Wisdom

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... 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,... 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.

An enlightened being sees their agony without diminishing its reality. In other words, it doesn’t just turn away from it—but, on the other hand, simultaneously sees everything, including that agony [and] including hell, actually, as bubbles of bliss in an ocean of bliss. That’s the kind of cognitive dissonance that the ordinary mind cannot get... See more

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