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Wisdom is the ability, developed through experience, insight and reflection, to discern truth and exercise good judgment. Wisdom is sometimes conceptualized as an especially well developed form of common sense. Most psychologists regard wisdom as distinct from the cognitive abilities measured by standardized intelligence tests. Wisdom is often considered to be a trait that can be developed by experience, but not taught. When applied to practical matters, the term wisdom is synonymous with prudence. Some see wisdom as a quality that even a child, otherwise immature, may possess independent of experience or complete knowledge. Contemporary culture limits the importance of wisdom and intuition, particularly American culture; Wisdom/Intuition is a right brain activity, while logic is a left brain activity*.
The status of wisdom or prudence as a virtue is recognized in cultural, philosophical and religious sources. Some define wisdom in a utilitarian sense, as foreseeing consequences and acting to maximize the long-term common good.
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Wisdom and Philosophy
A standard philosophical definition says that wisdom consists of making the best use of available knowledge. As with all decisions, a wise decision may be made with incomplete information. 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.
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Secular Sources of Wisdom
Beyond the simple expedient of experience (which may be considered the most difficult way to gain wisdom as through the "school of hard knocks"), there are a variety of other avenues to gaining wisdom which vary according to different philosophies. 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.
Beginning with the ancient Greeks, European culture associates wisdom with virtue. 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. They are outlined in the Hebrew book of Wisdom 8:7. These virtues are praised under other names in many passages of Scripture. Plato's dialogues mention the virtue of wisdom, as knowledge about the Good and the courage to act accordingly. 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. In this view, wise people help others appreciate the fundamental interconnectedness of life.
Thoreau believed that “it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate 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.
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Relgious Explorations of Wisdom
Some religions have specific teachings relating to wisdom.
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Christianity
In the Christian Bible, for example, the magi (or "wise men") sent by God to give the newly born Jesus three types of gifts. Wisdom is also represented by the sense of justice by the lawful and wise king Solomon.
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Judaism
The seventh verse of the first chapter of the Jewish book of Proverbs in the Old Testament states "Fear of God is the beginning of Wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7). The beginning of fear of God is hating evil, the ways of evil, arrogance, pride and a duplicitous mouth (Proverbs).
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Confucianism
Confucius stated that wisdom can be learned by three methods: Reflection (the noblest), imitation (the easiest) and experience (the bitterest).
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Buddhism
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). This is called karma.
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). But the wise man is he who carefully discriminates between right and wrong.
He who leads others by nonviolence, righteously and equitably, is indeed a guardian of justice, wise and righteous.
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.
By quietude alone one does not become a sage (muni) if he is foolish and ignorant. 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.
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Taoism
Practical Wisdom may be described as: Knowing what to say and when to say it.--TAO
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Islam
In the Koran the Prophet Muhammed is chosen by God to represent his wisdom.
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 peak of wisdom". Link in arabic*
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See also
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