Wisdom meaning varies in different parts of the world, but in general this definition found online is fairly typical:
Wisdom Meaning and Definition In English
The meaning of wisdom in English is defined online by Google and others as ” the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise.”
However, we at Wise Insights Forum prefer to go further and stress the usefulness and value of wisdom with the following definition (if you don’t agree with us, leave a comment at the bottom of this page):
“Wisdom is a combination of knowledge, experience and good judgment that enables a person to make decisions and take actions which add value to the individual’s life as well as the lives of others.”
Importantly our somewhat broader definition of wisdom has these key points:
Wisdom Meaning At WiseInsightsForum.com
- Knowledge—which can be acquired through life experience, study, reading or learning from others. Knowledge is infinite, so useful knowledge is important for wisdom. For example I do not know how to make an automobile, but I know how to drive one, and perhaps more important, I know how to manage my money. That is useful knowledge from a wisdom perspective.
- Experience—when we have experiences, they change us more deeply than mere knowledge. It has been said that experience is the best teacher, and that the most important lessons of life are learned through experience—often painful experience. For example playing competitive sports teaches teamwork in a way that reading a book on teamwork cannot. Experiencing love is more powerful than any book ever written, movie made or website developed. Experience engages our whole minds, our emotions and our unconscious deep memories.
- Good Judgment—“Good” here can mean many things, depending on the situation. Essentially good judgment allows you to draw on your knowledge and experience to make good decisions. And good decisions solve problems and/or add value to the individual’s life as well as other people. Good decisions are ethical decisions, morally right for the people involved and impacted by the decision.
- Make Decisions—In many ways the ability to make good decisions is the very essence of wisdom, where the rubber hits the road. In one sense “good judgment” may imply making decisions, but whereas “good judgment” is not a science, decision-making is definitely a science. Generally decision-making occurs in personal, group and business settings. Once you get into business there is all kinds of science and mathematics involved. The exploding field of Artificial Intelligence is based on “if-then” decisions programmed into computers so they can make more and more human-like decisions. But the main focus of this book is personal decision-making—a huge topic in itself and useful for everyone who can read these words. Read about our Simple Decision-Making Process called “SimpleD” here.
- Take Action—Again using wisdom goes beyond just adding more memory to your brain or having the comfort of knowing important information. Using wisdom is action oriented. After you use good judgment to make a good decision, you need to act on it. Often that involves having the courage to change, possibly to make yourself and others uncomfortable, at least temporarily. And once you take action, you need to observe the results and see if you can improve your wisdom and actions further as a result.
- Add Value—Using wisdom should add value to your life and others with whom you have relationships. Wisdom is not an end in itself. It is not limited to gurus sitting on mountain tops meditating. In this site we will be exploring how to use wisdom for a better life, better relationships, success and happiness. All useful stuff.
Wisdom Meaning and Age Stereotypes
One common picture of wisdom is the wise old man or wisdom with gray or no hair, possibly stooped over and speaking with a soft voice, with the ability to give answers to life’s difficult questions. Another cliché is the wise guru on the mountaintop. But these stereotypes obscure reality.
Wisdom may increase with age if the person learns from years of experience or acquires better ways to make valuable decisions and recommendations. However age is no guarantee of any wisdom, and in fact for many people old age can be a time of great vulnerability due to bad decision-making. Wisdom requires an orientation to life where one examines experiences, other people and their local and world environment to constantly seek better understanding. As Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” At the time he was on trial for corrupting youth and was subsequently sentenced to death. Sometimes acquiring wisdom can be very costly.
As these words were being written, a 16-year-old Swedish girl named Greta Thunberg was gaining worldwide attention courageously addressing world leaders on the problem of climate change and the shame of their inaction. Many of those in the audience were old enough to be her grandparents but they do not have Greta’s wisdom about where the world’s climate is going, the ominous consequences, and the corrective actions that must be taken now.
So no matter what your age, “Get wisdom” as King Solomon advised. This site can help you. We welcome your feedback and suggestions.