Fall 2010 Wisdom Course Class Notes

Return to Wisdom

September 1, 2010

• First Class - About 1/2 of the class will be taken up with introductory information and questions.

• Preliminary Discussion of Wisdom:

Here are a number of claims that you typically hear when the topic of wisdom comes up. In reading them, try to notice if you initially believe the claim or not. Then, in your discussion, consider reasons for believing or being skeptical of these claims.

• People used to be wiser a long long time ago.
• Wisdom is a special kind of knowledge.
• Wisdom comes with old age.
• Wise people lead better (happier or more meaningful) lives.

September 8, 2010

• Hall, Chapters 1 and 2: "What is Wisdom?" and "The Wisest Man in the World"
• Sternberg, "Understanding Wisdom"
• Robinson, "Wisdom Through the Ages" (Sternberg)
• Discussion of Philosophical Method

Hall, Chapters 1 and 2: "What is Wisdom?" and "The Wisest Man in the World"

-opening story, point about wisdom

-his approach, p. 16 - definition of wisdom, bot. 17 --

-Hall's initial theoretical definition: bot 18 -- read & note

-Ch. 2: Socrates & Axial Age

-Axial Age Hypothesis, 23 -- for more on this, see the wiki page, "Axial Age" beyond this (optional): read something about Max Weber, who influenced Jaspers. A respected popular historian, Karen Armstrong, wrote The Great Transformationfrom an "axial age" standpoint. Jaspers himself points to sociological conditions that might account for the "pivot" he and others observe in ancient cultures from 800-200 bc. We'll talk about it more at the end of the course where cultural accounts come into play.

-Contrast between Pericles and Socrates, p. 28

Sternberg, "Understanding Wisdom"

This is mostly an overview of the book, so there's nothing too remarkable for us to discuss, unless you all have questions.

Robinson, "Wisdom Through the Ages"

This one of several mini-histories of wisdom we'll look at.

-note on Homeric concept --- p. 13-14: Greek concept of soul/nous

-distinctions among sophia, phronesis, episteme

-Aristotle's concept of wisdom. idion ergon/ prohaireseis / hexeis

-comment on his gloss of stoics.

-Christian split (influences): Aristotelean vs. Platonic

-Aquinas: quote on p. 20 -- "perspective shift" is a common theme in wisdom accounts

-Scientific revolution as challenge to ancient conceptions of wisdom and divinity

Discussion of Philosophical Method

We need to start talking about what it means to do philosophy. We'll start today with a quick review of argument theory and then introduce more philosophical methods over the next few classes.

September 13, 2010

Initial Discussion of Method

We'll review some terms and concepts from argument theory and note a few of the other philosophical methods on our list.

Socrates' personal quest for wisdom in the Apology

-follow the biographical story Socrates tells about the Oracle at Delphi

-note Socrates' practice, described as a "relgious duty"

-Socrates' realization:

Plato, Phaedo -- Wisdom as disemodiment

-note discussion tying the soul to the transcendent world of forms and ideas

-connection between wisdom and purity -- philosophical practice as preparation for death.

Osbeck and Robinson, Philosophical Wisdom

-claim there is a natural connection between wisdom and realism. Explore a bit.

-key additions to understanding of Aristotle: distinction between "science" and "calculative"; 5 ways to find truth, wisdom as a kind of "making"

-picture of Aritotle emerging: wants both a "situational" or "practical" view and still acknoweldges that complete theoretical knowledge might trump phronesis.

Notes on Labouvie-Vief

September 20, 2010

• Reminds on method. Quick tips for groups

• Look at each other. Help each other do philosophy (Be midwives to each other.)
• Ask for clarifications, pose questions
• Regulate focus
• Track results
• Are you giving/hearing rationales? Justification (argument) or Explanation? Or are you just exploring possibilities or making claims?

• Labouvie-Vief's interpretation and critique of Classical Greek thought on wisdom.

• Hall Chapter 3:

• Vivian Clayton
• Baltes and the Berlin Paradigm
• Carstensen and Adelt

• Hall Chapter 4:

Emotional Regulation and Time Horizon - Carstensen

• Clayton and Birren

• focus on positive aspects of aging
• sources of wisdom:

• education for elites
• family - religion [interesting differences for your theories]

• Greeks - adds some detail
• East -- not the same emphsis on cognition -- read 109
• ["invitational"] aspect of some eastern philosophies
• Meaning of Wisdom study -
• MDS
• Inferences form cohort differences
• Wisdom and models of development: Erikson, Kohlberg, and Piaget (background)

• Birren and Swenson -- This article mostly adds detail to the historical picture. It includes some of the first detailed discussion of proverbs and religious wisdom, but it also has a great collection of defintions of wisdom.

September 22, 2010

Aristotle, Metaphysics

• Distinction between experience and art (techne)

• The practitioner of the art is wiser than the person with just experience. Therefore wisdom involves knowledge.

• Hierarchy of wisdom

• Wisdom as divine

Aristotle, Books 1 and 6 of Nichomachean Ethics

Book 1 -- Defining the good as happiness

• hierarchy of arts, politics on top

• What is the good? can't be pleasure, honor, rather contemplation. Why? Idion Ergon (proper function)

• Happiness as activity of the soul in accordance with virtue

• Aristotle's rational psychology -- rational vs. irrational. Within the irrational, desire "can be persuaded"

Book 6 -- Turns from excellence of character (Bks 2-5) to excellence of thought (dianoia)

• hexis - stable disposition of the soul that produce