Ignorance is bliss

While reading Utilitarianism written by John Stuart Mill there were many statements that he made that I found interesting and that I did agree with. One of those being that we as humans should find what brings us happiness and try to maximize that happiness to the fullest ability. This is a great though for example if I find writing to bring me happiness I could purse a carrier as a writer, in an attempt to maximize the happiness in my life. Yet I disagree with Mill when he makes the statement that it is an “unquestionable fact” that someone of higher education would never chose to live an ignorant yet bliss full life but would rather have dignity. Looking at cases in the world it becomes clear that this is not always the truth, and though people may be acting ignorantly they are leading a happy life. In a sense by being ignorant they are maximizing their happiness. An example of this could be when someone is not willing to admit that they are wrong and in the end you agree with them just for the sake of ending conflict, you ended up settling while the person who acted ignorantly walked away the happiest. Mill goes on to make this statement "It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, are of a different opinions, it is because they only know their side of the question.” He makes a good point but when I read this the following thought crossed my mind; so what if the pig and the fool only know their side of the question if there ignorance is allowing them to maximize their happiness and it is not harming those around them, then I feel they are following this idea of maximizing the good they are just going about it a different way.