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What do you think wisdom is? essay
Extended definition of wisdom
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What is Wisdom?
At first glance, wisdom would be defined as the ability to apply knowledge. However, there is much more to wisdom than just that brief of a statement. The New Expanded Webster’s Dictionary defines wisdom as “sound judgement and sagacity; prudence; learning or erudition (pg 378)” What exactly does this definition mean? Some fallacies about wisdom include: confusing wisdom with intelligence, having a college degree, having common sense, or simply having life experiences. In order to prove these fallacies wrong, the definition of wisdom needs to be explored.
The dictionary meaning of wisdom included the words sagacity and erudition. Sagacity, according to the dictionary, means “quickness of discernment; shrewdness; high intelligence (pg 292).” Erudition means “learning, knowledge gained by study; scholarship (pg 113).” When looking at these definitions, one can see that they involve high intelligence, discernment, and knowledge gained by study. Upon scrutinizing these words even further, one can deduce that wisdom is the ability to discern, given a high intelligence and knowledge gained by study. Well, what exactly is it that needs to be discerned?
Discernment can also mean to distinguish. According to the website, www.thefreedictionary.com, wisdom is “the ability to discern what is right and true” or what we would call, insight. Therefore,...
The value attributed to the first virtue, wisdom, whose essence lay in “the perception of truth and with ingenuity,” concerns the comprehension of the nature of justice (7). In fact, Cicero asserts, within the public sphere, “unless learning is accompanied by the virtue that consists...
To be intelligent means to be able to apply what we learned in school and use what we learned in our everyday life to achieve a goals that is sit or one that we are accomplishing without knowing. Many people think that a person is intelligent because they went to a university, got a degree, and have a good paying job, so they must be smart and know everything however thats not always true. If we would ask a teacher or professor the chances of them knowing how to fix a car are slim. So why do we think teachers are so intelligent? We think teachers are intelligent because they know everything about their subjects, know how to teach it and know how to apply their knowledge to their everyday lives.
Most people know what wisdom is. On the other hand though, why is it valued so highly in western civilization? Wisdom is a building block of western civilization. Wisdom was valued even in ancient Greece. Socrates was known as the wise scholar. Wisdom has always been a trait that people have admired. Wisdom is admired because wisdom leads to make right choices in life. A wise person would know when to push their luck or when to back down. The complete understanding of a situation is a very desirable trait for all people.
Under what conditions might the parties to the alliance discussed in this case dissolve or end the relationship?
According to Aristotle, a virtue is a state that makes something good, and in order for something to be good, it must fulfill its function well. The proper function of a human soul is to reason well. Aristotle says that there are two parts of the soul that correspond to different types of virtues: the appetitive part of the soul involves character virtues, while the rational part involves intellectual virtues. The character virtues allow one to deliberate and find the “golden mean” in a specific situation, while the intellectual virtues allow one to contemplate and seek the truth. A virtuous person is someone who maintains an appropriate balance of these two parts of the soul, which allows them to reason well in different types of situations.
In simple words, relativism is the thought that all beliefs and self-truths are just an opinion that cannot be proven true or false. It is simply the thought that your beliefs are no greater or lesser than mine, we are equal. Knowledge is determined by specific qualities of the observer including age, ethnicity, gender, and cultural conditioning. But is relativism a reliable source when looking into life as a whole. For example, based on the thoughts of relativism Jesus and Osama Bin Laden are equal. I believe that relativism isn’t a reliable argument when talking about issues in the world today. Now, in terms of relativism being introduced to society I believe that a majority of people would adopt the concept automatically, while some would stick to their previous beliefs. Some might already believe and live by this concept while others might just adopt this concept because they don’t like the thought of conflict, then of course there are those that stick to their beliefs no matter what. I feel like relativism is appealing to some people because they just like the thought of everyone is entitled to their own opinion and that they can believe what they want. It is said that America is land of the free and home of the brave, that all people have the right to free speech. But what if you “know” that what people believe is wrong and what you believe is right who’s to say which option is true and which is false? This is why relativism is one of the most heavily debated topics today.
Wisdom is instruction in wise dealings with others. Wisdom is instruction in righteousness, knowing the difference between good and evil. Wisdom is instruction in justice, knowing how to do what is right. It is the simple learning shrewdness so that they are not taken advantage of. It is the young learning knowledge and prudence. For both the young and the old it is an increase in skill, understanding and knowledge.
Practical wisdom is changeable and involves desires, pleasures and pains, it is also the knowledge of the best action. “It follows that, in general a man with practical wisdom is he who has the ability to deliberate” (1140a28). Aristotle is arguing that practical wisdom generally instructs a person to live well and in service of what is good, because it is a truthful and rational characteristic. “But it is also clear that… no choice will be right without practical wisdom and virtue. For virtue determines the end, and practical wisdom makes us do what is conducive to the end” (1145a4). Acting out of practical wisdom allows a person to do just, noble and good things are what constitutes a good
Wisdom is one of the most important divisions of the eightfold noble path. This division basically emphasizes discernment and how important it is to follow. Wisdom consists of two separate parts, which are right view and right intention.
What does it mean to be wise? Webster's Dictionary defines the word "wise" as being "marked by deep understanding, keen discerment". Through the telling of the ancient Mariner's tale, the Wedding-Guest became sadder and wiser. He became sad in that he identified himself with the shallow and self-absorbed mariner. However, the mariner changed his ways. The Wedding-Guest became wise through realizing that he himself needed to alter his ways.
“Virtue is a thing that must be learned” (Seneca). One may ask how can one achieve virtue or how can one be taught to be virtuous. Once virtue is learned how will it affect one’s life. According to Seneca we can achieve virtue through study. In his work “On Liberal and vocational studies” Seneca has an issue with liberal studies. He has no respect for it because the end goal of it, for many students is to make money. Seneca advocates for a different type of study involving a deeper level of thinking and learning. In “Liberal Studies and Education” by Seneca, the path to virtue is through the study of wisdom. The effects of virtue are illustrated through the characteristics of Temperance, Kindliness, and patience.
Virtues contribute to people’s actions in today’s society. Society as a whole has a common set of virtues that many people agree on. In today’s society, these are known as laws. Virtues also mold the individual outlook on life, and give them the moral’s to do what is right. In The Republic, Plato divides the city into three classes: gold, silver, as well as bronze and iron souls. Each class is designated to posses a specific virtue. He believes that wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice combine together to form The Republic. However, Plato’s four virtues individually do not necessarily produce a utopian society. A combination of the four in each citizen is imperative in producing the ideal society. In Plato’s search for the perfect "republic", he decides that the basis of the city will be on four virtues. The first of them is wisdom. Plato defines wisdom, in Greek terms "Sophia", as knowledge of the city as a whole. Of the three classes, the gold souls posses the virtue of wisdom. The gold souls are the only class whose knowledge goes beyond the mere facts to the level of true wisdom. "…This class, which properly has a share in that knowledge which alone among the various kinds of knowledge ought to be called wisdom, has, as it seems, the fewest members by nature" (429a). The second virtue that Plato defines is courage, which in Greek terms is "Andreia". Courage is the preservation of the opinion produced by law, through education about what things are terrible, and what things are good. Courage can be found in the silver souls. Plato uses the example that when dyers want to dye wool, they start with the background. They need the right kind of white material, and they have to prepare it carefully; and if they go to...
After studying the Old Testament chapters assigned this week, wisdom was clearly displayed through the life of Job. The Lord proclaimed to Satan in Job 1:8 what a “perfect” and “upright man” Job was, “one that fears the Lord.” Satan answered the Lord saying that Job was only good because he had been blessed with so much. The Lord told Satan that he could test Job to prove the love that Job had for the Lord. Job was tested many times, but through it all Job continued to pursue wisdom by fearing God and straying from evil. In Job 28:28, Job communicated his understanding of just how important it was to be diligent and faithful to the Lord when he said to the human race, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” Job understood what it meant to be wise, and God was pleased with the way Job reacted to the tests. God ended up blessing Job with twice as much property as he had before, returned his good health, gave him new children, and an exceptionally long life. Job’s life is a testament to just how important it is to be diligent and faithf...
Virtues of thought are about achieving wisdom, knowledge, and reasoning. He believed that virtues can be gained through practice. Our character traits are grown throughout your life and as you gain experience. It is possible to work on your skills as you work to achieve your full potential. At the same time, virtues of character also should be at a mean state— finding the right balance by not having too much or being too deficient in a certain trait. All virtues center around the four moral or cardinal virtues: prudence, temperance, courage, and justice. Prudence is the virtue of determining the right goal or end. Temperance is the virtue of self-control while courage is the ability to overcome fear. Justice is about fairness and making sure everyone is given what they are rightfully due.
Intelligence can be defined in many different ways. This concept has been the focus of numerous studies and investigations by psychologists and other scientific experts. Intelligence can be the mental ability to reason, plan ahead, understand a wide range of complex issues and learn from past experiences (Gottfredson, 1997). Intelligence is the “resultant of the process of acquiring, storing in memory, retrieving, combining, comparing, and using in new contexts information and conceptual skills” (Humphreys, 1979)