The Wisdom of Experience

How does one become wise? How does wisdom differ from knowledge? Leonardo Da Vinci says, “wisdom is the daughter of experience.” The philosopher Lao Tzu suggested, “To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, remove things every day.”

But, does wisdom only come by way of experience and age?

What is Wisdom?

According to Diogenes Laertius’ in the Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, the Stoics defined wisdom this way, “the knowledge of things good and evil and of what is neither good nor evil…knowledge of what we ought to choose, what we ought to beware of, and what is indifferent.”

In the new translation of the Meditations, editor and translator Robin Waterfield explains, “The fundamental tenet of Stoicism is the only truly good thing is virtue, and the only truly bad thing is vice.” Everything else we can think of as “good” or “bad” is, in fact, “indifferent” or morally neutral.

Humans have an evolutionary need to be wise, writes Dilip Jeste, the author of Wiser (and previous podcast guest). The scientific term for Homo sapiens in Latin is “wise man.” Although the need for wisdom and its benefits are more prevalent than ever, becoming wiser is a process.

As the philosopher Seneca put it,

“No one ever became wise by chance.”

Although becoming wise is a process, Epicurus advised: “Let no one be slow to seek wisdom when they are young nor weary in search of it when they have grown old.” The best time to embark on a path to becoming wiser is — the here and now.

Wisdom and Experience

It is beyond a doubt that all our knowledge begins with experience. — Immanual Kant

Seneca stressed this point in a letter to Lucilius, “obtain each day some aid against poverty, something against death, and likewise, against other calamities.” Since becoming wise is a process, it requires a day-by-day approach.

According to the philosopher Montaigne,

To compose our character is our duty, not to compose books, and to win, not battles and provinces, but order and tranquility in our conduct. Our great and glorious masterpiece is to live appropriately. All other things, ruling, hoarding, building, are only little appendages and props, at most.

Reflect on a few memorable experiences from your life. What makes the moments in our lives memorable?

According to Soren Kierkegaard, “The highest and most beautiful things in life are not to be heard about, nor read about, nor seen but, if one will, are to be lived.”

Wisdom in Practice

The virtue of prudence is wisdom in practice. For wisdom to be truly useful, one must integrate it into daily life. Take this anonymous quote, for example, “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.”

Author Karen Swallow Prior (a previous podcast guest) explains in On Reading Well, “virtue requires judgment, and judgment requires prudence.” Wisdom in practice is the habit of discerning the “true good in every circumstance” and “the right means of achieving it.”

Perhaps Cicero put it most clearly,

Prudence is the knowledge of things to be sought, and those to be shunned.

The virtue of prudence and the common good are interconnected. Prior writes, “When knowledge is used toward unjust or evil ends, it transforms from the virtue of prudence into the vice of cunning.”

Final Thoughts

To become wiser, one must discern between what is good, bad, and indifferent. As Marcus Aurelius put it, “become indifferent to what makes no difference.” The path to becoming wiser requires action; remember that little by little and drop by drop — everything adds up. Lastly, the point of becoming wiser — is to put wisdom into practice for the common good.

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Thank you for reading; I hope you found something useful. If so, please consider sharing it with others.

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