Chapter 9: Problem 12

Define wisdom, and describe how it is associated with age.

Short Answer

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Wisdom is the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, and common sense. It is often associated with age because as humans grow older, they tend to accumulate more experiences, which gives them more opportunities to learn and cultivate wisdom. However, age alone doesn't guarantee wisdom, it's the learning from experiences that counts.

Step by step solution

Defining Wisdom

Wisdom can be defined in many ways. However, a common definition is that it is the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight. Wisdom is often associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, experiential self-knowledge, and the ability to learn from others' experiences.

Correlation with Age

As humans grow older, they generally gain more experiences in life. They have more opportunities to learn from successes and failures, which contributes to their reservoir of wisdom. It is important to note however, that age alone does not guarantee wisdom. It is the learning and understanding from experiences which cultivates wisdom. Age is simply a measure of the potential time one has had to gain and develop wisdom.

Illustrating with examples

An example could be the process of making decisions. A younger individual may make impulsive decisions based on immediate satisfaction, while an older, wise individual would make decisions considering long-term effects, based on past experiences and learned knowledge. Another example could be in dealing with conflicts. An older individual with wisdom would have learnt over the years about the importance of empathy, understanding and resolution over aggression and would hence handle conflicts differently compared to someone younger.

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Define wisdom, and describe how it is associated with age.

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Defining Wisdom

Correlation with Age

Illustrating with examples

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