From Knowledge to Wisdom

Abstract

We have before us two rival kinds and conceptions of academic inquiry, which may be called knowledge-inquiry and wisdom-inquiry. The first of these is what we have inherited from the past. It is the outcome of the blunders of the 18th century Enlightenment. It still dominates academia today. The basic idea is that knowledge must first be acquired; once acquired, it can be applied to help solve social problems. Wisdom-inquiry emerges as a result of correcting the blunders of the traditional Enlightenment, built into knowledge-inquiry. Natural science would put aim-oriented empiricism into scientific practice. Social inquiry and the humanities would seek to help humanity put the generalized version of aim-oriented empiricism into almost every aspect of social life. The outcome of transforming academic inquiry, so that knowledge-inquiry is rejected and wisdom-inquiry is adopted and implemented instead, would be to change almost every branch and aspect of academia, and the way academia is related to the rest of society. A radical intellectual and institutional revolution would be involved. Academia would implement a new paradigm for rational inquiry. This chapter spells out twenty six changes to academia that need to be made for wisdom-inquiry to be put into academic practice.