Defining Wisdom
The word “wisdom” finds its roots in various linguistic traditions. In Old English, “wisdom” derives from the word “wīs,” meaning knowledgeable or learned. Similarly, in Old High German, “wīs” denotes being aware or conscious.
If you were to ask the average person on the street, “What is wisdom?” they’d most likely say it is using knowledge and experience to make good choices or it’s the act of learning from the past to make a better future.
But, when taking a look at how philosophers and psychologists define wisdom, they all have their own ideas of what wisdom is and how it should be defined.
According to Philosophy
Ancient Perspectives on Wisdom
In ancient Greece, wisdom was a central virtue, revered by philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
For Socrates, wisdom lay in acknowledging one’s ignorance, a recognition that spurred the pursuit of knowledge and self-discovery.
Plato envisioned wisdom as the harmonious integration of reason, spirit, and appetite, essential for the governance of both the individual soul and the polis (the community).
Aristotle, in his Nicomachean Ethics, extolled practical wisdom (phronesis) as the ability to discern the right course of action in particular…
