Dear Nick and Friends,
Nick sent an email 9/19 stating in part
On the 17th May 2006 I sent an email
to the (first) list suggesting that we had two tasks before us: (A) to work out what kind of academic inquiry
can
best seek and promote wisdom, and (B)
to get across to academics and non-academics alike that there is an urgent need to transform academia
so
that it takes up its proper task of
pursuing wisdom. I would like to suggest that contributions to (A) should begin with what is set out on
our
website on the Home page, and on the
pages Basic Argument, What Went Wrong? and What Needs to Change. We have, so far, not made much headway with
(B). Suggestions would be very
welcome.
It seems to me that for (B) a journal or at least
publications, conferences, prominent books will be useful. Martin Seligman and
positive psychology provide one quite successful model. This may take a little
time, but there are plenty of sympathetic academics and the moment is
propitious. Seligman launched positive psychology with a conference to which
"senior level academics" were invited. I get the impression he didn’t want to
take any chances that pospsy would end up like humanistic psychology, he wanted
to see that Department chairs were on board. To transform academia we will need
the support of people such as that. Also, noted Sufi scholar Seyyed Hossein
Nasr’s journal Sophia and the related <www.worldwisdom.com> are worth
being aware of.
There are two ideas regarding (A) I’d like to contribute. Any
comments are welcome, and assistance very welcome. Before stating these ideas, I
agree with Karl and several other respondents that a conference would be
valuable. Some groundwork needs to be done regarding the purpose of the
conference—it seems to me that an ideal agenda would be strategizing ways to
develop academic inquiry that best seeks and promotes wisdom, and publicizing
the need for transforming academia to prioritize wisdom. A book could result
from selected presentations. I will help in any way I can with the organization
of a conference.
First, does anyone else feel the need for a history of wisdom?
There has never been such a work. It seems to me that a history of wisdom, both
scholarly and readable for the general educated public, would be greatly
successful, a great way to promote the cause of wisdom. Since the word wisdom
tends to amorphousness, it seems essential to arrive at clarity regarding what
is meant by the term if wisdom is to have a flourishing future. Of course it is
a broad, dynamic, and evolving concept. Arriving at a definition based on an
historical method would encompass all meanings wisdom has been given, and would
provide the strongest empiric justification for conceptualization. Not the only
way to go about it, but at some point essential.
I’ve been invited to revise my dissertation for publishing,
and in this work will detail what this historic method involves. If anyone is
interested, I will be very happy to correspond with you online or off about the
history of wisdom and an historic method. I certainly can use all the help
possible. I have begun a History of Wisdom in the West, and would love
advisors, collaborators, or even to assist someone else who is more qualified to
take the lead in this project. The dissertation is online at
<www.cop.com/TheScientificApproachtoWisdom.doc>, thanks to Friend of
Wisdom Cop MacDonald. It would be wonderful to teach a course on the history of
wisdom: if any of you have an opening in your Philosophy Dept for such a course,
I will travel, and also teach basic Philosophy or Human Development
courses.
The other idea is a research-based program for cultivating
wisdom. It appears that "there has yet to be an intervention program designed to
increase wisdom-related knowledge during adulthood" (Jordan, Jennifer. 2005.
"The Quest for Wisdom in Adulthood." In Robert J. Sternberg, and Jennifer
Jordan, Eds., A Handbook of Wisdom: Psychological Perspectives. NY:
Cambridge UP, pp. 160-188, at 184). Last week I began facilitating a course for
adults over 50 on "Wisdom as Skill." There is an accompanying text. If anyone is
interested in this, I’ll send it to you as an MS Word attachment, or mail you a
copy of the book for the cost of printing.
Wisdom is a powerful concept. There is a desperate need for wisdom today.
Perhaps we can help bring about a world that prioritizes wisdom.