What is truly "Wisdom?"

I disagree strongly with Flaser's post and I deeply appreciate the use in talking about abstract concepts such as wisdom, especially given the proliferation of conflicting ideas regarding it (at least in my experience talking to people).

I have often heard that wisdom is the accumulated knowledge presented by experience. But I think "experience" is experience and wisdom is something deeper, though I think wisdom can indirectly come from experience in the same way that understanding can come from reading a book.

I despise that several psychologists I know have taken the poetic meaning, and therefore understanding of its intuitive nature, out of the word. Effectivly knee capping its use as a word. I despise that whole movement to take poetry out of everything since poetry represents our intuitive understanding.

Which leads me to what I think wisdom is. Wisdom is the use of our poetic understanding to give us intellectual understanding.

Stated in a way that does not rely on the existence of poetry, I would say that wisdom is the understanding, regardless of comprehension, of fundamentals that allow us greater perception into existence. I do not equate this to taking notes about something and then coming to a conclusion or critical thinking, that is intelligence. I am talking about our ability to look at something and perceive farther.

Like in dungeons and dragons the difference between spot and search.

I guess if I were going to explain it through how one experiences things:

When one has a high amount of intelligence they look at a car and they say "Oh, that has wheels which I know must be hooked up to an axle and transmission which (etc). I also know that people can be fond of cars based on my observation."

When one has a high amount of wisdom they look at the car and they see the combination of function and form, plus the faults the make it so endearing to the owner. The oppurtunity the owner has to work for something and have it received in direct response to that work. The see its uses on the roads and off the road. They may not know how it works, why the owners likes to work for the gift, they may not even understand what grip is. What they do see is the existence it creates.

So what would a wise society consist of and how is the idea of wisdom distorted? I will return later.

To clarify what I mean by understanding without comprehension, I believe you need to be able to articulate your understand to comprehend it.

wisdom age and advice are all tied together. You know someone is wise when people are always going to them for advice, and you ask someone who has already had the problem about your problem. Wisdom is the ability to objectively observe your experiences and notice what you thought mattered and what actually mattered. It is the ability to actually learn from your experience, and the amount of wisdom can be measured by how well you learned it and are then able to show someone else. I don't believe people are born wise, but they may be born with a certain capacity for wisdom.

All these thoughts can only be applied to someone people actually recognize as wise, but I believe the wisest of all choose not to speak for they can only be wrong.

I feel that there has been much said here and many ideas shared. I agree with some of the things you all say, but then again some I do not. I could do this because I am Human. The decisions I've made and the experiences that have come are feeble and weak (personally). But I myself am strong and bright, some are as foolish to say I am wise and then turn around and say I have not lived long enough to be "Wise".

Wisdom is vauge, it revolves around an internal (do you feel you are wise or have you made a wise decision?) and external (your wisdom percieved by others, who could be blinded by their own unwanted qualities and in turn making an ugly judgement of you) perception. I could say it was not "Wise" for Flaser to undermine the topic of Wisdom so reluctantly, but he is also Human and entitled to his own opinion. Although he came about his response with a lack of consideration to the ideals of others that might have found this to be to their liking. I would have done what he did on purpose to see if anyone else that made a post could articulately respond, feeding my ego and measure the caliber of wisdom you bring to the table. Although I am not saying it to be the "Wisest," simply feeding my inner logic to see things yet another way.

I feel that Wisdom, internally, is a conscientious application of all acquired knowledge throughout ones' life. I said I am strong, my strenght comes from the "Wisdom" of Old applied in the New.

("I don't have to get shot, to know that I do not want to be shot")

(Many thanks to you UNIT for the oppertunity to share my peace somewhere. The question was asked and I have learned from many perspectives again, thanks to this post. You are appreciated)