WISDOM PAGE INTERACTIVE — Your invitation to get involved

WISDOM 101 is a free online course in practical wisdom. It is the outgrowth of a classroom course given at Rollins College by Professor Alan Nordstrom, and uses short chapters from Cop Macdonald's book GETTING A LIFE to stir thinking about many common life situations.

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.

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Interested in what Barack Obama has to say on this subject?      Al Gore?       Tony Blair?      Marianne Williamson?      Thomas Friedman?      Daniel Goleman?      Nicholas Kristof?      And 94 other people?      Find out more about the book, the issue, and the power inherent in this universal idea by clicking the link below: What Can You and I Do to Create a Heaven on Earth?

CONTENTS      (Click to go directly to the indicated section of The Wisdom Page)

GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH WISDOM    Why care about wisdom?     What is wisdom?     Words of wisdom    Wisdom-literature bibliographies    Wisdom Books & Reviews      Wisdom-related poetry
WISDOM-RELATED SIGHT AND SOUND MEDIA
THE STRUCTURE OF WISDOM     The varieties of wisdom    Wise perspectives    Wise values    The integration of truth and the integral vision
PROFILES OF WISDOM     Wisdom Portraits of Well-Known 20th Century Figures     Portraits of Pre-Modern Wisdom    Profiles of Other Wise People
WISDOM AND HUMANITY'S FUTURE  
WISDOM RESEARCH     Links to materials of individual wisdom researchers
COLLECTIVE WISDOM
EDUCATION FOR WISDOM  
RESOURCES FOR WISDOM DEVELOPMENT     Defining the task—constructing a wisdom-based life    The meditation tool    Other practices and tools    Other wisdom-related resources
WISDOM-RELATED ISSUES      Transforming academia from knowledge-inquiry to wisdom inquiry      Spirituality and wisdom in business
WISDOM IN ACTION     Socio-Cultural Wisdom    World Wisdom Alliance    Activist organizations    Dialogue instead of debate
PERSONAL QUESTS FOR WISDOM  
WISDOM BOOKS & REVIEWS
WISDOM-RELEVANT BLOGS
FORUMS AND COURSES

GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH WISDOM

WHY CARE ABOUT WISDOM?
GOALS, VALUES AND WISDOM: Unsolicited Advice to Young College Students This superb essay by noted historian Walter G. Moss makes the case for early-in-life acquisition of wisdom. The alternative, as he makes clear, is very likely to be a wasted life. Must reading for young college students — and the rest of us. (Also available in DOC and PDF formats.)
Whatever Happened to Wisdom? by Jerry Ortiz y Pino. Excerpts from one of his columns in the Santa Fe Reporter.
Robert Kennedy's Call for Wisdom. Robert F. Kennedy's speech in Indianapolis, April 4, 1968, on the death of Martin Luther King.
The Wisdom Imperative by Alan Nordstrom. What will save us from our vices, follies, and ineptitudes? Nordstrom discusses the Wisdom Imperative.

WHAT IS WISDOM? — SOME ESSAYS, ARTICLES, AND TALKS ON THE SUBJECT

SOPPHIA — The 7 Dimensions of Wisdom Bernard Brookes's "SOPPHIA model organizes the plethora of competencies into 7 Dimensions of Wisdom, and provides a framework that facilitates coaching and self-development efforts."
Islamic Wisdom is a website that presents an Islamic perspective on wisdom. "Our aim is to present the fundamentals of Islamic ideology from the perspectives of philosophy, reason and wisdom."
48 Characteristics Associated with Wisdom is a list of Forty-eight positive human characteristics that have been associated with wisdom.
About Wisdom is Rana Ehtisham Rabbani's succinct answer to the "What is wisdom?" question. He elaborates his view at his website, www.humanityworld.com.
Obama, Passion and Wisdom is Walter Moss's preferred title for this essay that explores what wisdom is in the context of politics.
Wisdom, Golf, and Obama (Word format) (or PDF)   Golf and wisdom miles apart? In this short, fun essay Walter Moss makes the connection.
Overview of Prior Research on Wisdom is a brief but informative excerpt from an article by University of Virginia professor David Mick.
Barry Schwartz Video on Practical Wisdom This inspiring 20-minute MP4 talk by Barry Schwartz was presented at the 2009 TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference in Long Beach, California.
WISDOM: The Highest Aim of Life and Higher Education   A text (with slides) rendering of Copthorne Macdonald's “Thomas P. Johnson Distinguished Visiting Scholar” address at Rollins College April 5, 2006.
A Video of the Above Address in Flash format   Also available in WMV (Windows Media Player) format.
Wisdom and Wilderness by Joseph W. Meeker. An excellent article by Dr. Meeker on wisdom and its relationship to wilderness.
Definitions of Wisdom is a section of Richard Trowbridge's Wisdom-Centered Life website that presents many perspectives on the nature of wisdom.
The "Understanding Wisdom" issue of Vimukt Shiksha, a publication of India-based Shikshantar, an organization dedicated to transforming existing models of education and development.
Wisdom: A First Approximation by Don Cochrane. University of Saskatchewan professor Don Cochrane's views on the subject.
What is Wisdom? by Alan Nordstrom. In this short but moving essay, Professor Nordstrom tells us that Wisdom is our Way Out from Folly.
Monika Ardelt's Model of Wisdom An overview of this prominent wisdom researcher's view of wisdom as an integration of congnitive, reflective, and affective personality characteristics.
Playing the Wisdom Game by Copthorne Macdonald. An essay that appears in the 2006 book Living a Life of Value.
Introduction to Getting a Life by Copthorne Macdonald. Comments on the nature of Practical Wisdom, as Aristotle called it.
Chapter 1 of Toward Wisdom by Copthorne Macdonald. More about the nature of wisdom; here primarily Aristotle's other variety of wisdom: Existential/Metaphysical Wisdom.
Sophology: The Study of Wisdom, an essay on the nature and development of wisdom by Glenn Shipley, is part of his sophology.org website.
The Dance of Polarization by Andrew Bard Schmookler. In this essay Schmookler deals with the polarization-integrating aspect of wisdom.

What is Wisdom? asks Douglas Reay.  He presents his own and other's thoughts on the subject.

WORDS OF WISDOM — COMPILATIONS OF WISE SAYINGS

The Wisdom of The World is a database of 5000+ quotations compiled by Dr. Bruce Lloyd, Emeritus Professor of Strategic Management, London South Bank University.
    Introduction        Authors:   A to D        E to J        K to O        P to Z

Inspirational Quotes and Words of Wisdom is a database of 18,000 quotations compiled by Jason Merchey, and made available on his Values of the Wise Web site.
Wisdomology: People Share Wisdom has its database of wise sayings, but it is more than that. It is a site where visitors are invited to "Share your own insights with the world. Your thoughts, hopes, inspirations, meditations."
Wisdom Quotes is Jone Johnson Lewis's compilation of challenging, inspiring, and interesting quotes — organized by topic, and searchable as well.
Words of Wisdom 4 U is an eclectic mix of quotations: proverbs, inspirational thoughts, and more.

WISDOM–LITERATURE BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Chronology of Wisdom Literature in the West is a perfect resource for anyone interested in exploring the history of the concept of wisdom. It's part of Richard Trowbridge's Wisdom-Centered Life website.
Working Bibliography of wisdom resources prepared by Richard Trowbridge. Contains references to more than 800 works, some available on the Internet.
Wisdom links and resources includes the bibliography associated with the doctoral dissertation of Elle Allison.
Annotated Bibliography from Toward Wisdom by Copthorne Macdonald. These contemporary books deal with important aspects of wisdom without necessarily using the term wisdom.
A detailed bibliography appears in the Covey/Merrill/Merrill First Things First (New York: Simon & Schuster Fireside, 1995, ISBN 0-684-80203-1)

WISDOM BOOKS & REVIEWS 
Click here to go to the Books & Reviews section of the site
The Traditional Wisdom Literature Cultures around the world have valued wisdom,
and through their literatures have tried to help people develop it.
Contemporary Books Today's authors present their views on wisdom and wise living.

WISDOM-RELATED POETRY 
The Real Story is a poem by educator Stephanie Pace Marshall about rediscovering wonder and the story of the life we were meant to live. A CD of Marshall reading the poem and a song that arose from it is also available.  
Sophics: Discursive Verses on Wisdom. Insightful poems by Alan Nordstrom, in which he shares his views on wisdom and his concerns about humanity's relationship to it.    (In MS Word format)

WISDOM-RELATED SIGHT AND SOUND MEDIA

WISDOM and THE WISDOM PAGE An introductory video that deal with both wisdom and The Wisdom Page.
A Guided Mindfulness Meditation This very helpful tool for starting a meditation practice is available as both a downloadable MP3 file and a click-to-start streaming audio presentation.
Jason Merchey's Internet-Radio Wisdom Interviews The whole archive of program episodes is now available, as well as streaming MP3 audio of Jason's interviews of Wes Nisker, Cop Macdonald, Alan Nordstrom, Richard Trowbridge, and Nicholas Maxwell.
THE WISDOM PAGE PODCAST presents selected Wisdom Page materials in audio format, and is now available both here and in the Society & Culture Podcasts section of the iTunes Store.
Copthorne Macdonald Talks and Programs. Streaming audio and audio-with-slides presentations using RealPlayer and Windows Media Player software. (They work well with a dialup connection.)
The Wisdom Speakers project headed by videographer Gilles Gagnon "captures messages from extraordinary 'ordinary' people and spreads their wealth of knowledge in the form of short videos." Worth viewing!
Living Dialogues with Duncan Campbell is where you can find podcasts of a great many of Duncan Campbell's audio and video interviews with leaders in the movement toward wisdom and world betterment.
Audio Podcast: Paul Ray — Co-Creating a New Wisdom Culture In this Living Dialogues episode, Duncan Campbell and Paul Ray discuss Paul's thoughts about creating.a wise, caring, global culture.
Barry Schwartz Video on Practical Wisdom This inspiring 20-minute MP4 talk by Barry Schwartz was presented at the 2009 TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference in Long Beach, California.
Center for Spirituality and Health at the University of Florida makes available on their web site (in WMV streaming video) talks by highly respected speakers.
Jason Merchey's Internet-Radio Wisdom Interviews Listen to streaming MP3 audio of Jason's interviews of Wes Nisker, Cop Macdonald, Alan Nordstrom, Richard Trowbridge, and Nicholas Maxwell.
Free Audio and Video Lectures and Other Learning Resources are now available from an increasing number of prestigious universities and other organizations..
New Dimensions Media presents thought-provoking audio programming on tapes, CDs, Public Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio, and podcasts.
Ideas "is a program about contemporary thought" aired weekday evenings on the Canadian Broadcasting Company radio network and streaming audio on the Internet via Windows Media Player.
Knowledge Products produces educational books-on-tape (and CD) in a wide range of "serious" subject areas such as philosophy, economics, political thought, comparative religion, etc.

THE STRUCTURE OF WISDOM

THE VARIETIES OF WISDOM
Overview of the Varieties of Wisdom   Copthorne Macdonald discusses Personal Wisdom (the Practical, Existential/Metaphysical, and Activist varieties) and Socio-Cultural Wisdom.
A Wisdom-Based Culture. This look at the possibility of creating a wisdom-based, wisdom-fostering society is discussed in this excerpt from Chapter 13 of Copthorne Macdonald's book Toward Wisdom.

WISE PERSPECTIVES
Overview of Perspectives — some wise perspectives or "wise ways of seeing" with comments by Copthorne Macdonald.
The System Perspective
A Brief Introduction to the System Perspective by Copthorne Macdonald includes information about two important books that deal with systems and the system perspective.
A Review of Cliff Havener's book MEANING by Copthorne Macdonald. Learn more about this highly illuminating book that focuses on the life-cycle of societal systems.
Internet Resources Related to Systems. This is a list of links to Internet sites involved with systems — some with systems per se, others with socio-cultural systems.
Systems Thinking. Papers and links related to systems thinking.

The Evolutionary Perspective
The Great Story. "The 14 billion year epic of Cosmos, life, and humanity told as a sacred story, glorifying all."

WISE VALUES
The Role of Values in Wisdom by Copthorne Macdonald. A discussion of values in the human decision-making process, and the sort of values required for wise decisions.
Lists of Wise Values. This is a compilation of several lists of values that their originators have considered superior in some sense, and likely to be operational in the lives of wise people.
Jason Merchey's "Values of the Wise". In his personal quest to understand wisdom, Jason Merchey has focused on the presence of certain "values of the wise" in the lives of wise people.
CHARACTER COUNTS! is a value-based approach to character education from the Josephson Institute based on a set of six basic values or "pillars of character": trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
The Virtues Project considers the human virtues to be the highest aspiration for humanity and has established a program to help children acquire them.

THE INTEGRATION OF TRUTH, AND THE INTEGRAL VISION
The Integral Vision, a brief introduction by Copthorne Macdonald concerning the movement to integrate morals, science, and art;  the WE, the IT, and the I;  and the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.
Deep Understanding: Wisdom for an Integral Age by Copthorne Macdonald. An essay that first appeared in the journal Integralis and was re-published in The Journal of Conscious Evolution. 
Heiner Benking has long focused on the integration of truth — on creating "a common framework for understanding" in which disparate perspectives and models can be brought together.
Ikosmos.com's "mission is to help you define [the integral worldview] and share it in a highly interactive community, through an online union of souls."
Integral Institute was founded by Ken Wilber and a group of other Integral theorists to come up with comprehensive, systematic, encompassing—and integral approaches to the world's problems.
Creating an Integral Culture by Copthorne Macdonald addresses this issue in the context of the "cultural creatives" study by Paul H. Ray and a related international study.

PROFILES OF WISDOM

Why Profiles of Wisdom?   The best way to get a handle on wisdom — what it is, and how it is developed — may well be to examine the life stories of wise people. 

WISDOM PORTRAITS OF WELL-KNOW 20TH CENTURY FIGURES

Portraits of Modern Wisdom: An Introduction (Word format) (or PDF)   Historian Walter Moss describes the need for this project, and extends an invitation to those who might want to contribute an essay. 
The Wisdom of Carl and Paula Sandburg (Word format) (or PDF)   The book's first essay, by Walter Moss, is a wisdom-focused portrait of renowned poet and Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg and his wife Paula.

The Wisdom of Andrei Sakharov (Word format) (or PDF)   Here, Walter Moss reviews the life and developing wisdom of this Russian physicist — winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and champion of freedom and human rights.

PORTRAITS OF PRE-MODERN WISDOM
Shakespeare's Take on Human Wisdom (Word format) (or PDF)   This essay by Alan Nordstrom looks at what we can learn from Shakespeare's plays about his take on wisdom. 

PROFILES OF OTHER WISE PEOPLE
An Invitation to Contribute the Story of Some Wise Person You Have Known   The person needn't be famous, just wise. Just tell their story in text, audio, or video format, and have it posted here. 
Howard McClusky: A Wise and Good Man   Deeply impressed by this man, Walter G. Moss tells us about McClusky's positive outlook on life, his concern with helping young people, his modesty, and more. (doc file)
My Friend Alice Burkhardt   Cop Macdonald presents a profile of this remarkable woman — a story that first appeared in his book Getting a Life. 

WISDOM AND HUMANITY'S FUTURE

Reframing Global Initiatives for the Future: in light of past experiments As a glance at the overview of Anthony Judge's background makes clear, there is perhaps no one on earth who has a more comprehensive understanding of efforts made during the past 40 years to create a better world than him. In Reframing Global Initiatives... Judge draws our attention to a multitude of failure traps, and points to successful strategies. Must reading for anyone working to create a more positive future.
An Index of Wisdom? Some thoughts on the subject by David Paterson in response to Bruce Lloyd's call for comments on a "Wise Society Index."
Science, Wisdom, and the Future: Humanity's Quest for a Flourishing Earth is a conference to be held June 24 thru June 28, 2009 in San Luis Obispo, California. Click the link for more information.
H. Sapiens Digital: From Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives to Digital Wisdom   Marc Prensky examines ways in which digital technologies could facilitate the development of wisdom and wise decison making.
Articles on Consciousness/Evolution/Future by John E. Rensch, Riane Eisler, Peter Russell, Ervin Laszlo, Rupert Sheldrake, Charles Tart, Stanislov Grof and others in SpandaNews, Issue 4/2008, PDF format.
FutureShapers Monthly is a free newsletter from John E. Renesch dedicated to "Bridging Wisdom & Practice for a Better Tomorrow." 
Power, Responsibility & Wisdom  In this essay Bruce Lloyd explores "the issues at the core of Ethical Decision-Making and Leadership."  
Bruce Lloyd wants your thoughts on a "Wise Society Index"    Suggested in the article above, 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?"
A New Guiding Light for Democratic Education?   Bruce Novak discusses aspects of Karl Jaspers' thought that are "relevant to the re-awakening of humanity in the contemporary world."
Review of AN AGE OF PROGRESS?: Clashing Twentieth-Century Global Forces    Copthorne Macdonald reviews Walter G. Moss's new (2008) book..
Moss on Wisdom This excerpt from Walter Moss's book AN AGE OF PROGRESS? discusses the issues of wisdom, prudence, and morality in the twentieth century.
Obama, McCain, Bush, Age, Experience, and Wisdom by historian Walter Moss brings a wisdom perspective to issue of presidential leadership.
Creating Heaven on Earth is a way of conceptualizing the task that humanity faces in transforming the present world situation. Check out some thought-provoking materials on this subject.
The Centrality of Wisdom is an essay by Copthorne Macdonald submitted for inclusion in the forthcoming book How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth.
Anthony Judge on attaining species maturity   This essay, "Self-reflective Embodiment of Transdisciplinary Integration (SETI): the universal criterion of species maturity?" asks us to step back and look.
Anthony Judge on overpopulation and its denial   This essay, "Institutionalized Shunning of Overpopulation Challenge," highlights this core issue and the general problem of question avoidance in contemporary society.
The Evolution and Future Direction of Marriage  What is wisdom in the context of marriage? Tom and Jeanne Lombardo explore the history, issues, and future possibilities of marriage, and present their vision of the preferable marriage of the future. (.doc file)
The Corporate State   Sometimes the best way to get a handle on some aspect of societal wisdom is to take a close look at its opposite. That is what Chris Lucas does in this penetrating essay.
Metanexus Institute on Religion, Science, and the Humanities promotes "the constructive engagement of science, religion and the humanities in the communal pursuit of wisdom in order to address humanity’s most profound questions and challenges."
Values, Wisdom, and Action is an article by Copthorne Macdonald in the World Wisdom Rising (Fall/Winter 2007) issue of the journal Kosmos: An integral Approach to Global Awakening. (Also available in PDF format.)
Wisdom and Humanity's Transformational Dilemma. Some comments by Copthorne Macdonald on Anthony Judge's insightful essay: "Imagining the Real Challenge."
The Janus Project. A proposal by Chris Thomson to create an institute that would bring together personal development, exploration of the "deep causes" of humanity's problems, visioning a future that works for all, and action to help realize that vision.
The Solidarity, Sustainability, and Non-Violence (SSNV) Newsletter, edited by Luis Gutierrez, "is a monthly digest of research on the most critical issues at the intersection of technology, religion, and society."
Institute for the Emerging Wisdom Culture, headed by Dr. Paul H. Ray and associated with Wisdom University, will "formulate and work toward implementing a positive vision of the emerging wisdom culture."
A Transformative Wisdom presents Debashis Chowdhury's thesis that for humanity to deal effectively with the challenges and opportunities we face, a "higher," more comprehensive, "transformative" wisdom is needed.
In Our Own Image, a thought-provoking book by Debashis Chowdhury, is reviewed here by Copthorne Macdonald who considers it a valuable read for those interested in personal/societal wisdom development.
Our Work in Life   Alan Nordstrom addresses the "selfish and egotistical story that predominates in the postmodern society," and has us consider a much more positive one. 
Spiritual Wealth is an essay by Chris Thomson that examines modernity's "relentless pursuit of money and things," the "spiritual poverty" that goes with that, and the possibility of replacing them with spiritual wealth. 
Ecological Economics is a textbook (online, full text) by noted economist and UN advisor Herman E. Daly and Joshua Farley that expands traditional economic theory into the kind of economics the world needs. 
Laetus in Praesens   If you are serious about wanting to create a wiser and more functional global society, immerse yourself in the information- and idea-rich world of Anthony Judge. 
Wisdom and the Second Enlightenment is an article by Thomas Lombardo from the June 2007 issue of the World Futures Study Federation publication, Futures Bulletin.
The Evolution of Future Consciousness and Contemporary Futurist Thought These two new books by Thomas Lombardo paint an amazingly comprehensive picture of humanity's relationship to the future. 
The Pursuit of Wisdom and the Future of Education  is a thought-provoking article by Tom Lombardo that appeared in the 2006 World Future Society anthology: Creating Global Strategies for Humanity's Future. See also his Center for Future Consciousness Web site. (The article is in MS Word format.)
Wisdom, Knowledge Management & Leadership is a paper that Bruce Lloyd presented at the October 2006 "Business as an Agent of World Benefit" conference. 
Energy Conservation as Wisdom in Action The Government of Prince Edward Island Canada commissions 37 take-action articles on a wide range of energy conservation topics.. 
The Human Problem, Solved at Last is a powerful and uplifting essay by Alan Nordstrom on the challenges of the 21st century, and the potential for turning things around and creating a wiser world. 
A Story to Live By   In this essay Alan Nordstrom focuses on our role as creative contributors to the "universal creative process," and the moral imperative implicit in that. 
Wisdom & Leadership: Linking the Past, Present & Future is an illuminating talk that deals with key issues. To be presented to the World Future Society in July 2006 by Bruce Lloyd, a Professor of Strategic Management.
Resonances between Challenging Psychosocial Change Initiatives How can positive-change initiatives be successful, and relate in positive ways to other initiatives? Anthony Judge explores the many considerations.

WISDOM RESEARCH

Overview of Prior Research on Wisdom is a brief but informative excerpt from an article by University of Virginia professor David Mick.

(PDF)
Wisdom-Guided Business Management is a research focus of David Rooney, Senior Lecturer in the UQ Business School at the University of Queensland.

Wisdom Research Network "is an international networking utility that enables scholars and scientists from all academic disciplines to exchange ideas and engage in richer conversations through online discussion forums."

Would The Wisdom Page be Useful in Your Research? Exploring the potential of the Internet and Wisdom Page for recruiting and communicating with research subjects.

The Scientific Approach to Wisdom, a doctoral dissertation by Richard Trowbridge. This is the complete dissertation in Microsoft Word format — a comprehensive review of the scholarly research on wisdom from 1980 to 2005, and a useful overview of the history of wisdom.

Education: From Conception to Graduation – A Systematic Integral Approach, a doctoral dissertation by Anne Adams concerning education for wisdom — integral education — education that purposefully develops and integrates the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual intelligences.
Empirical Research on Wisdom is a section of Richard Trowbridge's Wisdom-Centered Life website in which he presents a concise summary of the scholarly research on wisdom since 1980.
University of Chicago's "Defining Wisdom" Project  is "a $2 million research program on the nature and benefits of Wisdom." Up to 20 research grants will be awarded to scholars from around the world.
Some Online Articles and Academic Papers Related to Wisdom. An eclectic assortment of articles and papers just a click away. 
Chronology of Wisdom Literature in the West is a perfect resource for anyone interested in exploring the history of the concept of wisdom. It's part of Richard Trowbridge's Wisdom-Centered Life website.
Working Bibliography of wisdom resources prepared by Richard Trowbridge. Contains references to more than 800 works, some available on the Internet.
Wisdom links and resources includes the bibliography associated with the doctoral dissertation of Elle Allison.
Learning Across the Campus: How College Facilitates the Development of Wisdom  A paper by Scott C. Brown that explores this important issue. (In Acrobat .pdf format.)
The Wisdom Development Scale: Translating the Conceptual to the Concrete  Here, Scott C. Brown and Jeffrey A. Greene detail their efforts to develop a valid and reliable Wisdom Development Scale — a scale to measure the wisdom construct described in Scott Brown's paper above. (In Acrobat .pdf format.)

LINKS TO MATERIALS OF INDIVIDUAL WISDOM RESEARCHERS
Clicking on one of the names below will take you to information about that researcher, and links to relevant documents. In the future, more names will be added.
Anne Adams      Monika Ardelt      Paul B. Baltes      Caroline Bassett      Susan Bluck      Alan Briskin     
Scott C. Brown      Robert Kenny      Jason Merchey     David Mick    Monisha Pasupathi      George Por     
David Rooney      Ursula M. Staudinger      Robert J. Sternberg      Masami Takahashi    
Richard H. Trowbridge    

COLLECTIVE WISDOM

EDUCATION FOR WISDOM

RESOURCES FOR WISDOM DEVELOPMENT

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.

DEFINING THE TASK — CONSTRUCTING A WISDOM-BASED LIFE

How to Train the Aging Brain This NY Times article by Barbara Strauch has implications for, and presents insights into, the process of wisdom development. A thought-stirring article.
SOPPHIA — The 7 Dimensions of Wisdom Bernard Brookes's "SOPPHIA model organizes the plethora of competencies into 7 Dimensions of Wisdom, and provides a framework that facilitates coaching and self-development efforts."
The 48 Ways to Wisdom. In these 48+ essays, Rabbi Noel Weinberg presents deeply insightful advice for those who are serious about developing wisdom..
Way #10, Honor the Wise Person. Rabbi Weinberg says, "An apprentice gains firsthand knowledge by watching how an expert works. So too with wisdom. Don't read about it in a book; find yourself an expert."
Review of Charles Halpern's book Making Waves and Riding the Currents. Subtitled Activism and the Practice of Wisdom, this remarkable book about a remarkable life is reviewed here by Copthorne Macdonald.
The Wisdom-Centered Life website. Richard Trowbridge's new website is a rich trove of wisdom resources. Check out the Cultivating Wisdom section.
Principles for the Wisdom-Centered Life by Richard Hawley Trowbridge. This helpful set of principles or maxims are one part of Richard's "Wisdom as Skill" course. (MS Word format.)
MAGIC Wisdom Guidelines is Tom Fox's tightly focused "crash course" in wisdom, presented in his 2007 Commencement Address at Saint Peter's College.
Some Thoughts on Developing Wisdom by Copthorne Macdonald. An overview of nine wisdom-fostering tools and activities.
Flaws In Human Mentality A few thoughts on the subject by Copthorne Macdonald.
Personal and Societal Wisdom: Some thoughts on their nature and development   A text-with-slides transcript of Cop's 2006 talk at Orlando's University Unitarian Universalist Society.

THE MEDITATION TOOL

A Guided Mindfulness Meditation This very helpful tool for starting a meditation practice is available as both a downloadable MP3 file and a click-to-start streaming audio presentation.
Stroke of Insight. Harvard brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor's insights about the brain, unconditional happiness, and the way to find it. 
The Importance of Meditation. Thoughts on this subject excerpted from Copthorne Macdonald's book Matters of Consequence. 
Resources for Developing the Self-Knowledge / Intuitive Aspect of Wisdom. A compilation of relevant books, meditation resources, links to online resources, and guided-meditation CDs.
About Open Focus™. Comments on this technique for developing wide-angle, open-to-everything attentiveness from Copthorne Macdonald's book Toward Wisdom, plus info on the currently available CDs.
Review of The Open-Focus Brain by Les Femhi and Jim Robbins. Reviewer Copthorne Macdonald feels that this 2007 book and the CD that comes with it provide a powerful introduction to attentiveness practice.
Seeing the Unity: Identifying with Being. This discussion of relevant practices is from Chapter 9 of Copthorne Macdonald's book Toward Wisdom.

OTHER PRACTICES AND TOOLS
WISDOM 101 is a free online course in practical wisdom. It is the outgrowth of a classroom course given at Rollins College by Professor Alan Nordstrom, and uses short chapters from Cop Macdonald's book GETTING A LIFE to stir thinking about many common life situations.
Wisdom Therapy as offered by the Wisdom Therapy Institute involves an integrated program of "Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness Meditation, and the active cultivation of Humility."
Nonduality.com is a rich compendium of resources to help us comprehend oneness, not-two — the nondual nature of reality.
www.kabbalah.info Available free on this site are video Kabbalah lessons, authentic Kabbalah texts, books for download, introductory lessons and courses, and feature and documentary films on Kabbalah.
EARTH VISION has a spiritual ecology theme and is "dedicated to raising awareness about the depth of the human-nature interweave," "the spirit of wilderness," and "reverence for the natrural world."
Gratefulness Practices. From gratefulness.org, practice sessions to "deepen your understanding of gratefulness and, better yet, send it out in ripples, transforming our world." 
Nurturing the Now, "a path to nonduality," is Vicki Woodyard's web site. She focuses on Self-realization and transcending adversity in her writing.  

OTHER WISDOM-RELATED RESOURCES
Wikipedia article: Wisdom This is the Wikipedia Encyclopedia article about wisdom.

Wikipedia article: The Wisdom Page This is the Wikipedia Encyclopedia article about this website, The Wisdom Page

The Wisdom Commons "is an interactive website that seeks to elevate our shared moral core, sometimes called universal ethics. It is a place to find and discuss information about virtues..."

The Wisdom Institute "supports the development of wisdom in people, organizations, and communities..." Of special interest is their Wisdom Resources section and Caroline Bassett's insightful model of wisdom. 
Wisdom Project Resources is a page of links to a wide range of wisdom resources compiled by Chad Osborne and OZ Associates. 
WisdomOut is the web site (and forthcoming book) of Elle Allison. The focus is on "contemporary wisdom strategies for transforming adversity into positive growth." 
Wisdom University offers a Masters level programs in "Wisdom Spirituality" and "Indigenous Mind" as well as a Doctor of Ministry program. In 2008 they will also offer a PhD program in "Wisdom Studies." 
The School of Wisdom was founded in 1920 by Count Hermann Keyserling, and continues today largely via the Internet. Its emphasis "is on current, pragmatic methods and procedures by which each person can create their own answers to the great questions of life." 
The Wisdom Society focuses on practical wisdom and aims "to debate in print, all controversial ideas with the objective of finding where reasoned opinion lies."  
The Wisdom Conservancy describes itself as "a private nonprofit organization established for the study of wisdom and community.
The Philopsychy Society promotes "soul-loving in a variety of forms, both in theory and in prectice, through the agency of the written word."
Fernando Senior's "Capturing your Life Wisdom" Workshops are attempting to help people share their life wisdom in some way that makes sense to them.
Elder Wisdom Circle is a vehicle for "empathetic seniors" over age 60 to provide "practical advice and guidance" to advice-seeking younger people.

WISDOM-RELATED ISSUES

TRANSFORMING ACADEMIA FROM KNOWLEDGE-INQUIRY TO WISDOM-INQUIRY

Are Universities Undergoing an Intellectual Revolution? In this article for the Oxford Magazine, Nicholas Maxwell tells us about a number of recent "steps toward wisdom-inquiry" in British universities. (doc format)
Science and the Pursuit of Wisdom: Studies in the Philosophy of Nicholas Maxwell. Information about this 2009 book — a tribute to, and commentary on, the work of Nicholas Maxwell, edited by Leemon McHenry.
CBC IDEAS Interview with Nicholas Maxwell. IDEAS, Canada's premier radio program of contemporary thought, presents this 54 minute interview as part of its "How to Think About Science" series. (RealAudio format)
Radio Interview with Nicholas Maxwell. The "Weekly Signals" program on California radio station KUCI interviews Maxwell about his book From Knowledge to Wisdom. See writeup that accompanies the interview. 
Wisdom, Nicholas Maxwell, and the Academic Enterprise. A short introduction by Copthorne Macdonald to the issue of wisdom acquisition as an academic focus, and the work of British scholar Nicholas Maxwell. 
Review of Nicholas Maxwell's book From Knowledge to Wisdom, 2nd Edition by Jeff Huggins. (.doc format)
Nicholas Maxwell in Context is Copthorne Macdonald's chapter for Science and the Pursuit of Wisdom, a chapter that explores the relationship of Maxwell's wisdom theses to the contemporary global interest in wisdom.
How Can Life of Value Best Flourish in the Real World? is Nicholas Maxwell's chapter for the 2009 book Science and the Pursuit of Wisdom.
Wisdom in the University  is an editorial by Nicholas Maxwell and Ronald Barnett that appeared in the London Review of Education, and made available in e-form in the SSNV Newsletter.
Content summary of the book: Wisdom in the University  Edited by Nicholas Maxwell and Ronald Barnett and published by Routledge in 2008, this book contains wisdom-and-higher-education essays by seven scholars.
FRIENDS OF WISDOM   More detailed information about Friends of Wisdom, and the rationale behind it, from its founder, Nicholas Maxwell.
Press Release from FRIENDS OF WISDOM   Members of this international group include academics and others who are calling on universities to address the most important problems facing humanity.
WISDOM: The Highest Aim of Life and Higher Education   A text (with slides) rendering of Copthorne Macdonald's “Thomas P. Johnson Distinguished Visiting Scholar” address at Rollins College April 5, 2006.
WISDOM: The Highest Aim of Life and Higher Education   A streaming RealAudio (with slides) presentation of Copthorne Macdonald's “Thomas P. Johnson Distinguished Visiting Scholar” 2006 address at Rollins College.
Discussion that followed WISDOM: The Highest Aim of Life and Higher Education   A streaming RealAudio presentation of the discussion that followed Copthorne Macdonald's 2006 Rollins College talk.
Learning Across the Campus: How College Facilitates the Development of Wisdom  A paper by Scott C. Brown that explores this important issue. (In Acrobat .pdf format.)
Core Commitments is an "initiative on educating students for personal and social responsibility" that already includes 196 colleges and universities. Click for an informational Brochure (pdf), a Call to Action, and links to resources that include a project-relevant bibliography.

SPIRITUALITY AND WISDOM IN BUSINESS
Spirituality and Wisdom in Business, a brief introduction to the subject by Copthorne Macdonald. Contains links to resources and email addresses of people involved in the movement. 
Spirituality in the Workplace by Martin Rutte is an updated version of an article that first appeared in the popular business book, Heart at Work, by Jack Canfield & Jacqueline Miller.
Wisdom at Work by Let Davidson is an essay that discusses how Davidson has been applying the principles and techniques of the wisdom tradition to the workplace in his role as consultant and trainer.
Centre for Spirituality at Work in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A very active group with many activities, and a web site with interesting links to other resources.

WISDOM IN ACTION

SOCIO-CULTURAL WISDOM

The political challenge of responding to global crises is the subtitle of a thought-stirring overview by Anthony Judge of major world challenges and the lack of effective initiatives to deal with them. Wisdom needed here!
Audio Podcast: Paul Ray — Co-Creating a New Wisdom Culture In this Living Dialogues episode, Duncan Campbell and Paul Ray discuss Paul's thoughts about creating.a wise, caring, global culture.
Laetus in Praesens   If you are serious about wanting to create a wiser and more functional global society, immerse yourself in the information- and idea-rich world of Anthony Judge.. 
Overview of the Varieties of Wisdom   Copthorne Macdonald discusses Personal Wisdom (the Practical, Existential/Metaphysical, and Activist varieties) and Socio-Cultural Wisdom.
A Wisdom-Based Culture. This look at the possibility of creating a wisdom-based, wisdom-fostering society is discussed in this excerpt from Chapter 13 of Copthorne Macdonald's book Toward Wisdom.
Doing What Needs To Be Done is Chapter 15 of Copthorne Macdonald's book Matters of Consequence. It is in PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

WORLD WISDOM ALLIANCE (WWA)
The World Wisdom Alliance (WWA) is a new community of like-minded groups, organizations, and individuals actively addressing our shared societal and environmental challenges and opportunities, both global and local. The WWA was launched in Toronto on July 28, 2006 with the support of The Club of Budapest Canada in association with the World Wisdom Council (WWC).
The WWA's core concepts are: Consciousness > Connection > Communication > Collaboration. A multi-faceted Web presence is currently being designed that will allow community members — through communication, dialogue, and collaborative action — to deal more effectively with those challenges and opportunities than each could in isolation. The main Communication Centre is being established in Toronto, Canada under the auspices of The Club of Budapest Canada. For the latest information on implementation of the WWA Web site, check www.clubofbudapest.ca.

4 June 2007 Message on WWA Status from Club of Budapest Canada President David Woolfson.

World Wisdom Alliance A statement about the status of the WWA made in late December 2006 by Club of Budapest Canada President David Woolfson.

Elisabet Sahtouris's comments at the WWA launch. Elisabet Sahtouris is a member of the World Wisdom Council, an evolutionary biologist, futurist, UN consultant, and author of EarthDance and several other books.
Audrey Kitagawa's comments at the WWA launch. Audrey Kitagawa is a member of the World Wisdom Council, member of many advisory boards, and author of articles on spirituality, global security, and globalization.
A New Dream for Earth. Alan Nordstrom attended the WWA launch, and wrote this essay that appeared in the August 11, 2006 Orlando Sentinel.

ACTIVIST ORGANIZATIONS
The World Wisdom Council "seeks to cultivate wisdom as the highest priority for our time through various means, including the posting of some fundamental and far from obvious questions..."
Links to More than 80 Organizations working toward a sustainable and more equitable world. Nowhere near a complete list, but you might find it a good place to start.

DIALOGUE INSTEAD OF DEBATE: CUTTING THROUGH IDEOLOGICAL POLARIZATION

Global Sensemaking: Tools for Dialogue and Deliberation on Wicked Problems "Global Sensemaking (GSm) is a group of people dedicated to helping humanity address complex, interrelated global problems-such as climate change, energy policy, poverty, and food security-by developing and applying new web-based technology to assist collaborative decision making and cooperative problem solving."
Us and Them: Relating to Challenging Others — patterns in the shadow dance between "good" and "evil" This essay by Anthony Judge focuses on the Us-and-Them polarization problem and suggests some approaches for getting past it that seem worth exploring.
Wanted: A New Worldview by Alan Nordstrom. A short but to-the-point essay that asks, "What view of reality will let us live most fruitfully as human beings in a just and generous community with each other?"
The Dance of Polarization by Andrew Bard Schmookler. In this essay Schmookler deals with the polarization-integrating aspect of wisdom.
Dialogue Instead of Debate: Cutting Through Ideological Polarization. Some thoughts on this subject by Copthorne Macdonald plus links to organizations with active programs to address the problem.


OTHER SOCIAL CHANGE APPROACHES AND METHODS

The Global Marshall Plan is a proposal by the Network of Spiritual Progressives who say that it is the "Strategy of Generosity that is the real point of the plan."
Building on Existing Solutions —— Many of the bits and pieces of a wiser world already exist. What are they? And how can they be further developed, integrated with other initiatives, and brought into the mainstream?

www.worldchanging.com "was founded on the idea that real solutions already exist for building the future we want. it's just a matter of grabbing hold and getting moving." This information-rich web site has been called "the most important web site on the planet," and its worldwide team of dedicated reporters is intent on making it that.
Appreciative Inquiry —— "a co-operative search for the strengths, passions and life-giving forces that are found within every system"
Appreciative Inquiry and Community Development is an overview of appreciative inquiry from The International Institute for Sustainable Development.
Appreciative Inquiry Commons "academic resources and practical tools on Appreciative Inquiry and the rapidly growing discipline of positive change."
Appreciative Inquiry and the Quest. "This web site will introduce you to a new theory and methodology of human development called appreciative inquiry (AI)."
Multi-stakeholder Approaches —— "processes which aim to bring together all major stakeholders in a new form of communication, decision-finding (and possibly decision-making) on a particular issue."
Multi-stakeholder Processes. MSP resources from the UNED Forum.

PERSONAL QUESTS FOR WISDOM

MIND FLIGHT: Wisdom, Enlightenment, and the Journey of Life is an exciting, insightful, and wide-ranging personal quest book by Thomas Lombardo and Jeanne Belisle Lombardo. The chapters below give Wisdom Page visitors the world's first introduction to the book.

Note from the author, December 2009:

In order to secure the best possible publishing contract, chapter six of Mind Flight will be the last chapter of the book posted on The Wisdom Page. There is still much more to come - six more chapters in fact - and as of yet, the second main character in the book, Jeanne, hasn't even appeared. The great existential challenge foretold in chapter six is also still to come. I hope you have enjoyed the book so far and hope you will purchase and read the complete book when it is published.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS PROLOGUE CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6

TIME TRAVEL AS THE ACT OF CREATION EROS AND ENLIGHTENMENT THE ECOLOGY OF MIND LIGHTNING IN THE DARKNESS THE YIN-YANG OF TIME MADNESS, EVOLUTION, AND GOD INTO THE LIGHT

(The above files are in PDF format. To download a free Acrobat Readerr, click here.)
Wising Up by Alan Nordstrom. Leave it to this Professor of English to say so much in so few words. (MS Word format.)
The Time of Your Life: Personal Responsibility, Wisdom, and the Future by Thomas Lombardo. What a compelling piece of writing! A rich, thought-stimulating, feeling-stimulating, mind-massaging trip. (PDF format)
Personal-Quest Books are books that document the personal quests of individuals (real or fictional) for greater understanding, personal development, and wisdom.

Cop Macdonald's personal web site is now at http://www.copmacdonald.com/