Knowledge coupled with wisdom or lack thereof in academia
In regard to the acquirement of knowledge, Alfred Whitehead (English mathematician/philosopher of the 20th century) wrote the following: “…If you have much to do with the young as they emerge from school and from the university, you soon note the dulled minds of those whose education has consisted in the acquirement of inert [unused] knowledge. …Furthermore, this overhaste to impart mere knowledge defeats itself. The human mind rejects knowledge imparted in this way. … The discipline, when it comes, should satisfy a natural craving for the wisdom which adds value to bare experience. … In my own work at universities I have been much struck by the paralysis of thought induced in pupils by the aimless accumulation of precise knowledge, inert and unutilised. It should be the chief aim of a university professor to exhibit himself in his own true character—that is, as an ignorant man thinking, actively utilising this small share of knowledge. In a sense, knowledge shrinks as wisdom grows: for details are swallowed up in principles… the habit of the active utilisation of well-understood principles is the final possession of wisdom.” Background: He has been arguing up to this point that education in European societies was motivated and inspired by high ideals but that it has effectively sunk to communicating just “mechanical mental aptitudes” and “formulated statements of useful truths”. However, he argues that while such things are important, there is actually a greater thing that should be taught—wisdom. For him, knowledge should be dominated by wisdom (something which the ancients knew but we have forgotten). What is wisdom? “[W]isdom is the way in which knowledge is held. It concerns the handling of knowledge, its selection for the determination of relevant issues, its employment to add value to our immediate experience… The importance of knowledge lies in its use, in our active mastery of it—that is to say, it lies in wisdom.” In other words, knowledge needs to be directed towards an end, the betterment of our situation (which I take as both personal and societal). My conclusion: I have been taught many things in my life, having completed two degrees, a diploma, and have started post-grad studies and much of his discussion rings true. When knowledge was often communicated, discussions of relevance and/or application to life was given lip service. The result is information that is dry, boring and questionably relevant, aka possibly irrelevant. To top it off, wisdom, ethics, and philosophy was nowhere to be found in the halls of academia to guide the student in living life well or applying his/her knowledge. Rather, pragmatism rules and pragmatism kills (ultimately) as it is a directionless philosophy with no advice on how to live life well. The previous cited text came from: Alfred North Whitehead, “Wisdom,” in Introductory Readings in Philosophy, ed. Marcus Singer and Robert R. Ammerman (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1962), 3-4.
h/t Stephen Young
Arkarbor 