The dictionary defines wisdom as the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment.
Etymology tells us that the word is from wis "learned, sagacious, cunning; sane; prudent, discreet; experienced; having the power of discerning and judging rightly," and is, itself derived from ancient early words meaning "to see."
So wisdom depends upon sensory inputs (e.g., "to see", perception), knowledge, experience and good judgment. Perception involves the input into our brains of all of the sensory information that we are capable of gathering. Knowledge is the information that we have gathered. Experience is "practical contact" with what it is we have perceived, and good judgment is the ability to come to sensible conclusions.
- Data: the first and less developed level is mere data. Data consisting of facts, figures, dates, people, and observations in isolation. This is the least developed form of “knowing.” It is merely the awareness of things existing, but know what to do with it.
- Knowledge: the second level, knowledge, is a bit more useful because it organizes and systematizes the data we perceive so that we can understand cause, effect and their relation to outcome.
- Wisdom: the third and most useful level is wisdom: perception, knowledge, and discernment.
Great minds throughout history have given their opinions of wisdom. Socrates concluded that wisdom involves a sense of one’s own limitations, a sense of humility.
Aristotle, distinguished between two types of wisdom: theoretical and practical. Theoretical wisdom essentially amounted to a deep knowledge and understanding of a particular subject. Practical wisdom, on the other hand, was knowledge of how to live a virtuous life.
Xunzi, a Chinese philosopher who lived just after Aristotle, affirmed that the wise man is he who first orders himself and from there orders his surroundings—his family, workplace, or if he is a ruler, the state.
“For the gentleman’s cultivation of his heart,” he declared, “nothing is better than integrity.” With this personal integrity, the wise man could then adapt to the world around him: “If you are well-ordered, then you will become enlightened. When you are enlightened, then you can adapt to things. To transform and adapt in succession is called Heavenly virtue.” We thus see that Xunzi believed that the “Heavenly virtue” of wisdom included the ability to adapt to the world around us.
King Solomon identified God as the ultimate source of wisdom. Scripture likewise affirms what was said by Aristotle, Xunzi, and many others, namely that being wise means living virtuously.
Thus, wisdom far exceeds data and knowledge in multiple ways.
- While data and knowledge can be oriented around a wide variety of "lower" causes (for example the classification and organization of the numbers and types of bacteria on the dust mites on a book). This may be useful data and knowledge for a limited number, but not for all. Wisdom is ultimately oriented to the highest cause, namely God the ONE.
- Wisdom requires humility, and a willingness to accept advice and even rebuke—neither of which are necessary to acquiring data or knowledge. Such humility is necessary for learning, which is experience, which is a component of wisdom.
- Wisdom is intrinsically connected to virtue. Virtue is "moral strength, high character, goodness, valor, courage, excellence, worth." As such, wisdom is not merely what we profess or think about in life, it is about how we choose to live life. While data and knowledge can remain as abstractions or bits of data that we "know", wisdom must become incarnate. It must become a part of us, how we choose to behave and act. It is a state of being. Wisdom "sees" beyond the horizon and understands what data and knowledge cannot comprehend but can only allude to.
- Wisdom must be animated by love. What brings wisdom to life is love...and not merely physical erotic or romantic love, but an assisting others as well as self kind of love. Wisdom requires love of learning, life, humans, and ultimately of God. One may be FULL of accurate data and knowledge, but if there is a lack of wisdom one is subject to misusing it because they are not anchored by love of anything greater than themselves.
Knowledge inflates the ego ("aren't I special") while love strengthens the ego ("God, my significant others, my good neighbors, etc. love ME"). Possessing copious data and knowledge can lead to arrogance. Possessing wisdom leads to the opposite -- humility. Knowledge and data can lead to, and leave one, conceptualizing "I am equal with God." Wisdom allows one to recognize "I am as nothing but a dirtball when compared to the ONE".
So how can one cultivate wisdom in their life? The characterizes of a wise person, according to many great minds throughout history, one must—at a minimum—be someone who:
- Fears and respects God;
- Humbly acknowledges their imperfections and limitations;
- Listens to the correction and counsel of authorities, elders, and those with more experience; and
- Adapts all this toward the purpose of living a virtuous life with love for all who surround them.
The reason to pursue wisdom is simple and was perfectly articulated some 3,000 years ago by King Solomon: “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding, for the gain from it is better than gain from silver and its profit better than gold.”
Source: Wisdom Better than Gold