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5 - Wisdom of the Crowd

Exploring People's Conceptions of Wisdom

from Part II - Conceptions of Wisdom

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2019

By
Nic M. Weststrate ,
Susan Bluck  and
Judith Glück
Edited by
Robert J. Sternberg  and
Judith Glück
Robert J. Sternberg
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Judith Glück
Affiliation:
Universität Klagenfurt, Austria
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Summary

This chapter reviews the current state of knowledge concerning people’s conceptions of wisdom, a rich line of scientific inquiry that describes how people (i.e., non-experts) define wisdom. First, we review three families of methodological approaches to studying people’s conceptions of wisdom. Second, we review the current state of knowledge about people’s conceptions, addressing four questions that researchers have asked: What is wisdom? Who is wise? When is wisdom expressed? And, finally, how does wisdom develop? Third, we discuss individual and cross-cultural differences in conceptions of wisdom. Throughout the chapter, we argue that the investigation of people’s conceptions of wisdom has positively influenced experts’ theorizing and will continue to drive innovative ways of thinking about wisdom and its development.
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Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom , pp. 97 - 121
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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