What is wisdom

Moreover, one might complain that the insight left standing from Epistemic Accuracy theories is also missing from KLS. One might think that a wise person not only knows a lot, and succeeds at living well, she also confines her claims to knowledge or belief that she has knowledge to those propositions that she is justified in believing.

One way to try to accommodate the various insights from the theories considered thus far is in the form of a hybrid theory. One such idea is:.

Although this Hybrid Theory has a lot going for it, there are a number of important criticisms to consider. Dennis Whitcomb objects to all theories of wisdom that include a living well condition, or an appreciation of living well condition.

He gives several interesting objections against such views. Whitcomb thinks that a person who is deeply depressed and totally devoid of any ambition for living well could nevertheless be wise. As long as such a person is deeply knowledgeable about academic subjects and knows how to live well, that person would have all they need for wisdom. And I would think he was wise despite his depression-induced failure to value or desire the good life.

So I think that wisdom does not require valuing or desiring the good life. In response to Whitcomb's penetrating criticism, one could argue that a deeply depressed person who is wise, would still live as well as she can, and would still value living well, even if she falls far short of perfection.

Such a person would attempt to get help to deal with her depression. If she really does not care at all, she may be very knowledgeable, but she is not wise. There is something irrational about knowing how to live well and refusing to try to do so. Such irrationality is not compatible with wisdom.

A person with this internal conflict may be extremely clever and shrewd, one to listen to on many issues, one to trust on many issues, and may even win a Nobel Prize for her intellectual greatness, but she is not admirable enough, and rationally consistent enough, to be wise.

Wisdom is a virtue and a way of living, and it requires more than smart ideas and knowledge. Most of the philosophers mentioned thus far would include moral virtue in their understanding of what it means to live well. However, Whitcomb challenges any theory of wisdom that requires moral virtue.

Whitcomb contends that a deeply evil person could nevertheless be wise. Again, it is important to contrast being wise from being clever and intelligent. If we think of wisdom as the highest, or among the highest, of human virtues, then it seems incompatible with a deeply evil personality. There is, however, a very serious problem with the Hybrid Theory. Since so much of what was long ago considered knowledge has been abandoned, or has evolved, a theory that requires truth through a knowledge condition would exclude almost all people who are now long dead, including Hypatia, Socrates, Confucius, Aristotle, Homer, Lao Tzu, etc.

Bad epistemic luck, and having lived in the past, should not count against being wise. But, since truth is a necessary condition for knowledge, bad epistemic luck is sufficient to undermine a claim to knowledge. What matters, as far as being wise goes, is not that a wise person has knowledge, but that she has highly justified and rational beliefs about a wide variety of subjects, including how to live well, science, philosophy, mathematics, history, geography, art, literature, psychology, and so on.

And the wider the variety of interesting topics, the better. Another way of developing this same point is to imagine a person with highly justified beliefs about a wide variety of subjects, but who is unaware that she is trapped in the Matrix, or some other skeptical scenario.

Such a person could be wise even if she is sorely lacking knowledge. A theory of wisdom that focuses on having rational or epistemically justified beliefs, rather than the higher standard of actually having knowledge, would be more promising. Moreover, such a theory would incorporate much of what is attractive about epistemic humility, and epistemic accuracy, theories.

The final theory to be considered here is an attempt to capture all that is good, while avoiding all the serious problems of the other theories discussed thus far. Perhaps wisdom is a deep and comprehensive kind of rationality Ryan, In condition 1 , DRT takes account of what is attractive about some knowledge theories by requiring epistemically justified beliefs about a wide variety of standard academic subjects.

Condition 2 takes account of what is attractive about theories that require knowledge about how to live well. For example, having justified beliefs about how to live in a practically rational way would include having a well-reasoned strategy for dealing with the practical aspects of life.

Having a rational plan does not require perfect success. It requires having good reasons behind one's actions, responding appropriately to, and learning from, one's mistakes, and having a rational plan for all sorts of situations and problems. Having justified beliefs about how to live in a morally rational way would not involve being a moral saint, but would require that one has good reasons supporting her beliefs about what is morally right and wrong, and about what one morally ought and ought not do in a wide variety of circumstances.

Having justified beliefs about living in an emotionally rational way would involve, not dispassion, but having justified beliefs about what is, and what is not, an emotionally rational response to a situation.

For example, it is appropriate to feel deeply sad when dealing with the loss of a loved one. But, ordinarily, feeling deeply sad or extremely angry is not an appropriate emotion to spilled milk. A wise person would have rational beliefs about the emotional needs and behaviors of other people. Condition 3 ensures that the wise person live a life that reflects what she or he is justified in believing is a rational way to live.

In condition 4 , DRT respects epistemic humility. Condition 4 requires that a wise person not believe things without epistemic justification. The Deep Rationality Theory rules out all of the unwise poets, politicians, and craftsmen that were ruled out by Socrates. Wise people do not think they know when they lack sufficient evidence. Moreover, wise people are not epistemically arrogant. The Deep Rationality Theory does not require knowledge or perfection. But it does require rationality, and it accommodates degrees of wisdom.

It is a promising theory of wisdom. Wisdom as Epistemic Humility 2. Wisdom as Epistemic Accuracy 3. Wisdom as Knowledge 4. Hybrid Theory 5. Wisdom as Epistemic Humility Socrates' view of wisdom, as expressed by Plato in The Apology 20ec , is sometimes interpreted as an example of a humility theory of wisdom see, for example, Ryan and Whitcomb, That is, one might consider the following view: Humility Theory 2 H2 : S is wise iff S believes S does not know anything.

Wisdom as Epistemic Accuracy Socrates can be interpreted as providing an epistemic accuracy, rather than an epistemic humility, theory of wisdom.

Wisdom as Knowledge An alternative approach to wisdom focuses on the more positive idea that wise people are very knowledgeable people.

Consider the following, knowledge based, theory of wisdom: Wisdom as Extensive Factual Knowledge WFK : S is wise iff S has extensive factual knowledge about science, history, philosophy, literature, music, etc. Wisdom is not just one type of knowledge, but diverse.

Hybrid Theory One way to try to accommodate the various insights from the theories considered thus far is in the form of a hybrid theory. One such idea is: S is wise iff S has extensive factual and theoretical knowledge. S knows how to live well. S is successful at living well. Log in Sign Up.

Save Word. Essential Meaning of wisdom. Full Definition of wisdom Entry 1 of 2. Wisdom noun 2. Definition of Wisdom Entry 2 of 2. Synonyms for wisdom Synonyms: Noun 1 discernment , insight , perception , perceptiveness , perceptivity , sagaciousness , sagacity , sageness , sapience Visit the Thesaurus for More. Choose the Right Synonym for wisdom Noun 1 sense , common sense , judgment , wisdom mean ability to reach intelligent conclusions.

Examples of wisdom in a Sentence Noun 1 She has gained a lot of wisdom over the years. I fail to see the wisdom in doing that. Filial fear is the type of respect and love a child has for a parent, a fear of offending the one they most adore and trust.

In contrast, servile fear is the kind of fear that a prisoner has for his jailer or executioner. The second step to getting wisdom is to desire it with all our heart. Guarding your soul your feelings, your heart, your desires is a path that leads to great spiritual wisdom. Surround yourself with wisdom. Wise counsel, wise people, wise books - all of these things are avenues of wisdom.

Birds of a feather flock together, right? Do you want to be an eagle or a dodo bird? Learn from your mistakes. The first time might be an accident. The second time might be a mistake. But the third time?

Remember, being wise not only means that you have established information based on facts and truths, but you are now ready to apply them to your life. Watch and observe. You can learn a PhD in life by enrolling in that class alone.

Choose it daily. One of the greatest pearls of spiritual wisdom that life can ever give you is that, for as long as you are living, you will never have all of the wisdom you need.