Here is something that puzzles me: the majority of posters on this forum are Atheists, and yet the majority also chose knowledge over happiness. This shouldn't be too surprising since it seems that atheists in general tend to choose knowledge over happiness in their daily lives, but to me it seems like a small leap in logic.

It would make sense for a Theist: you could believe that Man should strive to become more like God, making knowledge an important goal of mankind and of every individual (this is an essential belief in Judaism and in Eastern religions). Of course, a Theist could also choose happiness, because he could believe that God wants people to be happy, and that ultimate understanding will come in time as long as they believe in Christ (this seems to be popular among Christians).

But if you believe that there is no God, no purpose for mankind or the Universe, no reason for anything to exist... shouldn't it be logical to just be as happy as possible during our short lifetimes? What makes knowledge so special, so important, that it deserves the sacrifice of happiness? Is it that the feeling of knowing something ultimately makes you more happy? If this is the case, you are misreading the original question that insists that for the purpose of this thought experiment, we are talking about knowledge of something that makes you less happy than ignorance.

I am not trying to offend you Atheists, but am genuinely curious. Why is knowledge important? Why is the future of mankind, after the end of your conscious existence, matter? Why is having some fact in your head worth your happiness?