What characteristics should a person have to be called wise? Begin by considering particular cases and distinguishing between knowledge and wisdom. Due Tuesday, Sept 25.
9 Comments
Anna Pearson
9/29/2012 06:33:57 am
I think that in order for someone to be considered wise, they must have a large amount of knowledge of something but also be able to use that knowledge and interpret it in order to either teach someone else, discover something new, or explore the concept in order to benefit society. Someone who is wise uses their knowledge to develop scientific discovery or maybe develop new ideas from their knowledge. They could add new ideas into the area of their study or they can further question and challenge what is already there. A wise person would also be able to understand other people and use moral judgement in order to use their knowledge for good. A wise man is never heard of doing something to destroy society but instead has judgement that causes him to use knowledge in a way that aids or helps the cause that he thinks is right. Knowledge is only possessing the idea of something but wisdom is how you use that knowledge.
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Pedro Paulo
10/1/2012 07:55:32 am
For a person to be considered wise they have to have the quality of discerning what is right and true from what is unvirtuous and false. In other words, a wise man can give advices for anyone without being reluctant or insecure upon their sayings as they have the total awareness on what will be the perils of diverging from the ethical track of life´s pathway. Thus, wisdom also requires experience as ones only are aware of the options of life after they have lived great part of it. As a consequence, it is common to observe a pattern within cartoons and television programs when characterizing a wise man as they all seem elder. As in example, in the cartoon Jackie Chan it is not the protagonist Jackie that has the capability of discernment necessary for wisdom, but his old uncle. Furthermore, in Classical Greece wisdom was the primary characteristics for politicians, as it is possible to observe in the novel Julius Caesar that having white hairs was a justification for one's political abilities. Still I question myself if wisdom bears under the minds of the elder as the politicians in Brazil, in their vast majority men above 45 years old, always follow the pathway of corruption and selfishness.
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Mr. Smith
11/4/2012 09:35:57 pm
Nice use of Jackie Chan to clarify your position.
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Marina Teixeira
10/24/2012 05:42:22 am
Wisdom is something very relative and only few people posses it. Wisdom is not only having a vast knowledge on various subjects, but also being able to use that knowledge in the right ways. Wisdom requires one to know how to understand and apply that knowledge to the world around us and the situations that one is going through. Wisdom is a word that is very hard to define since depending on the various situations it can be applied in various different ways. A wise person is able to use any knowledge provided and connect that to solve or understand a problem that is being presented to them. Being wise implies in one being able to connect many facts and to use all kinds of knowledge in one’s advantage. The simple act of knowing something or knowing and understanding a subject is not enough; to be wise one has to be able to apply that to real life. Connecting all that one knows to reflect, change and solve the problem that he or she has been facing.
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Gabriella Freeman
10/28/2012 10:21:24 am
Wisdom is usually associated with old people. However, for someone to be genuinely considered a wise person, they need to have the ability to distinguish right and wrong. A wise person would choose to do the right thing, over the fun or easier thing. A wise person would think before talking or taking action. A wise person would use their common sense and brain before doing anything which could have a serious impact on anyone, included themselves. Wisdom comes from past experiences and mistakes. A wise person tends to guide others, based on the lessons they learnt whilst failing at something. Basically. a wise person knows what is right and thinks about the long term affects, instead of just spur of the moment types of decisions.
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Athavan Balendran
10/28/2012 01:01:09 pm
To have wisdom is to have a deep understanding in a singular area or many areas. To be wise you have all of your emotions under full control and discontinue them from hampering your decision making. Someone who is wise disregards their emotions and uses logic and knowledge to find solutions and determine their actions. Wisdom is not only the possession of knowledge, but the use of it as well with maximum efficiency. Wise seem to always be people of experience. This does not necessarily mean that they have to be old, even though most are, but it means that they have to have been well versed in that specific area or all areas. People who are wise do not only use it for themselves, they try to use it for the better of others. This is usually in the form of passing their information onto a pupil or younger individual who they deem as worthy of passing that information. This can be exemplified in the movie Star Wars, when Obi Wan Kenobi teaches Luke Skywalker about the ways of the Jedi and the force. He is most definitely a man of wisdom as he has experienced many things prior (The fall of the Jedi). He deems that he can no longer fight against evil by himself so he passes on his information to a younger individual whom he believes can make better use of it. He does this for the greater good of others as all people of wisdom do. They do this because understanding the problems of the world and others around you is part of being wise. Otherwise all that knowledge is wasted on oneself.
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Mr. Smith
11/4/2012 09:35:20 pm
Good use of Star Wars to explain your position.
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Sarah Godoy
11/18/2012 05:36:56 am
I agree with Marina by the time she says that wisdom is something very relative. Yes, wisdom is hugely relative due to the multiple different perspectives from which it has been observed by the eyes of society through the period of history. In ancient civilizations, wisdom was most often linked to old people, as pointed out by Gabriella, because in an era where no such things as books and science existed, those who were called wise were usually older people, for their good judgments and knowledge were greater than any other men’s due to the quality of having had experience. However, as time developed and modernization took shape in the areas of science, literature, and history, however, the concept of wisdom has diverged in some way. No longer are only old people considered to be wise, but there are more and more younger people falling into the same category, for young people have been encouraged to study each time harder and to work more professionally, that they happen to discover, many times, what even older people don’t know due to the technological advances that didn’t exist in their time, as well as more practice with whatever duty they are in charge of. Young and older people can be both considered to be wise as the application of experience in the form of good judgement is accessible in any society and time period. As mentioned previously, wisdom is partially made of knowledge, but not fully, however, for a wise person is not only that who knows facts and information from a particular period, but who has experienced these facts and information. Independently from age and how young one is, though, being truly a wise man is all about learning with and from life. As once stated by the philosopher Socrates, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing”.
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Mr. Smith
12/16/2012 08:05:50 pm
Socrates had a great line, but surely there must be more to wisdom that claiming absolute and utter ignorance. That might be a reasonable place to start examining knowledge and wisdom, but not a place to stop.
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