I believe that saying "I don't know" encourages curiosity and agree that it can prompt people to do their own research and discover more on their own.

So many people just want to be told the answers instead of having the experience of discovering them on their own. Religion gives people easy answers without the experience of discovery. It squashes curiosity.

Even for mundane questions, like local restaurants, for which I get asked about a lot by visitors to my area. I so seldom actually go out anymore and am not all that particular with my food. So, I'm surely not an expert despite living here a long time. So, when asked, I tend to go the "I don't know" route, since I don't know what kind of food or atmosphere the visitor wants and I don't want to be responsible for steering them to a place they end up not liking, spending a lot of money on the mistake. I'd rather them make their own choices and the can tell me how they liked it.

They often "discover" a little hole in the wall that has surprisingly good food, friendly service, great atmosphere and a fun experience. It's more meaningful for them that way.

I suspect that many do give answers in this sort of case even if they know the answer is wrong. Giving the answer gets you off of that subject. The exception would be with a Trumper. It just gets him into more lies that he feels he has to verify so more is yet to come.

Participating in religion fosters brain malfunctions including sexual repression, loss of critical thinking, failure to develop socialization skills, among others. Christian churches have learned how to leverage these handicaps, inducing those under their control to go out and proselytize others.

[esteemology.com]

The narcissism is typically complemented with an equal amount of arrogance.

If I were a betting man, I’d say SCOTUS is hanging out under that stone….

While I agree on the second part of your post based on the context it was framed upon, I have to somewhat disagree on the first part. Context is important, and if by chance I do know the answer to a question someone asks I will gladly share said answer. Often times even after answering someone else's queries, I will politely suggest that they not simply take my word for it but also to look things up for themselves later on, just in case to make sure that I got it right.

You said above, "Which is why, "I don't know," Is not only, the most honestly truthful answer, to nearly every question you could possibly ask, but is also the best, kindest, most practical and most profitable one." I don't think that would apply to nearly every question one could possibly ask, nor would it always be the most profitable one. In that context, how would you define the word profit? If I readily know an answer to someone's question and are able to answer it accurately, that certainly would be helpful to that individual which in turn would (at least) feel like a profit to me, in the sense that I had helped out another in the area of knowledge, and more knowledge in society is usually a positive thing for all. I guess that depends on what could be considered a profit to some, and we all could surely benefit in different ways besides financially speaking.

In putting the last part of your post in proper context, I would certainly agree, and answering in that way when it comes to the "heavy" topics of discussion would be the most honest, and also that there's absolutely no shame in answering that way.

There is no shame in admitting that you don't know, that makes you human.

Yes, science is about knowledge and the larger part of that is "discovering" knowledge.

Science starts with a basic understanding, then tests and experiments to expand that knowledge. When something is in error, or proven false, science embraces it as a part of a more comprehensive understanding.

The word science comes from the Latin word scientia, which means "knowledge" or "knowing something". Scientia is a derivative of the present participle of the Latin verb scire, which means "to know". The root of scire can be traced back to the European proto-Indo word sēik-, which means "to cut".

The word science has been used in Middle English since the 14th century to mean "the state of knowing". It was borrowed from the Anglo-Norman language as the suffix -cience. In the past, science was synonymous with "knowledge" or "study".

Science "studies" in order to gain knowledge, scientists know they don't "know" everything, that is why they continue to be scientists. If they claim to know everything then they should just start new religions based on beliefs and not evidence.

Your point is very valid. I suspect many people don't say "I don't know" because their ego won't allow it.

Humans are a curious bunch. When there is a question and the answer is, I don't know then suppositions and theories are offered as possibilities. It is when those theories are promoted as facts that problems occur. When those "facts" are passed down through the generations and often exaggerated, they are accepted as true.

People with opportunistic tendencies often see the potential profit to be made with little to no real personal investment.

I have no time for, and I give no quarter to, religious imbeciles who demand of me how life began, what caused the Big Bang, and how I can be moral without their particular God.