Wisdom is having gained knowledge, understanding, experience, discretion, and intuitive understanding, along with a capacity to apply these qualities well. Knowledge is defined ( Oxford English Dictionary) variously as (i expertise and skills acquired by a person through experience or education the theoretical or practical understanding Understanding (also called intellection) is a psychological Process related to an abstract or physical object such as Person, situation or Experience as a general concept comprises Knowledge of or skill in or Observation of some thing or some event gained through involvement in or Intuition is apparent ability to acquire knowledge without a clear inference or the use of reason Understanding (also called intellection) is a psychological Process related to an abstract or physical object such as Person, situation or It is the judicious application of knowledge. To some extent the terms wisdom and intelligence have similar and overlapping meanings. Intelligence (also called intellect) is an Umbrella term used to describe a property of the Mind that encompasses many related abilities such as the capacities The status of wisdom or prudence as a virtue is recognized in cultural, philosophical and religious sources. Prudence (latprudentia is classically considered to be a Virtue, and indeed one of the Cardinal Virtues. Virtue ( Latin virtus; Greek) is moral Excellence. Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting individual Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos
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Psychological perspectives
Psychologists have gathered data on commonly held beliefs or folk theories about wisdom. [1] These analyses indicate that although "there is an overlap of the implicit theory of wisdom with intelligence, perceptiveness, spirituality and shrewdness, it is evident that wisdom is a distinct term and not a composite of other terms. "[2]
Erik Erikson
Personality theorist Erik Erikson related wisdom to the last stage of his eight-stage theory of psychosocial development. Erik Homburger Erikson ( June 15, 1902 – May 12, 1994) was born in Frankfurt to Danish parents but later obtained Erikson's theory spans the entire lifespan and frames each stage in the form of internally-generated questions or tensions. Erikson claimed that in the last stage of human development, from approximately 65 years to death, individuals must resolve a psychological conflict between integrity and despair. He proposed that attaining wisdom is a favorable resolution and product of this conflict.
Strength here takes the form of that detached yet active concern with life bounded by death,which we call wisdom… Not that each man can evolve wisdom for himself. . . . To whatever abyss ultimate concerns may lead individual men, man as a psychological creature will face, toward the end of his life, a new edition of the identity crisis which we may state by the words 'I am what survives me. '
Vivian Clayton
In the 1970s, Vivian Clayton pioneered the academic study of wisdom. Erik Homburger Erikson ( June 15, 1902 – May 12, 1994) was born in Frankfurt to Danish parents but later obtained Clayton "is generally recognized as the first psychologist to ask, in even faintly scientific terms, 'What does wisdom mean, and how does age affect it?'"[4] Clayton's work caught the attention of Paul Baltes, who later founded the Berlin Wisdom Project at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, Germany. Paul B Baltes ( Saarlouis, June 18, 1939 - Berlin, November 7, 2006) was a renowned German Psychologist The Max Planck Institute for Human Development is located in Berlin, Germany. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Another wisdom researcher, sociologist Monika Ardelt, has developed a "Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale", a test that individuals can take for a numerical assessment of their wisdom on a scale of one to five. Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" The number of academic publications about wisdom increased significantly from 1984 to 2000. Nevertheless, according to Jacqui Smith, one of Baltes's collaborators, the subject is not completely accepted in academia. [5]
Positive psychology
Researchers in positive psychology have defined wisdom (a. Positive psychology is a recent branch of Psychology that "studies the strengths and Virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive k. a. psychological perspective) as the coordination of "knowledge and experience" and "its deliberate use to improve well being. "[6] With this definition, wisdom can be measured using the following criteria. [7]
- A wise person can discern the core of important problems.
- A wise person has self-knowledge. Self-knowledge describes ideas pertaining to Psychology, Philosophy and Mysticism.
- A wise person seems sincere and direct with others. Sincerity is the Virtue of one who speaks truly about his or her own feelings thoughts desires
- Others ask wise people for advice.
- A wise person's actions are consistent with his/her ethical beliefs.
Measurement instruments that use these criteria have acceptable to good internal consistency and low test-retest reliability (r in the range of 0. In Statistics and Research, internal consistency is a measure based on the Correlations between different items on the same test (or the same subscale on Test-retest is a statistical method used to examine how reliable a test isA test is performed twice e In Statistics, reliability is the consistency of a set of measurements or measuring instrument often used to describe a test. In Statistics, the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (sometimes referred to as the MCV or PMCC, and typically denoted by r 35 to 0. 67). [7]
Many, but not all, studies find that adults' self-ratings of perspective/wisdom do not depend on age. [7][8] This stands in contrast to the popular notion that wisdom increases with age. [8]
Religious perspectives
- Further information: Sophia (wisdom)
Some religions have specific teachings relating to wisdom. Sophia (Σoφíα Greek for " Wisdom " is a central term in Hellenistic philosophy and religion, Platonism,
Abrahamic religions
In the Christian Bible and Jewish scripture, Wisdom is also represented by the sense of justice of the lawful and wise king Solomon, who asks God for wisdom in 1 Kings 3. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" The Books of Kings ( Sefer Melachim, ספר מלכים are a part of Judaism 's Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. Proverbs 9:10 says: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," (Proverbs 1:7) and 8:13 "To fear the Lord is to hate evil;". The Book of Proverbs is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh, and thus also one of the books of the Old Testament.
There is an oppositional element in Christian thought between secular wisdom and Godly wisdom. Secularity ( adjective form secular) is the state of being separate from Religion. The apostle Paul states that worldly wisdom thinks the claims of Christ to be foolishness. Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " However, to those who are being saved Christ represents the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:17-31) Also, Wisdom is one of the Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit according to Angelican, Catholic, and Lutheran belief. The First Epistle to the Corinthians is a book of the Bible in the New Testament. The Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are gifts which Anglicans, Roman Catholics, and Lutherans believe the Holy Spirit gives to people to
In Islam, according to the Qur'an Prophet Muhammad was chosen by God to represent his wisdom. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics The Prophet Muhammad said that: "Fearing God in your actions and intentions, and knowing that Almighty God is watching you wherever and whenever you are is the head/peak of wisdom". IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. In addition, Islam also mentions that a wise man with the name of Luqman once told his son to: "Sit with the learned men and keep close to them. For other uses see Luqman Luqman ( لقمان) is the name of a holy man mentioned in Luqman (sura in the Muslim religious book Allah gives life to the hearts with the light of wisdom as Allah gives life to the dead earth with the abundant rain of the sky"[1]. Allah ( Arabic: الله, ʔalˤːɑːh) is the standard Arabic word for '
Eastern religions and philosophy
Confucius stated that wisdom can be learned by three methods: Reflection (the noblest), imitation (the easiest) and experience (the bitterest). Confucius ( lit " Master Kung " September 28, 551 BC - 479 BC) was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher According to "Doctrine of the Mean," Confucius also said, "Love of learning is akin to wisdom. To practice with vigor is akin to humanity. To know to be shameful is akin to courage (zhi,ren,yi. . three of Mengzi's sprouts of virtue). " Compare this with the beginning of the Confucian classic "Great Learning" which begins with "The Way of learning to be great consists in manifesting the clear character, loving the people, and abiding in the highest good" one can clearly see the correlation with the Roman virtue "prudence," especially if one transliterates clear character as clear conscience. (Quotes from Chan's Sources of Chinese Philosophy).
Buddha taught that a wise person is endowed with good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct & good mental conduct (AN3:2) and a wise person does actions that are unpleasant to do but give good results and doesn’t do actions that are pleasant to do but give bad results (AN4:115). Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder The Anguttara Nikaya (aṅguttaranikāya "Gradual Collection" or "Numerical Discourses" is a Buddhist scripture the fourth of the five Nikayas or This is called karma. Karma ( Sanskrit: कर्म, kárman - "act action performance" Pali: kamma) is the concept of "action" The Buddha has much to say on the subject of wisdom including:
- He who arbitrates a case by force does not thereby become just (established in Dhamma). Dhamma ( Pāli: धम्म or Dharma (धर्म in Buddhism has two primary meanings the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment But the wise man is he who carefully discriminates between right and wrong. [9]
- He who leads others by nonviolence, righteously and equitably, is indeed a guardian of justice, wise and righteous. [10]
- One is not wise merely because he talks much. But he who is calm, free from hatred and fear, is verily called a wise man. [11]
- By quietude alone one does not become a sage (muni) if he is foolish and ignorant. The wise old man (also called sage or " Senex " is an Archetype as described by Carl Jung. But he who, as if holding a pair of scales, takes the good and shuns the evil, is a wise man; he is indeed a muni by that very reason. He who understands both good and evil as they really are, is called a true sage. [12]
In Taoism Practical Wisdom may be described as knowing what to say and when to say it. Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊɪzəm/ or /ˈtaʊɪzəm/ also spelled '''Daoism''') refers to a variety of related Philosophical and Religious traditions
Other religions
In Mesopotamian religion and mythology, Enki, also known as Ea, was the God of wisdom and intelligence. Mesopotamian mythology is the collective name given to Sumerian Akkadian Assyrian and Babylonian mythologies from the land between the Tigris Enki ( Sumerian: dENKI(G 𒂗𒆠 was a Deity in Sumerian mythology, later known as Ea in Babylonian mythology Wisdom was achieved by restoring balance.
In Norse mythology, the god Odin is especially known for his wisdom, often acquired through various hardships and ordeals involving pain and self-sacrifice. Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland Odin (ˈoʊdɪn from Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse paganism. In one instance he plucked out an eye and offered it to Mímir, guardian of the well of knowledge and wisdom, in return for a drink from the well. Mímir ( Old Norse "The rememberer the wise one" or Mim is a figure in Norse mythology renowned for his knowledge and wisdom who is beheaded [13] In another famous account, Odin hanged himself for nine nights from Yggdrasil, the World Tree that unites all the realms of existence, suffering from hunger and thirst and finally wounding himself with a spear until he gained the knowledge of runes for use in casting powerful magic. In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil ( Old Norse Yggdrasill, ˈyɡˌdrasilː the extra -l is a Nominative case marker is the World The World Tree is a Motif present in several religions and mythologies particularly Indo-European religions The world tree is represented as a colossal In Norse Cosmology the World Tree Yggdrasil unifies nine worlds ( Old Norse: níu heimar) that represent all that exists Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and [14] He was also able to acquire the mead of poetry from the giants, a drink of which could grant the power of a scholar or poet, for the benefit of gods and mortals alike. Mead of Poetry (Old Norse skáldskapar mjaðar) also known as Mead of Suttungr ( Suttungmjaðar) in Norse mythology is a mythical beverage that A jötunn, sometimes anglicized as jotun (pronounced yotun is a giant in Norse mythology, a member of a race of nature spirits with superhuman strength The skald was a member of a group of Poets whose courtly poetry (Icelandic dróttkvæði) is associated with the courts of Scandinavian and Icelandic In Old Norse, áss (or ǫ́ss ás, plural æsir, feminine ásynja, feminine plural ásynjur) is the term denoting one of the principal [13]
Philosophical perspectives
A standard philosophical, (philos-sophia: literally "lover of wisdom"), definition says that wisdom consists of making the best use of available knowledge. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Descriptive knowledge, also declarative knowledge or propositional knowledge, is the species of Knowledge that is by its very nature expressed in As with any decision, a wise decision may be made with incomplete information. Information as a concept has a diversity of meanings from everyday usage to technical settings The technical philosophical term for the opposite of wisdom is folly.
In his Metaphysics, Aristotle defines wisdom as knowledge of causes: why things exist in a particular fashion. Metaphysics is one of the principal works of Aristotle and the first major work of the branch of philosophy with the same name Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great.
In addition to experience there are a variety of other avenues to gaining wisdom. For example, Freethinkers and others believe that wisdom may come from pure reason and perhaps experience, while others believe that it comes from intuition or spirituality. Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that Beliefs should be formed on the basis of Science and Logic and should not be influenced Reason involves the ability to think understand and draw Conclusions in an Abstract way as in Human thinking Intuition is apparent ability to acquire knowledge without a clear inference or the use of reason Spirituality, in a narrow sense concerns itself with matters of the Spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and Faith, a transcendent reality
Beginning with the ancient Greeks, European culture associates wisdom with virtue. Virtue ( Latin virtus; Greek) is moral Excellence. Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting individual Metis and Athene are associated with wisdom from earliest times. In Greek mythology, Metis (Μῆτις was of the Titan generation and like several primordial figures an Oceanid, in the sense that Metis was born of ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. For example, many philosophers talk about the virtue of wisdom in relation to courage and moderation, and in the Roman Catholic church, wisdom (Prudence) stands with justice, fortitude and moderation as one of the four cardinal virtues. Prudence (latprudentia is classically considered to be a Virtue, and indeed one of the Cardinal Virtues. JUSTICE is a Human rights and law reform organisation based in the United Kingdom. Gallantry redirects here Or see Gallant for other meanings Courage, also known as bravery, will, intrepidity Moderation is the process of eliminating or lessening extremes In some Christian traditions there are four cardinal virtues: Prudence - to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time Plato's dialogues mention the virtue of wisdom, as knowledge about the Good and the courage to act accordingly. Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece Gallantry redirects here Or see Gallant for other meanings Courage, also known as bravery, will, intrepidity The Good would be about the right relations between all that exists. The Good, as a Platonic Form, would involve the perfect ideas of good government, love, friendship, community, and a right relation to the Divine. Perhaps the search or love of wisdom is more important than any proven claim. Socrates only claimed to know that he did not know, but this he was very certain of, and he showed the many contradictions in the claims of his fellow citizens.
Holists believe that wise people sense, work with and align themselves and others to life. Distinguish from the suffix -holism, which describes addictions Life is a state that distinguishes Organisms from non-living objects such as non-life and dead organisms being manifested by growth through Metabolism In this view, wise people help others appreciate the fundamental interconnectedness of life. Interconnectedness is part of the terminology of a worldview which sees a Oneness in all things
Nicholas Maxwell, a modern philosopher, argued that the basic aim of academic inquiry ought to be to seek and promote wisdom — wisdom being construed to be the capacity to realize what is of value in life for oneself and others, wisdom thus including knowledge and technological know-how, but much else besides. Nicholas Maxwell (born 1937 is a Philosopher who has devoted much of his working life to arguing that there is an urgent need to bring about a revolution in Academia [15]
Wisdom is the goal of philosophy. Philosophy attempts to understand reality, and how we should live in the light of reality. Genuine wisdom therefore requires achieving this kind of understanding. Anyone who discusses wisdom without having clear philosophical understanding is the blind leading the blind.
Notes
- ^ Sternberg, R. J. (1985). Implicit theories of intelligence, creativity, and wisdom. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 607–62.
- ^ Brown, S. C. , & Greene, J. A. (2006). The Wisdom Development Scale: Translating the conceptual to the concrete. Journal of College Student Development, 47, 1–19.
- ^ Erikson, E. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis (pp. 140–41). New York: Norton.
- ^ Hall, Stephen S. (May 6, 2007), “The Older-and-Wiser Hypothesis”, The New York Times Magazine: 61, <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/magazine/06Wisdom-t.html?ex=1336104000&en=4b4959cf047f61fe&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>
- ^ Hall, Stephen S. The New York Times Magazine is a supplement to the Sunday The New York Times newspaper (May 6, 2007), “The Older-and-Wiser Hypothesis”, The New York Times Magazine: 62, <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/magazine/06Wisdom-t.html?ex=1336104000&en=4b4959cf047f61fe&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>
- ^ Peterson, Christopher; Seligman, Martin E. P. (2004). The New York Times Magazine is a supplement to the Sunday The New York Times newspaper Martin EP Seligman ( Albany New York, 12 August 1942) is an American Psychologist and Writer. Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. The Character Strengths and Virtues (CSV handbook of human strengths and virtues, by the Values in Action Institute, represents the first attempt on the part of the . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 106. ISBN 0-19-516701-5.
- ^ a b c Harter, Andrew C. (2004). "8", in Peterson, Christopher and Seligman, Martin E. P.: Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Martin EP Seligman ( Albany New York, 12 August 1942) is an American Psychologist and Writer. The Character Strengths and Virtues (CSV handbook of human strengths and virtues, by the Values in Action Institute, represents the first attempt on the part of the . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 181-196. ISBN 0-19-516701-5.
- ^ a b Orwoll, L. ; Perlmutter, M. (1990). in R. J. Sternberg: Wisdom: Its nature, origins, and development. Cambridge University Press, 160-177. ISBN 0521367182.
- ^ Dhammapada v. The Dhammapada ( Pāli; Prakrit: Dhamapada; Sanskrit Dharmapada; sometimes translated into English as Path of the 256
- ^ Dhammapada v. 257
- ^ Dhammapada v. 258
- ^ Dhammapada v. 268-9
- ^ a b Faulkes, Anthony (transl. and ed. ) (1987). Edda (Snorri Sturluson). The Prose Edda, also known as the Younger Edda, Snorri's Edda ( Snorra Edda) or simply Edda, is an Snorri Sturluson (1178 – September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian poet and politician Everyman. Everyman's Library is a series of reprinted classic literature currently published by Alfred A ISBN 0-460-87616-3
- ^ Larrington, Carolyne (transl. and ed. ) (1996). Poetic Edda. The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems primarily preserved in the Icelandic mediaeval Manuscript Codex Regius. Oxford World's Classics. Oxford World's Classics is an imprint of Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-283946-2
- ^ MAXWELL, Nicholas.
Freduci Philomathis, "What is this thing called wisdom?", Journal Behind the State of the Art, Maybell, Colorado, 2006, p. 1.
Further reading
- Miller, James, L. , "Measures of Wisdom: The Cosmic Dance in Classical and Christian Antiquity", University of Toronto Press, 1986. ISBN 0802025536
See also
- Book of Wisdom (A Jewish book, part of some Christian Bibles)
- Ecological wisdom
- Intelligence
- Knowledge
- Philosophy
- Prajñā (the Buddhist concept of wisdom)
- Regret
- School of Hard Knocks
- Sophia
- Streetwise
- Theosophy (regarded by followers as the "Wisdom Religion")
- Virtue
- Wisdom literature
- The Wisdom of Crowds
External links
- Wisdom Lexicon Project
- Living Wisdom — A Research Paper about Wisdom
- Atlas of Wisdom: Wisdom in Psychology and Spirituality
- Where is the Wisdom We have Lost in Knowledge?
- Wisdom: The Interval Between the Notes
- From Knowledge to Wisdom
- Book on Wisdom from psychologist Paul Baltes
- Wisdom in Perspective
Dictionary
wisdom
-noun
- (uncountable) An element of personal character that enables one to distinguish the wise from the unwise.
- (countable) A piece of wise advice.
- The discretionary use of knowledge for the greatest good.
- The ability to apply relevant knowledge in an insightful way, especially to different situations from that in which the knowledge was gained.
- The ability to make a decision based on the combination of knowledge, experience, and intuitive understanding.
- (theology) The ability to know and apply spiritual truths.
Wisdom
-proper noun
- (Biblical) The Wisdom of Solomon,a book of the Old Testament and the Hebrew Tanakh.
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