Marilyn Darling commented on my statement that "Wisdom consists more of
compassion than of logic, and it's truly the hard part." She said:
>I think I understand what logic is, and am using it to try to stew about the
>meaning of this sentence. But I find that I really do not know what either
>wisdom or compassion are (in the same, observable way), and would be interested
>in what others think they are.
This is exactly what I was getting at (sorry, Marilyn, didn't mean to set
you up). My proposition is not a logical one. It rests on an intuitive
way of knowing that is very different from logic. If we base our
understanding on what's outwardly observable, we are limited in what we
see. What is inwardly observable is equally valid, perhaps more so. And
that, I think, is where wisdom comes from, the inward reality that informs
our judgments about the world.
I think of wisdom as knowing what is best in a given situation, the kind
of knowing that comes from an inner sense of how the many phenomena and
actors within a situation relate to each other. It is inherently
intuitive, and that's the realm of compassion, not logic. I don't mean to
set up compassion and logic as opposites, because they work together. But
they do use different mental resources and they work in very different
ways.
Marilyn continued with the following proposition:
"Data in context = Information
Information in context = Knowledge
Knowledge in context = Wisdom"
And she asks: If "a thing is made meaningful by understanding the context
in which it resides ... what does this suggest about what compassion is?"
I applaud Marilyn's intellect; this is a brilliant question. I'm only a
neophyte epistemologist, so I can offer only a beginner's response. I'd
suggest that the context of wisdom is a well-rounded understanding of
human nature and how the world works (perhaps that's why only old people,
and some very young people who see clearly the essence of things, are
thought to be wise). I think of compassion as a deep sympathy or sense of
oneness with others (the German "Mitgefuehl" is the best term I can think
of to express this).
David E. Birren | To know, and not to act,
Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources | is to not know.
Bureau of Management & Budget |
Phone: (608)267-2442 | --Wang Yang Ming
Fax: (608)267-3579 | 9th-cent. Chinese general
Internet: birred@dnr.state.wi.us | Chinese general