Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom
- The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Foundations of Wisdom
- 1 Race to Samarra
- 2 Philosophical Foundations of Wisdom
- 3 Sociocultural Foundations of Wisdom
- 4 Neurobiology of Wisdom
- Part II Conceptions of Wisdom
- Part III Measures of Wisdom
- Part IV The Development of Wisdom
- Part V Cultural Perspectives on Wisdom
- Part VI Wisdom and Other Psychological Constructs
- Part VII Wisdom in Action
- Part VIII Conclusions
- Index
- References
3 - Sociocultural Foundations of Wisdom
from Part I - Foundations of Wisdom
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2019
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom
- The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Foundations of Wisdom
- 1 Race to Samarra
- 2 Philosophical Foundations of Wisdom
- 3 Sociocultural Foundations of Wisdom
- 4 Neurobiology of Wisdom
- Part II Conceptions of Wisdom
- Part III Measures of Wisdom
- Part IV The Development of Wisdom
- Part V Cultural Perspectives on Wisdom
- Part VI Wisdom and Other Psychological Constructs
- Part VII Wisdom in Action
- Part VIII Conclusions
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter interrogates the interplay between sociocultural circumstances and ideas/behavior in relation to wisdom. Understanding the wide variety of present-day approaches to wisdom demands, first, exploring the history of this interplay; contemporary versions of wisdom cannot be envisaged separately from their genesis and the sorts of struggle that gave rise to them. We therefore explore major types of wisdom in antiquity that fundamentally influenced subsequent cultures, and were in turn transformed by them. The second part of the chapter examines contemporary ethnographic and hermeneutic efforts to illuminate interrelations between wisdom and culture that display both affinities and contrasts with those just examined, for example wisdom in rural or non-Western settings, or in environmental debate. Interpretations of wisdom are prone to controversial tensions that develop through time and change in situ; not all are mutually compatible or even desirable, but many mirror human attempts to live meaningful and humane lives.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom , pp. 40 - 68Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019
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