The Age-Wise

Sternberg now sees this theory as a manifestation of only one component of wisdom, the “process” view that reflects the way that people handle information. His new approach represents a more all-encompassing theory based on the main branches of philosophy. Although this may sound too esote...

Promote harmony and grace in the world.

A wise person pursues beauty for its own sake, such as enjoying a calm and peaceful shoreline at sunset. Lack of aesthetic wisdom becomes toxic, such as when people make decisions that lead to outrage (such as designing an ugly build...

To sum up, becoming wise may be thought of as a process, potentially one gained only by life experiences as we fumble our way through problems that life throws at us. By breaking wisdom down into these components, we can at least fumble a bit less and flourish a bit more.

Someone could be wise about one area of life but not particularly good at giving advice in another area. In fact, why would advice even come into the picture? Maybe it’s enough to know a great deal of information without ever having to apply it to practical situations.

There’s al...

Wisdom might also strike us as a quality based on a wealth of world knowledge. For this, it’s not that older relative we seek wise counsel from but another family member who can help us sort through the ins and outs of planning a vacation to a new and exotic place. We know we’ll get great advice,...

Knowing what you know and what you don’t know.

The wise person may seem to be all-knowing, but this branch of philosophy suggests it’s as important to make room for the possibility that you don’t. For example, it’s wise to confess to your own limitations but unwise to fake...

Keep the good of others at the forefront of your decisions.

The wise person tries to mend fences, but the unwise person tries to build them.

Have a clear sense of right and wrong and stick to it.

To be wise means that you work hard to follow through on decisions that will further a worthwhile cause. Unwise people will do everything in their power to get ahead, regardless of the consequences to others.

Evaluate situations based on facts and not wishes.

Wise people might wish that their families got along better but be resigned to the situation as it is. The unwise person will continue to hope and dream that, somehow, their families will miraculously decide to get along.

Use logic to make decisions.

To be wise means that you rely on facts determined through analyses of evidence (which could also mean they can be disconfirmed). Unwise people let their beliefs, religious or otherwise, determine what they believe to be true.

Be able to make decisions based on analytical judgments, not gut feelings.

This could be as simple as trying to figure out why your cellphone won’t charge properly. Stabbing away at it by plugging the cord into the outlet will not get to the root of the problem, as you wil...

Philosophy becomes a useful way to address the qualities of wisdom because, as Sternberg maintains, its main branches, epistemology, ontology, ethics, logic, aesthetics, hermeneutics, and axiology, each correspond to important traditions in understanding what’s wise and what’s no...

As Sternberg points out, the problems that require wisdom tend not to have right or wrong answers but are ill-structured. “They often are a mess, and the available solutions may be messy as well.” And although even answers based on knowledge gained in school are usually either right or wro...