SarahC:

Would any of you really trade being well-informed for the convenience of not having to hold your tongue? I know I wouldn't.

I'm curious whether you'd extend that principle to arbitrarily extreme hypothetical situations.

Imagine the most disreputable factual belief you can think of, and then suppose (for the sake of the argument) that there is in fact some strong evidence in favor of this or some equally disreputable view, which is however ignored or dismissed by all respectable people. Furthermore, suppose that if you find out about it and update your beliefs accordingly, this knowledge will not give you any practical benefit, but merely place you in a situation where your honest beliefs are closer to truth, yet extremely disreputable.

Mind you, we're not talking about your views merely causing some irritation or provoking heated arguments. We're talking about a situation where in most social and all professional situations, you are unable to look at people's faces without thinking that they would consider you an abominable monster unfit for civilized society if they knew your true honest thoughts. You have to live with the fact that people around you (except perhaps for a few close friends and confidants) respect you and are willing to work and socialize with you only insofar as they are misled about what you really believe and what you truly are.

Would you really prefer this outcome to staying blissfully ignorant?