In Memory and Dedication

Copthorne Macdonald, creator and director of The Wisdom Page, passed away in the winter of 2011. Cop was a dear friend and inspiring and supportive colleague. He possessed a deep understanding of both science and philosophy, as well as a personal presence and character that embodied the quality of wisdom. Indeed, Cop devoted the last couple decades of his life to the study of wisdom and the ongoing development of The Wisdom Page - the premier website for readings and other educational resources on wisdom.

When Cop passed away, the members of The Wisdom Page advisory board unanimously decided that his website, as well as his monthly newsletter The Wisdom Page Updates, needed to continue. The positive spirit and constructive momentum of his work was too important and valuable to be allowed to fade into oblivion. Hence, after some discussion, which included the involvement and support of Cop’s wife, Beverly, I volunteered to assume responsibility for The Wisdom Page and Wisdom Page Updates.

In the spirit of Cop’s practice of including philosophically and culturally diverse writings and perspectives on wisdom, each month we will identify and briefly review in the Updates new writings and resources on wisdom, which will be linked into the full documents or files on The Wisdom Page. If you are interested in submitting an essay or other item, for review and potential inclusion in the The Wisdom Page, you are welcome to do so.

It is the desire of the advisory board to continue to grow and develop the website, to spread the word regarding this invaluable resource, and to advocate for the centrality of wisdom in realizing the good life for all of us. In fact, as members of the advisory board, we all believe that the pursuit and development of wisdom is key to a positive future for humanity. Cop, indeed, wrote extensively on the critical importance of wisdom for our future.

Acknowledging the vast repository of knowledge of our past, the inspiration and lessons of those who thought about and pondered the ideal of wisdom—“standing on the shoulders of giants”—we will continue and expand upon the work of Copthorne Macdonald.

Tom Lombardo
Director of The Wisdom Page

Advisory Board

Anne Adams
Bruce Lloyd
Nicolas Maxwell
Walter Moss
Alan Nordstrom
Rick Trowbridge

The Wisdom Page is a website dedicated to helping us better understand wisdom — that vitally important but poorly understood pinnacle of human functioning.

What is wisdom?           How can it be developed?

There are no short answers to those questions, but there are answers. Wisdom is multi-faceted. For milennia, students of wisdom and writers about it have associated wisdom with a number of positive human characteristics. Among them are the 48 that are displayed, one-by-one, over the "world at night" image above.

Since 1995 The Wisdom Page has been connecting wisdom-interested people with a wide range of wisdom-related resources. Over the years the website has expanded in content and grown in popularity. Now, each month, it delivers more than 30,000 documents, podcasts, and videos to visitors from more than 140 countries.

The Wisdom Page team includes writers, teachers, wisdom researchers, and people from all walks of life who see wisdom as central to personal and societal well being. I hope you enjoy your visit, and if you have comments, suggestions or questions you'd like to share with us — or would like to receive a monthly email update about additions to the website — click here.

VIDEOS: 2011 AEPL (Expanded Perspectives on Learning) conference

Using The Wisdom Page For Personal Study

What Can You and I Do to Create a Heaven on Earth?

Including the new introductory video: WISDOM and THE WISDOM PAGE

here or at iTunes

wisdom-related videos

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Many published books shed light on the nature and development of wisdom. Click the menu item Wisdom Books & Reviews to see what we have posted. And once there, please add your own book suggestions, comments, and reviews.

We are also interested in Wisdom-Related Blogs. If you know of likely candidates for inclusion please email us at info@wisdompage.com.

Copthorne Macdonald's books in eBook format    Download free, screen-readable, eBook editions of Matters of Consequence (concerning personal and societal wisdom in the 21st century), Getting a Life (about practical, everyday-life wisdom), and Toward Wisdom (concerning big-picture, existential wisdom).

Jason Merchey's "Life of Value" paper-and-ink books   Pay the cost of shipping, and copies of the hardcover Building a Life of Value and paperback Living a Life of Value are yours. Values are the keystones of a meaningful life. These books present great thinking by classical and contemporary writers, and offer a rich variety of ideas on the subject.

MIND FLIGHT: A Journey into the Future is an exciting, insightful, and wide-ranging personal quest book by Thomas Lombardo and Jeanne Belisle Lombardo. Read the first few chapters here.

What are the most effective ways to develop wisdom? What practices work? Which ones are a waste of time? What attitudes, ways of being, and ways of seeing are important to cultivate? And how do we go about doing that? Please share your experience with the rest of us.

Bruce Lloyd wants your thoughts on a "Wise Society Index" He'd like to know "what could go into such an index? What could we try to measure? And how could it actually be measured?" Please share your thoughts and ideas.