Wisdom - Something to think about....

Ahh! So James, Prince of rationality and logo' has resurfaced to make unwholesome demands upon poor poor Heraclitus!
:bawl:

By Golly it has been a while. How the hell are you PJ. Missed your wittiest wit...
It is possible to continue the "experiment" although I am unwares as to the fact that it had stopped any way.
The situation here has changed enourmously and continues to do so with an extraordinary dynamic.
"define wisdom": bah ! Is not a miserable dictionary at hand? Is not a quick link to a wiki available?
"Define wisdom!" he he....

"Define Heraclitus" without a smirk on your lips and I shall define wisdom with not a salty tear in my eyes.

The experiment as you refer to, may not be necessary as it may very well be redundant as a vehicle to evidencing what was intended.

Ahh ! but such is life in the "never never"

 

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Quantum Heraclitus:

Indeed! I have come as a great bat in the night - wings outstretched and fangs lusting for the blood of discourse. I shall suckle upon your neck unrelentlessly and then fly into a woman's hair in order to terrify her into a coma. Hopefully, Sam's.

Busy busy busy and a little annoyed. But I have plenty of time to devote to this stuff for a while or until my annoyance comes again. This time, I'll make sure to lead sure contacts.

But you were missed.

We'll then begin recognizing and working with it! It iwll be grand.

You sound like Diogenes, Heraclitus! But please, spare us the display on the road to Megara. We wish not to realize how one lust can be satisfied with a rub, while the belly's cravings cannot!

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But let us define Heraclitus (with lips drawn tight):

Heraclitus has two definitions. The first is of course, our friend who spoke of the river dipped in twice isn't the same. The second is our friend whose harrowing experiences has lead to a deconstruction of the universe into a menagrie of reflections and nothingness and interactions of various sorts. With plenty of interesting musings to mull over and insights to incorporate.

But let me now add why I ask the question:

I have often heard that wisdom does not consist in mere knowledge. I've always found this a troubling hypothesis, as then what is it? Is it the application of knowledge towards a certain end? Eudaimonia, perhaps?

 

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Eudaimonia: Would make a great song title I reckon something Don McLean would probably perform. [ actually come to think of it so would the title Heraclitus

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]

Happiness?
Yes I guess wisdom could be part of our pursuit of this elusive feeling but in this case I feel the use of the word "sustainable" is important.
Happiness can be but fleeting, even with the absence of wisdom however I doubts very much whether it can be sustainable for the long term if wisdom is not present.
It could be said that it is the application of knowledge devoted towards sustainable happiness or success. Knowledge of what works and what doesn't, Knowledge of a logic morality or ethical logic possibly also.

hmmmmm ethical logic...ha

 

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Quantum Heraclitus:

I'm glad I am not the only one who thinks of how certain phrases, terms, et cetera, would make great song titles.

Eudaimonia fits this conception perfectly.

So let us see, we should call wisdom that which learns how to attain and then applies those principles condusive to the good life (Eudaimonia).

Well then, wisdom is quite practical, as well as quite difficult to attain.

But then we must also address the issues of temperment and inclination. There are men who are content with being happy animals (appetitive), others more spirited, and still others contemplative. Then there are a mix of all or some of the above.

 

so you feel the necessity of "sustainability" is not so uhmmmm ....necessary to the formulation?
And...
if necessary then how is this demonstrated in our "simple" mans happiness in regards to his environment and community?

 

Quantum Heraclitus:

I think sustainability is implied by living a "good life". Of course, one cannot be happy 24/7 even in the sense we are discussing. But we can attempt to attain to the states whereby happiness and long-term well being will be more often than not experienced, attained, and lived within.

I think the appetitive man's happiness would be attained by meeting his base needs. These are the things he values the most: Food, water, shelter, sex, sleep. He might also ask for a few luxuries, such as entertainment, maybe a bit of companionship from time to time, et cetera.

Basically, we're talking about Homer Simpson.

 

Shift the focus away from the memorization of facts and formulas and on to challenging questions and challenging problems whether mental, physical, interpersonal, etc. You can shift the focus toward activities that are more likely to challenge on to learn how to learn.

 

I agree.
Wisdom is taught more by using gendankens, thought experiments and even novela, biographies and movies of reasonable calibre. But also by life experience it self.
But it is only when it can be related to the individuals circumstances and future vision that it seems to be absorbed in to the persons behaviour.
take teaching a class of ankle biters [6 year olds] and suggest methods of teaching wisdom...hmmmm tough hey?

 

One thing to do immediately with ankle biters is shift your role vastly more towards questioning them and giving them problems to solve, especially in little teams.

 

thus empowering them to learn for themsleves with guidance rather than authority..hmmmm good stuff that IMO.
vexations for them to ponder upon....I am confident that many teachers use this approach but maybe more could be done in this area..?