So this doesn't have much to do with Christmas but it's an issue I've been pondering all year.
Last night at Bible Study we were discussing pluralism and getting a little philosophical and as always my mind wandered......
What is wisdom? How does it differ from knowledge or understanding and how do they(knowledge and understanding) differ from each other?
(I know this doesn't really relate to pluralism......what can I say?)
I encountered this debate in first year.
Our tutor "made" us write an essay on the difference between knowledge and understanding. At the time it was just another essay. Another hoop to jump through on the way to a degree.
But the debate has stuck with me.
I've thought a lot about wisdom this year.
Trying (though honestly not always succeeding) to be wiser.....
And I've got to the end of the year with more questions than answers.
Is it possible to quantify something so abstract?
And yet - how can we aim for something if we don't know what it is we are trying to achieve?
It was suggested (in the class discussions) that knowledge and understanding are inseparable and that one can not exist without the other. In order to understand we must first have a collection of facts (knowledge). But is it possible to have knowledge without understanding? (I think it is....)
It was also suggested that understanding is applied knowledge. - An interesting definition when you throw wisdom into the mix.
Wisdom - learning from experience? Applying knowledge? learning from mistakes? A consciousness beyond understanding? Or a series of actions based on understanding?
I've come to at least one conclusion - knowledge and understanding are all about the thought process. It seems to me (and I'm happy to be wrong) that wisdom, while a thought process, seems to be concerned with a practical, actions-based outcome.
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My theory is that knowledge is just a set of facts that we assume to be true. Understanding is a realisation of what those facts mean, why they are how they are etc. Wisdom is a level above that, looking at what does it mean, should it be that way? Wisdom looks at choices and evaluates between them, judging where they are likely to lead.
Eg. My sister knows that a car engine has a piston, a crank-shaft, a flywheel and other bits and pieces, but she doesn’t know why, only that that’s roughly what’s there and it works. My mechanic knows and understands why it’s all there – he understands the 4 stroke cycle etc, but doesn’t really go beyond that. A wise man (or woman) can judge whether the design of the engine is as good as it could be. Should we be driving cars in the first place? Where will that leave us in 10 / 100 years. The trouble is wisdom Is hard to prove, as it’s looking towards the future, guiding us in our decisions. Wise people are also self evaluating – so if there’s a period of great uncertainty approaching, they admit that they don’t have enough wisdom to predict and give good advise, they they’re quiet. Fools brashly charge in with brazen statements and predictions.
A nice example I came across this week; “If [Hillary Clinton] gets a race against John Edwards and Barack Obama, she’s going to be the nominee. Gore is the only threat to her, then. … Barack Obama is not going to beat Hillary Clinton in a single Democratic primary. I’ll predict that right now.” —William Kristol, Fox News Sunday, Dec. 17, 2006
“New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will enter the Presidential race in February, after it becomes clear which nominees will get the nod from the major parties. His multiple billions and organization will impress voters—and stun rivals. He’ll look like the most viable third-party candidate since Teddy Roosevelt. But Bloomberg will come up short, as he comes in for withering attacks from both Democrats and Republicans. He and Clinton will split more than 50% of the votes, but Arizona’s maverick senator, John McCain, will end up the country’s next President.” –BusinessWeek, Jan. 2, 2008
“The possibility of $150-$200 per barrel seems increasingly likely over the next six-24 months.” —Arjun Murti, Goldman Sachs oil analyst, in a May 5, 2008, report
“I believe the banking system has been stabilized. No one is asking themselves anymore, is there some major institution that might fail and that we would not be able to do anything about it.” —Henry Paulson (Head of the US Treasury) on National Public Radio, Nov. 13, 2008
From http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4569&page=0
Jeremy
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