# Ask the man who knows nothing **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 6, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323 "2012-06-06T22:39:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/21 "2012-06-07T18:32:56Z")
Do you have known unknowns, or is it all just unknown unknowns for you? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/22 "2012-06-07T18:41:34Z")
Do you know Pete? ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/23 "2012-06-07T18:57:28Z")
Are you going to change your username to **Socrates**? ---
**Author:** ![Alonzo\_John\_Blitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@Alonzo\_John\_Blitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alonzo_John_Blitz)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/24 "2012-06-07T19:18:59Z")
Thanks again to all of you who are participating in this thread. I would respond to you individually, but I don’t know how to do that. Some of you, well-meaning, no doubt, may feel inclined to educate me as to how it is done. That’s very kind of you; however, I don’t know how to follow directions either. Last night I was lying in bed (at least I think it was a bed; could have been a hammock or a ham sandwich) ruminating, when it occurred to me that I don’t know what ‘ruminating’ means. So I asked myself; is knowing that you don’t know some kind of knowing? Someone upthread posited this. Perhaps their sage response brought the question into focus. But as I gave this idea further consideration and pulled the blankets around me (slathered myself in mayo?), the clarity, the knowledge, disappeared in a puff of stupid. What were we talking about? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/25 "2012-06-07T20:20:05Z")
Seriously? That shirt? With those pants? What is going on in that head? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/26 "2012-06-07T21:12:40Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Seriously? please?!? ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/27 "2012-06-07T21:52:08Z")
Uhhh… what? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/28 "2012-06-07T22:01:32Z")
Okay, time to drag out this oldie: He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool - shun him. He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is a child - teach him. He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep - wake him. He who knows, and knows that he knows, is a wise man - follow him. [Attributions](http://stonesoupcs.com/port/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=4&Itemid=9): Persian Proverb; Arab Proverb; Ancient Sanskrit text; Confucius; or wherever. ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/29 "2012-06-07T22:07:36Z")
How much news would a knowledgable man know if he could know news? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/30 "2012-06-08T00:45:09Z")
How do you know you know nothing? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/31 "2012-06-08T01:59:46Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > How do you know you know nothing? In real life, it seems that those who know the least know so little that they do not realize their own limitations. And shit. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/32 "2012-06-08T02:28:37Z")
The paradox of knowledge. You can’t know that you don’t know anything, otherwise you wouldn’t not know anything. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/33 "2012-06-08T02:45:41Z")
I bet the OP and Karl Pilkington would get along just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/34 "2012-06-08T09:29:24Z")
Is it true that you taught Glenn Beck everything he knows? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/35 "2012-06-08T12:52:12Z")
Do you know nothing or no knowthing? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323/36 "2012-06-08T13:00:04Z")
if you accidentally learn something then do you have to bang your head against the wall for a while until it goes away? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-man-who-knows-nothing/624323.md?page=1)