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] wwwSite > SamHarris.org Reader Forum Index ->  /  26 April 07  /
] Forum > Politics, Religion, Philosophy, and Science >  Philosophy
] Thread > Wisdom in Perspective / Topic > wisdom half-polished
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tx say: hey sicjedi, thx for the heads-up on this curious book.
and welcome to sam's place! hope you like it here. :)
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"Simply put, wisdom is the interaction of intelligence, knowledge, and
perspective."

"When it comes down to it, your wisdom depends on what you believe:
for if your thoughts and actions are not based upon reality, then neither
is your wisdom."

The personal sense of certainty, confidence, or assurance that you possess
is "most often determined by your perceptions, experience, and reasoning".
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 -- quotes from 'Wisdom in Perspective' by Bret Alan Hughes (2005)
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Although the book as a whole is a fine example of what sophiology can
accomplish, the book is not without certain flaws. For example, the weakest
part of the book is surely the way it ends. In the final concluding chapter eight
('Pulling it all together and coming up with wisdom') the author presents what
I call the 'matrix-argument'. if you recall, in the movie people are housed in
interactive-pods and fed a simulated-reality by the self-aware computer network
called the matrix. Thus Hughes argues that since it's conceivable that our brains
could be fed false-data, we can never have absolute certainty about any of our
knowledge. To me, this argument is no improvement over Descartes idea of a
demon feeding him false impressions and experiences. Just because the matrix
is conceivable does not make it plausible. So while I agree that *absolute*
certainty is impossible, I do not agree that recognition of this epistemological
fact is the "deepest foundation of human wisdom" (p.97). In any case, Hughes
seems to think that wisdom arises chiefly from a sense of (or awareness of)
how ignorant and how lucky we all really are. I would say, to the contrary, that
these three factors are simply the basic prerequisites for wisdom, and not the
basic substance of wisdom. what is the basic substance of wisdom then? that's
easy! "A deep conviction that underlies the faith of our fathers is the belief
in 'Ma'at' - the search for truth and justice." -- Queen Tiy (in 'Akhenaten:
the Man who Inspired Moses').
x

  "In our time, and especially among us, it is part of our very deceits
that we are not at all disposed or willing to judge. It is regarded as
cleverer to abstain from judging, for we ourselves know best how we are
placed. And so, especially among us, there prevails a rare Christian
sentiment in this regard, we completely abstain from judging one another.
Of course we do. For the Christian life has almost died out - so let us
at all costs not give it life and movement again by judging others. For
it could not be done without a certain amount of disturbance - and one
can never tell how far that will lead. Therefore see to it that we
follow Christ's command, Judge not - oh what frauds we are!"