Wisdom

A recent study found that “Wisdom is the best predictor of life satisfaction in both men and women and can offset the influence of negative age on life satisfaction. Wisdom has a greater influence on life satisfaction in older adulthood than health, socioeconomic status, financial situation, environment, or social engagement.”

Thirty years of wisdom... See more

According to Igor Grossmann1, a Toronto-based psychologist and wisdom researcher, perspective-taking is necessary for wisdom. At the heart of wisdom is what he calls “perspectival meta-cognition,” which includes the ability to consider multiple viewpoints. This can be dangerous to agency maximizers, as it risks disrupting the clarity that a singula... See more

My own definition is similar but has a jazzier tone, more in line with the Less Foolishism my readers are accustomed to:

Existential wayfinding.

“Existential” here means what is deeply important to one’s life, and “wayfinding” means finding one’s way. I find the literature on ordinary wayfinding, the kind where one navigates physical environments, qu... See more

A simpler, more elegant definition, still compatible with Grossmann’s, comes from Tom Morgan of LE:

“Know what to do, and when.”

I love parsimonious definitions, which is why I favour Tom’s over the academic ones.

When it comes to psychological researchers, I prefer Igor Grossmann’s definition:

“The meta-value that adjudicates between all other values.”

Holding a certain value, or “attentional protocols,” as axiologist Joe Edelman understands them, places one’s attention on a particular aspect of life. Your values influence how you see the world and how you mo... See more

Like the Stoics and Daoists, I want to put my focus on wisdom so that a “wise agency” can emerge. This would mean people take the right action and get the right things done, in whatever domain they find themselves.