The concepts of wisdom and high intellect are connected because a reasonably high level of intelligence is usually required for the development of wisdom. However, high intelligence does not necessarily lead to wisdom, because wisdom is acquired through high intelligence curated through extensive experience and reflection.
Over 2300 years ago, Aristotle wrote in Nicomachean Ethics:
Although the young may be experts in geometry and mathematics and similar branches of knowledge, we do not consider that a young man can have Prudence. The reason is that Prudence includes a knowledge of particular facts, and this is derived from experience, which a young man does not possess; for experience is the fruit of years.
Aristotle recognized that experience is a necessary, though not a sufficient condition, for the acquisition of wisdom. Those who gain this most valued gift acquire it through years of reflective observation of life, human behavior, and personal introspection. Knowing oneself, the origins of one’s goals and ambitions as well as personal vulnerabilities and fears enables a person to understand the emotions of others. As the years turn into decades, those who travel through life with such a reflective habit of mind begin to see patterns in life, in human behavior and in those things that foster trust or create hostility.
Intelligence
The following definition of intelligence, given by psychologist Linda Gottfredson in 1997, has achieved wide consensus among members of the American Psychological Association (APA):
Intelligence is a very general mental capability that, among other things, involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly, and learn from experience. It is not merely book-learning, a narrow academic skill, or test-taking smarts. Rather, it reflects a broader and deeper capability for comprehending our surroundings, “catching on,” “making sense” of things, or “figuring out” what to do.
Intelligence is related to neural efficiency, and the ability of the brain to process information, see patterns, and formulate abstract concepts. Of the two concepts, intelligence and wisdom, the former is the more amenable to objective measurement. IQ tests provide the best measure of intelligence that we have, although they are accurate only within a restricted range of IQ’s and fail to measure all dimensions of mental acuity. For more information on IQ tests, visit: What are the best tests for measuring your IQ? – Intelligence and IQ
Wisdom
Wisdom is a more elusive concept. While the ancient Greeks used the term nous to describe the intelligence defined above, they recognized two kinds of wisdom, sophia and phronesis. Sophia is a subjective or transcendent wisdom manifesting as intuitional understanding, while phronesis is the practical wisdom involved in making prudent judgments. Both elude precise measurement because there is no consensus on exactly what is meant by wisdom–like beauty, we think we know it when we see it. To attempt a measure of wisdom, Robert Sternberg, Professor of Psychology at Cornell University has presented a triarchic model, presenting wisdom as consisting of 3 components:
• analytical intelligence, as manifest in the ability to complete problem-solving tasks, such as those used in traditional intelligence tests.
• synthetic intelligence, the ability to formulate a course of action to deal successfully with novel situations by drawing on existing knowledge and skills.
• Practical intelligence, the ability to adapt to everyday life by drawing on existing knowledge and skills to determine a course of action.
In this model, we observe that analytic and synthetic intelligence, i.e. g (measured as IQ) constitute only two of the three components of wisdom, so a high IQ may be a necessary, but not a sufficient condition for wisdom. In order for a Hi-Q person to have wisdom, she would need also to possess what Sternberg calls “practical intelligence.” While he suggests that it is an overarching cognitive capability like g, psychologists generally regard it as a learned domain-specific skill. As Russell Warne observes:
Indeed, the evidence is very scarce that there is any general cognitive ability besides g, though there are many other abilities in Stratum I and Stratum II in both the Cattell–Horn–Carroll (CHC ) and bifactor models [of intelligence].
So, for example, Ben Franklin was a Hi-Q person who applied his superior intellect to study human nature, thereby acquiring the ability to influence people. Paul Frampton, on the other hand, (see: What is an Example of a Hi-Q Person who is not Wise? – Intelligence and IQ ) applied his Hi-Q mainly to the study of physics, acquiring little understanding of people outside academe, and was therefore vulnerable to an internet scam.
While the triarchic definition is useful in viewing wisdom as high intelligence coupled with some acquired personal skills, the dependence of wisdom on acquiring knowledge means that it varies across domains. For example, Mahatma Ghandi, generally regarded as a wise man in his political battles against the British occupation of India, was a failure as a parent. Believing that character is more important than knowledge, he denied his children a formal education. He was wise in matters of state, but perhaps, not so in matters of parenting. Wisdom may be relative to a specific domain.
