By Tom Morris. 1999.
Ultimately, philosophy teaches us how to analyze our lives: Who am I? What do I really want? What is this life all about? What can make me happy? How can I make my greatest contribution to the world? What are my highest talents? How can I best make use of my time?
Wisdom is first and foremost simply insight about living. Insight itself is a sort of perceptiveness or perspicacity of judgment that penetrates beneath appearances and latches onto realities. Wisdom cuts to the core.
A wise person does not readily fall prey to false appearances. Wisdom isn’t easily spooked or unhinged. Wisdom sees the hidden side of any situation. It is patient and measured in its responses.
Wisdom is neither rushed nor stampeded into foolish action.
A wise person sees everything in its ultimate context and so does not easily mistake value.
Wisdom is to the soul what health is to the body.
—La Rouchefoucauld