Feb
17
Barry Schwartz on Wisdom
Filed Under Wisdom
Because my wife is an adjunct philosophy professor, I may have a particular appreciation for the subject of “wisdom.” The word “philosophy” means the love of wisdom, so it was no surprise that we enjoyed Barry Schwartz’s TED talk from earlier this month. Wow.
Schwartz studies the relationship between economics and psychology, and his topic at TED was on the loss of wisdom. In this 20-minute talk, he opens with the lack of humanity found in a job description for a hospital janitor. He quickly moves into the inherent conflict of responsibility and incentive, and how both are at war, in the words of Aristotle, with our moral and social will.
A wise person:
- Knows when and how to make the exception to every rule.
- Knows when and how to improvise
- Knows how to use these more skills in pursuit of the right aims.
- Is made and not born.
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