Quote Originally Posted by Rota View Post
Knowledge is facts.
Wisdom is the application of knowledge.


Wisdom is like intelligence, it's mostly inherent to the person, and very hard to "learn." I had an IQ of 150-ish when I was tested at age 7. I had an IQ of 150-ish when I was tested at age 24. I think it's safe to say that I had considerably more "knowledge" at age 24, but my ability to process knowledge stayed pretty much the same. Wisdom and IQ are not determined by how much you know, but rather your ability to work with knowledge. There is an autistic guy at my dad's office who is considered a savant. He's literally an encyclopedia of knowledge. But, he's the janitor, because he is not mentally capable of applying or mentally processing the knowledge, he just knows the raw data.


You may know the wisest person on earth and not realize it. It could be your neighbor's 4-year old kid. We just won't realize her wisdom until she grows in knowledge and is able to apply her wisdom.


Just like my sigpic quote, lack of knowledge does not equal stupidity. It's just naivete which get's reduced through life experiences.
I believe that intelligence is only defined as the capacity to learn and apply knowledge.

Wisdom, on the other hand, is far more than that. Wisdom could be defined as an ability to deliver sound and rational judgments, even in those cases where bridges have to be formed by reasoning in the gaps in knowledge and "intelligence" surrounding a particular situation.

It can also be defined as the ability to create knowledge, and find applications for that new knowledge in real life, and also in the application of other knowledge. However, that falls also into the realm of intelligence.

Also, Rota is very right about age not mattering a bit about intelligence. He was in error about wisdom increasing with age and experience.

Wisdom is a variable in a sea of other variables (and constants). Wisdom can increase or decrease by age, experiences, and attitudes...

Also, I do believe that a person can be all the wiser by listening to those who were prudent enough to in turn listen to those who had to learn life's lessons the hard way.



One could also define wisdom as a combination of wit, intelligence, and a strong will...