Discussions: Wisdom and Knowledge
Philosophy:
The Search for Wisdom
Studying Philosophy provides us an opportunity to examine our lives and ask questions about our beliefs and knowledge. We begin to understand ourselves in a more complete way and can them apply our knowledge to learning wisdom.
Although wisdom and knowledge may seem to be the same thing, they are actually two separate qualities. Knowledge is a form of information that people posses that is true and objective. For instance, no matter how a person feels about the world, the truth is that it does exist and we do live in it. We have this knowledge that we are living on the earth in this time period. Most philosophers will define knowledge as a form of true belief; in this we truly believe that we exist in this world. Also, knowledge can be theoretical or practical in our everyday lives.
Belief is a strong conviction that we think we know, or what knowledge that we have, is true. For instance, based on subjective observations people during the 1400's believed that the earth was flat. This was a belief that was accepted as fact, or knowledge. When Columbus proved that it was round, this belief was changed and new knowledge and wisdom was gained. We learned that the world is round and began to explore more of it, gaining wisdom.
Wisdom, however, is understanding reality and relating that information to living a good life. Wisdom is gained by insights into our world, thoughts, feelings, and looking at what we and others believe. Knowing that the world is real we can them examine what we see and feel and begin to explore questions about life and how we should live.
In my own life, my education has helped me to gain both wisdom and knowledge. I have learned many bits of knowledge, both practical and theoretical, and have begun to realize the need for more wisdom. My education has included classes in philosophy during high school as well as a religious background. This has helped me to understand different philosophies and beliefs.
Philosophy is the study to gain insight and wisdom in the workings of our existence and begin to understand both ourselves and humans in a more complete way. We must examine our lives, values, and experiences in order to learn from them.
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