Acumenicus
Thoughts to spark other thoughts

Saturday, February 03, 2007

The definition of wisdom

Been mulling over the differences among knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom. This distinction and their associated values are an important, but seldom mentioned, aspect of the the current debates between science and religion and how much weight should be given to each in social governance.

The meaning of "knowledge" and even "intelligence" are fairly easy to define (see any good dictionary), but wisdom is a little harder to define in a practical, useful way. How about:

"Wisdom is the ability to apply judgment to bring about an ethical good without violating ethical principles."

To me the distinction between knowledge and wisdom is the fundamental reason why ethics can never be based only on pure data, and therefore why science can never be the definer of morals. But let me know what you think.

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