Silence can be really golden?

Yeah, yeah, it is true that when someone is riding his hobbyhorse he would prefer that his audience keeps quiet. After all, nothing pleases a speaker more than what he would think of as a respectful silence. So, it is but natural for a philosopher to praise the virtues of silence? THAT may well depend on the philosopher but, when the philosopher is long dead and gone, it may well be better to assess what he has said rather than dismiss it. After all, there is no real pleasure in trolling a dead person. AND, when it is a philosopher, it is unlikely that he is celebrity enough to give you the pleasure of irritating his ardent fans. So...

Anyway, Tiru has this to say in favor of silence...

Kallaa dhavarum naninallar katraarmun sollaa dhirukkap perin - Tirukkural

Even the ignorant may seem worthy if they keep silent in the company of the learned - Loose Translation

Now, I shall have to issue a caveat. It IS reasonably unlikely that the ignorant get to be in the company of the learned in social media, which is seems to be the only place that people interact these days. I mean, of what use are algorithms if not to weed out the blatherings of the learned from polluting the conversation of the ignorant? Since we all end up in our own echo chambers, this piece of advice is...irrelevant.

But, yeah, there is this pesky real life. So, one can see this as possibly useful only in what we like to call IRL. In real life, which is so messy that it does not neatly filter out the 'others', one can see that we may need to take some heed of this behavioral aberration. (Why aberration? I mean, really, the IDEA that one should keep silent merely because one doesn't know the subject! Pathetic Boomer nonsense!)

So, yeah, Tiru says that when, say, a bunch of physicists are discussing, say, the String theory, it would do well for you to just keep quiet and listen. If a bunch of economists are discussing the effect of reducing interest rates, do not butt in with your 'knowledgeable' comments about the benefits of inflation. AND so on. Why? For one, people like listeners and prefer to think of that chap as more intelligent than he really is. (I mean, which speaker would like to think that his listeners are fools? Reflects on him and his speech rather badly, no?) For another, WHAT you speak may end up reflecting on you and, since you are admittedly ignorant of the issue...(You are NOT? Then you are not the subject matter of this discussion. Did you not read that Kural? It is meant FOR the ignorant.)

In the more recent but admittedly boomer times, we had this saying...'It is better to keep your mouth shut and be taken for a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.' OR, as I have said in the past, "It is better to admit your ignorance than to display it." Yeah, yeah, it is ONLY in this pesky real life where your boss or some such chap with power may be around to hear you...and kick you out on the pavement. (Why? Because that bunch of knowledgeable chaps around ignorant you could well be discussing the future use of AI in your company around ignorant you. To butt in there with ill-informed comments...) In Social media, especially after looking around to see that your boss is not lurking around, you can feel free to say what you want where you want. (I believe, though, that all sorts of people check out your social media presence - employers, potential and current; government; and so on. So...)

Tiru is actually going one step further. Keeping quiet, according to him, does not get you to be taken for a fool. It actually makes you seem to be a person of worth. Now THAT is an offer you cannot refuse! Or...can you?