Is there a kind of information you're better off not having?

Would you be better off never seeing goatse.cx?

The following assumes this isn't false information.

Okay, I had thought about leaving it at that, because, well, I thought it would be funny. But I figure I should explain.

Information is harmless. It is inanimate. It is a gun. There is nothing inherantly wrong with guns, it's what people do with them. However, I don't think that said information is always used in a harmless fashion, like a gun.

The information on goatse.cx, while distasteful to some, is simply unpleasent only because we have developed such a response to it. Most of us see a bloody asshole and go "Eww, gross," but some are attracted to it, or think it funny, etc.

The reason I am not sad or whatever about that site is because now I know that I think big, gaping asses are pretty gross. I can deal with this information, and I can digest it, and decide that it is or is not a good thing, which it is not, however, I don't regret the information I am exposed to, because then I can make more informed decisions about other things, like I think that guy might have a rectal problem.

I'm not replying to AntonZ, but the question in the title is regarding information that I would rather not have. And, as such, I'd have to say no.

The first word in the book in my right hand is 'A'.
Can you say retroactive interference? No need to fill your head with worthless trash; it will interfere with your retrieval of usefull information.

How about False information? Of course, you could argue that information has to be true... Not an easy thing to argue, though.

I would say that any set of infomation could be more of an anoyance than a boon in the right circumstances. (Why aren't you memorizing the dictionary in your free time? It's full of information!) I'm busy not learning ring theory as we speak. As useful and interestering as it is I just don't think it's worth my time right now.

Piq: That's a big if.

Tem42: it's called misinformation, if you knew all the information then you would disregard it as an opinion.

Imagine, for a moment, that you could hear the thoughts of others. You would be privy to their motivations, their opinions about themselves and you, their dreams, fantasies and aspirations. All the information about every person you meet, right there at your fingertips.

Imagine that nobody was aware of this incredible ability of yours.

So, you are sitting in your cubicle at work and things drift to you -- "That promotion would have been mine if I'd been prepared to kiss ass the way Jake does" -- "God, my balls itch!" -- "If I add some beans, I can stretch the meat another day and buy the new shoes Aden needs" -- all information, all the petty, mean-minded or pointless concerns that assail us every day. The human race, as a whole is discontented, and I reckon you would find it hard to maintain any faith in the innate goodness of man after about a week.

Then you're sitting drinking with your friends, smiling and laughing, and one glances at you. "Sheesh," you hear on that little receiver, "she really does think she's funnny, doesn't she? And doesn't she know a fat girl should never wear tight skirts?"

And you're in bed, with your lover. The sex is great. You reach the point of climax, and there in your mind flashes the face of Catherine Zeta Jones, or James Marsters, or, gods, I don't know... Kermit the Frog perhaps.

Now, finally, imagine that someone discovers your power. Watch them replay their thoughts, see the dismay on their face.

Is there some kind of information we're better off without? Oh yes, I think so.

I agree with piq; partial information can be harmful.

Imagine a hypothetical situation (I call it hypothetical because I don't actually know the correct numbers for the data).
Datum A: One person per year is killed by an airbag.
Datum B: One thousand people per year are saved by an airbag.
Person X does not know A or B.
Person Y knows A and does not know B.
Person Z knows A and B.

Person Y's best information is that airbags are dangerous. This may lead person Y to disable the airbags.

Two things to note: First, person Y is in a worse situation than either person X or person Z. Partial information has led person Y to do something which he/she would have been better off not doing. So X, with no information, is better off than Y, with partial information. The second thing to note is that person Z is in the best situation: X has no reason to turn off the airbag, and Z knows not to turn it off, so they're both in the same situation as far as that goes, but Z has made a conscious decision about not turning it off. Z cannot be misled by Y; X could be.