h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Officially the Monacan flag is smaller than the Indonisian. I s**t you not.

Well - knowledge of elementary particle physics is pretty useless to most people, yes.

But so is knowledge of elementary geography, surely?

One person cannot know everything. Therefore everyone will have some gaps in their knowledge bank.

I studied Nuclear Physics so I'm OK on the neutrons and neutrinos, and I've a sister in Melbourne so I know the difference bewteen Oz and Oztria.

But flags of the world? Not my specialist field. And you could ask me the simplest of sport related questions and I wouldn't know the answer.

So how would I characterize someone who didnt know something? Would depend on so many things - their age, their background, their schooling. I would try not to critcise anyone for lack of knowledge, although I might hide some surprise. Particularly if they were a Geography teacher from Sydney.

It is possible to have a pretty complete general knowledge, what level of specialism and detail falls into 'general' is obviously negotiable - however the knowledge that leads to wisdom is knowing how much you don't know, in knowing where the gaps in your knowledge are, where you are weak and being able to trace the outline of that weakness so you know what the shape and size of your ignorance is.

Who decides what constitutes "general knowledge"????

Anne Robinson? I hope not.....

I was thinking along the same lines We have a quiz game at home and one of the categories is Common Knowledge. So I also figured if it was on those cards, you oughta know

But is knowledge not infinite?????

And obviously by definition everyone DOESN'T know the answer on the back of the Common Knowledge cards, or there would be no point playing the game!!!!!

Can I answer the original question?

Surely it is Jade from Big Brother?

Or is that too cruel?

I don't think knowledge is infinite. They say imagination is, but I'd also argue with that.

Well, they *should* know the answers.

Huh. I'm not playing Trivial Pusuit with YOU!!!

How can knowledge be finite if space is infinite?

It may not be infinite.

And don't worry, I never get the questions on Trivial Pursuit right

Jade from Big Bro!

You have bad timing Rabies the Rat.

Well... Space isn't infinite, as far as those Physics folks currently know...

Useful knowledge is thus finite, because the universe is...

Useless knowledge on the other hand, is infinite... as long as you have a fairly relaxed definition of 'knowledge'. For example...

Two is less than three...

Two is less than four...

Two is less than five...

And so on

Knowledge is finite, ignorance is endless.

... and bliss to boot!

George W. Bliss?

As for not knowing the difference between Austria and Austrailia, how many of us know the difference between Slovakia and Slovinia? Or Kazakhstan and Kyrgystan? It appears that 'we' as a community don't know that much about a hell of a lot of places.

Take a look at A767306 - it's a work in progress so excuse me. All the countries of the world are listed in order of population size. Countries with an Edited Guide Entry are in capitals, those with a related entry lower case, and those with no entry at all have no links. We don't even have entries for all those countries with populations over 100 million!

Before everyone checks out that link - try to name the ten largest country populations in the world (Populations over a hundred million).

If you can name all ten you're a better man than me - boy i was suprised!