Intelligence vs Wisdom
Intelligence and wisdom are two different ways of being smart. The way I've heard them being described is like this, if you feel wet drops on your arm intelligence tells you its raining and wisdom tells you to go inside.
That being said, what it sounds like to me is that intelligence identifies a problem, from the wet drops intelligence identifies the problem that its raining and you want to keep dry and wisdom comes up with a solution, to go inside. So the way I see it intelligence identifies problems and wisdom formulates solutions.
That being said, what it sounds like to me is that intelligence identifies a problem, from the wet drops intelligence identifies the problem that its raining and you want to keep dry and wisdom comes up with a solution, to go inside. So the way I see it intelligence identifies problems and wisdom formulates solutions.
Comments (67)
This suggests that every person that goes inside when it starts raining is wise.
An obviously false conjecture.
I will now assume that your definition.
So change the definition.
I honestly don't understand either so I will try to prove you wrong but I can't add anything thing else.
Neither. It's instinct.
"Wisdom is knowledge vetted through the proving ground of life."
Those quotes are mine by the way, don't steal them.
So,I guess you are saying that wisdom is the correct application of knowledge and intelligence is just having that knowledge.
Quoting Caldwell
Please explain.
I think wisdom and intelligence are synonyms. Are there any uses of the word wisdom where intelligence can't also be used? Sometimes there's snobbery about words and we often reach for 'wisdom' when we are looking for higher status, sage-like accounts of intelligence. Hence we are more likely to say the Dalai Lama is wise rather than the Dalai Lama is intelligent. Wisdom is intelligence wearing a romantic cloak.
I think the real distinction you may be looking for is the difference between knowledge and intelligence/wisdom.
A philosopher contemplates these ^misuses and ^^abuses of intelligences and, ideally, s/he performs reflective exercises daily (e.g vide P. Hadot) to habitualize reducing both the occurrences and scope of their adverse effects. Study, exercise and dialectical discussions like this constitute my (yoga-like, martial arts-like) 'philosophical regimen'. I believe that to seek wisdom is to seek what 'the wise' seek: mastery of opposing-reducing both ^foolery & ^^stupidity. In a pragmatic sense, at most one strives to grow less foolish, even less stupid, in due course, perhaps always approaching like a horizon but never arriving – or like Sisyphus and his 'philosopher's stone' – always with intelligence seeking, persevering, loving wisdom, even though the Muse (daimon?) remains ever out of reach (vide I. Murdoch re: erotics of The Good; Spinoza re: amor dei intellectualis; et al).
Imagination reveals possibilities, inspirations. Common sense filters to probabilities. Grounds toward the pragmatic and actionable.
Which one to explain -- the meaning of instinct? Or the reaction of human to rain falling on him?
What do the arrows represent? Anyone?
Chaotic data?
Refine data so that makes sense? = information
Organize information into a comprehensive map of reality= knowledge
When enough diverse knowledge is obtained, the opposites of perspectives cancel out resulting in emptiness of opposition, and one obtains poised equilibrium resulting in behavior that is in Buddhism called the 'middle way' and in Christianity 'straight and narrow' = wisdom?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIKW_pyramid
"Typically information is defined in terms of data, knowledge in terms of information, and wisdom in terms of knowledge".
Nice! I have no theory of my own regarding Neil deGrasse Tyson's views on the matter.
Quoting Hermeticus
:up: Thanks a million. I've saved the page for later.
No progress can be made without thinking and experience is essential to get from knowledge to wisdom.
A high IQ and book learning doesn't equal wisdom. We need the experience to understand the meaning of all that knowledge.
Zeus was afraid once man had the technology of fire he would discover all other technologies and then forget the gods. I think that is technology without wisdom.
If you ask me, a high IQ eliminates the need for experience and vice versa. Of course, we would be better off having the best of both worlds but if given a choice, I'd opt for IQ instead of experience: as @Yohan put it in a thread on life advice which has been deleted, "learn from other's mistakes".
Well, when it comes to a high IQ I will never achieve that and I have known people with a lower IQ than mine who are pretty wise.
The first part of the transformation of data to information and knowledge makes sense to me, but the last phase does not make sense to me. It sure does not happen naturally.
School of hard knocks, not everyone wants to go there.
I want to jump in because I think,I love Cham-choms, is correct. I had a friend with a low IQ who had the smarts of an animal (I envied him for this) and wisdom. It was like he had the clarity of mind that Yohan mentioned. Some of us have so much chatter going on in our heads, we are not really present and do not see the obvious.
I am not sure what you mean by that. My mother thought children were naturally wise and she influenced me to value wisdom. I think that my choice to have wisdom lead to experiencing much adversity? Kind of like a Native American proverb I once heard of wanting specific characteristics and getting the life lessons that strengthen them.
I think memory is important to intelligence and I never had a good memory! It took me forever to memorize the alphabet, days of the week, months of year, etc. and I have never memorized the times' table despite making a lot of effort to do so. Because math is so useful in knowing our world and having good logic, I greatly regret I seem to be no more capable of understanding math than I am capable of flying.
If everybody had to be attacked by a lion to know lions are dangerous, we would have a world full of amputees, horribly scarred people, not to mention very well-fed lions. With IQ, vicarious learning is possible, greatly increasing the odds of survival and, if you've mastered the art of learning from the bad experiences of others, a good life. With experience, you'll learn all right but, as people have told me n number of times, the hard way.
-Aristotle
Aponia?
Absence of pain (aponia) is a cakewalk compared to the presence of pleasure (hedonia?).
Quoting 180 Proof
Quoting 180 Proof
Quoting 180 Proof
Quoting 180 Proof
:death: :flower:
:up: What's the difference between acceptance and resignation? Are we wise (accepting truths, not chasing after what are mere illusions) OR are we helpless (we have no choice but to put up with whatever life throws at us, that despite our ability to conceive of a better deal)?
With understanding comes acceptance. Acceptance can never happen without understanding. Resignation is as what you mused above -- one has no choice or lacks energy to quarrel.
If you're alluding to apatheia, maybe the difference is between active indifference and passive indifference ...
No. Congenitally (though not necessarily incorrigibly) foolish.
No. Akratic as I've mentioned already.
Sometimes I aim to sleaze. :smirk:
Care to expand on that a bit? At the end of the day, apatheia is, as some like to put it, coming to terms with the brute facts of reality.
Quoting Caldwell
See my reply to 180 Proof. To resign oneself to one's fate is to accept what's happening and what one thinks will happen.
I think I get it now. Acceptance of facts/truths is to be content with how things are. Resignation is to be discontent with how things are, that because one is exposed to how things can be/could've been. The wisdom in the former is that one doesn't wish the impossible (that would be stupid) and the foolishness in the latter is one's asking for the impossible. Does it make sense to desire impossible things?
Resignation = give up prematurely on something good and possible, due to discouragement (self-doubt etc) This is a reactive response to adversity. To run away.
Acceptance = "I gave it my best shot and it didn't work out for me. At least I tried my best. Time to move on and try another approach, or change to a more realistic goal." This means to stop resisting a fact.
There is also stop resisting what needs to be done: "This will be tough. I accept that this isn't going to be an easy thing to achieve, but I'm willing to sacrifice short term minor comfort for long term superior comfort"
Acceptance is dynamic and adaptable. Resignation is giving up due to inability to adapt to things not conforming to plans?
I think in life I tend to resign more often than accept. I am a master procrastinator.
I thought resignation & acceptance meant one can't flee from truths.
Quoting Yohan
The way it seems to me is both acceptance & resignation involve adapting oneself to facts, the former cheerily and the latter begrudgingly.
You can accept things that are hard to accept. Cheer doesn't have to factor into it.
From google definitions:
begrudgingly: reluctantly or resentfully.
"he somewhat begrudgingly accepted a reduced role for the better of the team" (Google's example sentence. Underline added)
Resign: accept that something undesirable cannot be avoided.
synonyms: reconcile oneself.
I don't like that I will have to die some day. But I don't begrudge the fact. Its a neutral word, though its application is to undesirables.
How about data, information, and knowledge are various parts of a car, while wisdom is the one that steers the car? One actually has to practice driving to get good at it. Reading about cars, roads, and driving isn't enough
You mean to say that a person, the sage obviously, who accepts truths/facts doesn't gain happiness/pleasure/contentment from it?
Quoting Yohan
Word play, my friend. Not interested. It's clear that resignation is not a desirable state of affairs, hence, begrudginly accept one's circumstances (I don't like it but I have no choice).
Fair enough I guess.
Yep!
Why is some adaptation done begrudgingly and some done cheerfully?
I think resignation and acceptance may have to do with the degree of one's adaptation. In resignation one adapts one's behavior, while the mind stays fixed in old expectations. If the mind also adapts, it becomes acceptance.
Or, how does the distinction of resignation and acceptance fir into the question of wisdom?
Hard truths, like that we are all going to die some day, may start out as begrudging acceptance, but eventually lead to peace and joy. "Begrudgingly" means one has not fully adapted yet, psychologically.
That's my current understanding anyway. If you aren't interested in discussing it, that's your prerogative. :smile:
If you and your opponent are in equal positions, say at the start of the game, your acceptance of that fact is probably emotionally neutral.
If your position is advantageous to your opponent, if you appear to be likely to win, or have won, you may accept that fact cheerfully.
If you are in a disadvantageous position to your opponent, or have lost, you may accept the fact reluctantly or begrudgingly. However, if one has no skin in the game, one may resign without any dislike of the fact.
However I do agree that the word choices aren't the important distinction.
And that the distinction of attitudes of acceptance are important. The ideal would be to accept everything cheerfully.
Why?
Being reluctantly accepting of everything is painful.
Being neutrally accepting of everything is emotionally pointless.
Being cheerfully or gratefully accepting of everything is an end in itself. Inherently "good" in that it feels good, may be good for one's health, and may be contagious. Further, its easier to be accepting when you're feeling gratitude.
Quoting TheMadFool
Wow, maybe our wisdom is dependent on our teachers? I don't think in the west we pay much attention to wisdom? In the US we have much reliance on religion, but I don't think that equals wisdom. Some people get wisdom from the bible but not many.
I am glad I am smart enough to avoid lions and meth, but I am also old enough to know it seems almost impossible to pass on wisdom. Plenty of parents have pleaded with their children to learn from their parent's mistakes and don't repeat them. It would be super if people avoided drugs and stupid behaviors, as easily as they decide to avoid lions. What prevents people from being wise enough to learn from others?
I like that.
I am having a social problem. It is a lifelong social problem. I am no good at making small talk. I have no interest in engaging in small talk. When I was young, my mother was worried about my lack of desire to be popular. Years later I would rather be in the forum, than socializing with my neighbors. So I don't think wisdom comes naturally. I think we need to need to think about what we think to develop wisdom. I don't think most people think about what they think. And when I began reading philosophy, I was blown away by the questions philosophers have asked!
And I have known some very smart men. Men capable of earning a lot of money because of how smart they are but that doesn't make them wise. In contrast, is people who have traveled and experienced other cultures. Now those people I envy because of what they have learned of other cultures and life. I hobo can be more fun to talk with than some very smart guys.
Would you please explain that to my granddaughter who appears to be making her life hell by her very sour outlook? It seems common for the young to be defensive and unaccepting of what an older person says. It seems many are trapped in pain, instead of realizing the miracle of being grateful. I think we need to learn how to be happy. In some cultures, this may be easier or than in other cultures? I think this is something worth looking into.
Being overly materialistic might be harmful? By materialistic I mean the opposite of animistic. Believing people, places, and things make us happy or unhappy, rather than realizing the importance of attitude.
I am a hedonist. :grin: I believe in the pursuit of happiness as Cicero and Jefferson understood it.
In activist ( agonist) politics it's said: "Be realistic, demand the impossible!" :victory: :mask:
Perhaps this:
• acceptance = affirm that X is best / least bad of alternatives;
• resignation = deny that there are any alternatives to X.
I dunno! Maybe something about vicarious suffering à la Jesus. Did we learn anything from Jesus (Christianity/religion)?
My interpretation:
1. Acceptance: No options. I don't mind it.
2. Resignation: No options. I mind it, I hate it.
If only elitist slaveholders like Cicero and Jefferson had conceived of hedonia as e.g. Epicureans (or Spinozists) do, as a "hedonist" myself I would agree with your remark.
:lol: I've always wanted to say "whatever!" I've never been in a situation where I felt "whatever!" was appropriate. I'm not happy, not happy at all!
Quoting Yohan
:chin:
I don't know what you are seeing there. I don't consider cheer a necessary factor in acceptance, but I do consider it the most inherently pleasing response one can have toward a fact. I'd rather be cheerful than merely neutral, or worse, begrudging.
Edit:
If we consider reality one big fact or collection of facts, what do you think is the best response?
Gratitude, neutrality, or disappointment?
"Accept" is the word we commonly use. But since we are here in this thread discussing it, you truly don't believe that resigning is accepting, right? You utter the word "accept", but really it's not intellectually coherent without understanding. By understanding we mean, rational and logical. If you can't justify something, you can't accept it. Acceptance is a choice. Resignation is giving up.
Go on...
In a manner of speaking.
I resigned the game! :grin:
Were you forced to resign? I think it's implicit, no?
Forced to, yes! What does it matter implicit/explicit?
Another way to say it, is that "Wisdom is the practical application of Intelligence". For example, homo sapiens is noted for its Intelligence relative to animals, but not so much for its collective Wisdom. That's why the world needs a few Philosophers to ascertain the difference between raw Intelligence and mature Wisdom. To keep us smart apes headed in the right direction. :joke: