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Post by timmy on Oct 11, 2015 13:19:12 GMT
While reading Don Quixote, I noticed how inane he was in all his actions. His manner of talking and his ridiculous fights with imaginary figures and his idealized view of a knight showed his poor intelligence. But then, at the same time, I couldn't help noticing that his lack of intelligence was actually what made him happy. If Don Quixote was actually smart, he obviously would not have acted the way he would have, saving him from being the laughinstock he was to those around him. However, I truly believe that his imagination and lack of sense in doing these things actually made him happy.
P.S: Dont read the next part if you don't want any spoilers on Flowers for Algernoon
The story of Don Quixote reminded me of a story I have read in middle school. Even though it has been years since I read the story, the indelible sensation I felt toward the story at that point in time still makes it my prominent number one book. To briefly summarize the story, the protagonist is a mentally retarded man in his early thirties. He is happy in his own surroundings with his bakery and the nice teachers at the school for retarded adults. But then, some scientists decide to do an experiment on him by conducting a surgery which will make him smart. And it works- the man has come to realize his own emotions and find the nature of his surroundings that he never thought of before. But meanwhile, he realizes how ridiculously he had been treated in the past because he was stupid, and his former friends turn against his new identity.
I don't exactly know the value of knowledge. Sure, it's valued in society, and it cannot be doubted that those with knowledge are those with power and worldly possessions. But is that everything in this world? All I know is that there also exists happiness. And happiness certainly does not make a person smarter, nor any richer nor powerful. But still, the value is there.
I've come to notice that as a person ages, the person knows more. However, also less happy. If happiness can be called the point of life, knowledge is a curse. So why do learn? Why do we study?
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Post by melody on Oct 11, 2015 14:45:15 GMT
Rather than saying "intelligence and happiness have an inverse relationship", I would say intelligence will be act as a 'independent factor' and happiness will be the 'response variable' (dependent factor). By having intelligence, you may gain happiness or lose happiness. It totally depends how you behave, and how you use your intelligence on. By helping other people with their intelligency, they will gain satisfaction and happiness. However, by abusing other things by their intelligency, they would probably gain a temporary joy, but it wouldn't last long. In my conclusion, it is hard to define that intelligence and happiness have an inverse relationship so, it's hard to doubt why if we doubt learning.
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toufiq
Junior Member
Posts: 86
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Post by toufiq on Oct 11, 2015 14:56:24 GMT
Answering the question first that why do we study and why do we learn is to give our life a purpose. If we stop then there's almost no meaning to life and it'll be stopped in a place right? So knowledge and intelligence is necessary and unavoidable. But that doesn't mean that it will always be an obstacle achieving happiness. It depends with the person who deals with it. If the person is not strong enough to have that knowledge, then this inverse relationship can take place but it's not always right.
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Post by juliaj on Oct 17, 2015 3:21:44 GMT
I don't think that Don Quixote is a dumb character? Just because he's different doesn't mean he's dumb. I think he's more eccentric over anything and you could say oblivious or in a negative way ignorant to what's going around him. But I agree with you that ignorance is bliss. Essentially, that's what it is and what could be taken from Flowers fof Algernon as well. However, we need to learn and study in order to be happy as well. With knowledge comes understanding, and as humans, there's at least part of us that always wants to understand.
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Post by jin794 on Oct 18, 2015 9:30:01 GMT
I think it really depends on people's perspective if intelligence and happiness have an inverse relationship. In my opinion, I think some people may gain happiness or lose happiness by being an intelligent people. For example, some people might feel happy by learning knowledge. On the other hand, people may be happy without knowledge (might have a different factor). It really depends on people's personal value.
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Post by heesu on Oct 18, 2015 11:07:41 GMT
I think too much intelligences bring negative effects to the society,which is inverse of happiness. For example, from too much knowlegde,intelligence people created nuclear bomb that destruction to the world. By word of intelligence created gaps between people. People judge other people by smart or not smart. We can still learn to be an intelligence people,but the gaps are creating depresses to people
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