you don't know whether you still can like this person if he has had done something your values conflict with. But you still like him as a person!

Knowledge isn't always power, and honesty isn't always the best policy. Sometimes, ignorance can be bliss.

I suppose your decision to continue interactions with the hypocrite in question depends on how much importance you give to your values and your liking for the person. This is quite a dilemma, because continuing to like the person implies that your values are flexible, but cutting off all ties with this horrible person results in a companion lost.

I used to be adamant that complete honesty is always good, but now, I'm not so sure. If it weren't for the lies that have been told to conceal unsavoury truths, I wouldn't have gotten to know many delightful people. Ah, time to re-evaluate my values.

I also borrowed a book titled Meaning of Life from the school library. I saw it some time ago and was quite piqued by the contents, but I was still having exams so all leisure reading would have to be withheld. In it are raised many moral and ethical questions such as the moral justification for sex, whether religion can give meaning to life, etc.

"Because respect for individual autonomy and respect for humanity are essential elements of the principle of respect for persons, on the basis of these considerations, one can further argue that a defensible account of sexual ethics would justify the condemnation of coercion and deception."

"Deception which includes lying or the withholding of relevant information undercuts rational decision making and thereby undermines individual autonomy."

Basically, in order to respect someone, you have to respect his choices and decisions. By lying to him or withholding relevant information, you are denying him of the opportunity to make rational choices and decisions, and this means you are disrespecting him.

For example, if someone lied to me about his marital status and told me he was single when he was attached, then he is disrespecting me, and from this very basis I can accuse him of manipulating me and then I have all the reason in the world to dump him. However, someone as conniving as such would surely have taken the opportunity to build emotional attachments before revealing the truth, therefore making said dumping difficult.

Which comes back to the original question whether honesty is always the best policy and is knowledge really power.

I assume that honesty of an individual leads to knowledge gained for myself.

Dilemma, dilemma, people!

I hope you understand me. My thoughts have been all aflurry lately. When you're engaging in menial labour like repetitive stitching to the drone of a sewing machine, your mind tends to develop a life of its own.

But isn't my mind me?