Define Wisdom

Define Wisdom

        Wisdom can mean many things to many people, and can be heavily influenced by perspective, experiences and influence.  In its simplest term wisdom can be defined as “knowledge that is gained by having experiences in life” or “the ability to understand things that most other people cannot understand”. (Merriam-Webster, n.d.)  Merriam-Webster also provides a full definition of wisdom as “accumulated philosophic or scientific learning, or knowledge; ability to discern inner qualities in relationships, or insight; and good sense, or judgment”. (Merriam-Webster, n.d.)  

While a definition of wisdom cannot be definitive, it can be defined as having certain commonalities and attributes.  Many facets of these simplistic definition of wisdom can be found in more philosophical definitions of wisdom.   Experience is often considered the most basic element of wisdom.  Though our experiences we acquire knowledge, which is the basis of wisdom.  Most commonly many philosophers categorize their experiences as empirical; meaning they rely highly on knowledge gained through senses or through quantifiable methods.  Our accumulated knowledge through experience often leads to increased skill sets, which contributes to perceived wisdom.  However, as we see in the Apology, Socrates believes that everyone exaggerates their capacity of wisdom to some degree, although not always intentionally.  Many would view their perceived wisdom as power, acceptance, and the path to social elevation, so we all tend to embellish our accomplishments, skill sets and knowledge base, or at the very least we don’t voluntarily offer up lack of knowledge.

The definition of wisdom can be very vague and broad, depending on the context in which it is being examined.  Young children are very inquisitive and always want to know the what, why and how of everything.  They are absorbing knowledge at an astounding rate when they are at this age, but you wouldn’t say that a six year old is necessarily wise.  However, it’s the accumulation of this knowledge from a very early age, along with the life experiences we acquire as we age, and how we are able to interpret it that can equate to wisdom.   And wisdom doesn’t always come in a nice, neat package that’s socially accepted, it can come in less attractive packages as well.  Take Charles Manson, he could very well be considered a modern day philosopher with his radical views.  However, how he chose to interpret his life experiences and his application of his acquired knowledge are considered horrific and socially unacceptable.

I agree that wisdom is our knowledge that we gain through experiences.  However, accumulating knowledge does not necessarily equate to wisdom.  It’s what we do with the knowledge we accumulate that can translate into wisdom.  Taking our acquired knowledge and being able to understand, translate, or interpret it, as well being able to practically apply it, is what I believe the true meaning of wisdom is.  Most of us have the ability to gain knowledge through memorization, or recollection, but some people aren’t able to fully understand what it means, why it is, or how it became.  So in my opinion, wisdom and knowledge do not share a one-to-one relationship, and the sum of knowledge doesn’t equate to the sum of our wisdom.  All people are not equal in their capacity to process and fully understand everything they experience and sense. Everyone has different life experiences that affect their perspective and shape their philosophical views.  One example would be the Rorschach Inkblot test.  The point of these tests are to see how an individual conceptualizes what they are seeing, and their life experiences have an extreme influence on how they interpret the inkblots.  In fact, life could be equated to one random inkblot after another.  It’s how we interpret them and our ability to put the knowledge we acquire into practical application.