Wisdom Essay
Project Paper: Philosophy & Wisdom
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Data is not information,
Information is not knowledge,
Knowledge is not understanding,
Understanding is not wisdom.
- Clifford Stoll -
So what exactly is wisdom?
Wisdom comes from the word ‘wise’, which means having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgment . Did you know that the human race is also called homo sapien – which originated from Latin, meaning ‘wise’ or ‘knowing man’? This is simply due to the fact that humans need to be equipped with wisdom in order to survive.
According to Crawford (2011), wisdom can be viewed as the ability to exercise good judgment in the face of imperfect knowledge - which is to do the right thing personally, ethically, and socially. We believe that this is one of the most important goals in achieving wisdom – to guide mankind lead a meaningful life through wise decision-making. It helps us to think about our actions, the consequences, and solutions to our problems. Confucius once stated that decision-making lies in the heart of wisdom where one combines intellectual, emotional and social gifts. This philosophical point-of-view will be further elaborated in the following section:
1.1 Philosophical View of Wisdom
“Wisdom is the love of wisdom and the wisdom of love”. There are many types of wisdom: for example the human wisdom (wisdom in using human knowledge), the divine wisdom (the wisdom of love), and the practical wisdom (wisdom that is used to solve problems).
Socrates defined the aspects of wisdom as recognizing the limits of one’s own knowledge, the importance of persistent critical thinking and discernment, and the importance of identifying and pursuing goodness. It is a physical and intellectual undertaking which involves a journey towards a change of a better perspective in life. It is interesting to note that Socrates viewed wisdom as both a blessing and a burden.
Humans are blessed with the freedom (and free will) to
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Data is not information,
Information is not knowledge,
Knowledge is not understanding,
Understanding is not wisdom.
- Clifford Stoll -
So what exactly is wisdom?
Wisdom comes from the word ‘wise’, which means having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgment . Did you know that the human race is also called homo sapien – which originated from Latin, meaning ‘wise’ or ‘knowing man’? This is simply due to the fact that humans need to be equipped with wisdom in order to survive.
According to Crawford (2011), wisdom can be viewed as the ability to exercise good judgment in the face of imperfect knowledge - which is to do the right thing personally, ethically, and socially. We believe that this is one of the most important goals in achieving wisdom – to guide mankind lead a meaningful life through wise decision-making. It helps us to think about our actions, the consequences, and solutions to our problems. Confucius once stated that decision-making lies in the heart of wisdom where one combines intellectual, emotional and social gifts. This philosophical point-of-view will be further elaborated in the following section:
1.1 Philosophical View of Wisdom
“Wisdom is the love of wisdom and the wisdom of love”. There are many types of wisdom: for example the human wisdom (wisdom in using human knowledge), the divine wisdom (the wisdom of love), and the practical wisdom (wisdom that is used to solve problems).
Socrates defined the aspects of wisdom as recognizing the limits of one’s own knowledge, the importance of persistent critical thinking and discernment, and the importance of identifying and pursuing goodness. It is a physical and intellectual undertaking which involves a journey towards a change of a better perspective in life. It is interesting to note that Socrates viewed wisdom as both a blessing and a burden.
Humans are blessed with the freedom (and free will) to