Wisdom and Education

This article describes a balance theory of wisdom and some of its applications to education. The article opens with a consideration of some great modern world figures, and argues that what has distinguished them is their wisdom. The article next discusses what wisdom is, both from the standpoint of the dictionary and from the standpoint of the balance theory of wisdom. The article continues with an explication of the theory and its basic ideas. According to the balance theory, wisdom is the application of successful intelligence to the balancing of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and extrapersonal interests; over the short- and long-terms; by adapting to, shaping, and selecting environments; in order to achieve a common good. This common good is in turn determined through the application of values. The article continues with a discussion of how wisdom can be measured, and then suggests some principles for teaching wisdom. It concludes that teaching for wisdom may be one of the most important kinds of teaching teachers can provide.