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Return to E-mail Discussion page Previous in thread> From: bbmg+@osu.edu (Brian B. McSpadden Gardener) > Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2002 15:24:23 -0500 > To: Todd Duncan <duncan@scienceintegration.org> > Subject: Re: food for thought {and reality} > > Regarding thought and reality: > > RE:>I'd like to return to a point that Wilbur Shilling raised back in > December: >>> Just a small question for Dr. Wilson: Since when has the world >>> been run by the wise? >> >>>> "We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world >>>> henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the >>>> right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make >>>> important choices wisely." -- E.O. Wilson, "Consilience," p.269 > > In response to W. Shilling: Wisdom must refer to some body of knowledge, > which may or may not be scientifically-based. I do think that societal > leaders tend to be more politically and socially more wise than some other > types of wise people (e.g. scientists, engineers, clerics). So while I > agree that the fully wise are not always in charge, the fully ignorant are > rarely ever in charge. I think Dr. Wilson's statement applies to how all > people find their place in societies. Out of context, the second sentence > has probably always been true. What was left out was an implicit > "generally-speaking". The first sentence highlights what is different now > than in the past: more people are in contact with more information to the > point of overflow. If people act on the information presented to them in > someway, then there is an even greater need for wisdom among all people. > > As for Dr. Duncan's response: >> But more generally, this raises an important question: Do we really think >> it's possible to gather knowledge about the universe, synthesize this >> knowledge in a way that makes us "wise," and then guide our individual and >> social actions from this perspective of wisdom, in a way that significantly >> changes the course of events? I tend to think it is possible for wisdom to >> make a real difference - the idea that it's important to integrate key >> insights from science into the perspective from which we think and act >> depends on the belief that the perspective we hold actually makes a real >> difference in the world. But this is certainly a debatable point which is >> worth discussing. > > At one level, our world views do guide our decisions and actions. But my > experience has led me to believe that many of life's choices are not > decided by our most deeply held beliefs&knowledge. Rather, many actions > are determined by more immediate needs or perceived needs. So, I do not > think that the step-wise process described in Dr. Duncan's question will > change the course of events unless people take more time to reflect on > their choices, why they are making them, and what the consequences are of > their actions in a larger context. This type of reflection, like critical > thinking, is not as well practiced as it could be. I believe the potential > is there, but people need to appreciate the value of such habits to the > improvement of their daily lives. > > Brian |
