Magical Realist
Valued Senior Member
Are these mental attributes the same or different? How are they different? Does having alot of knowledge make one intelligent? Does being intelligent make one wise?
Knowledgable, intelligent, or wise
- Thread starter Magical Realist
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None of the terms entail unlimited data and omniscience. There could contingently only be information and expertise with respect to a particular area, and much ignorance or idiocy reigning with respect to the rest, or with certain domains. Acquiring experience and possessing constructive and critical principles may permit intelligence that is progressively developing in knowledge, open-ended, and expanding (which might arguably qualify as "wisdom" -- especially with respect to life).
There's "big picture" understanding that features a system of overarching concepts and rules and templates, but may lack detailed content and practical skills. And there's "narrow" mastery of details about specific _X_ that may lack a general understanding of things larger, or how the world works overall.
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Seattle
Valued Senior Member
I don't know that this post has anything to do with philosophy but as words they mean whatever you define them to mean.
Knowledge seems pretty straightforward and includes experience as well as study of a subject matter.
Intelligence implies something innate, such as IQ. Wise, to me, is generally the result of intelligence and knowledge and the degree to which that knowledge is applied.
So no, they aren't synonyms.
Knowledge seems pretty straightforward and includes experience as well as study of a subject matter.
Intelligence implies something innate, such as IQ. Wise, to me, is generally the result of intelligence and knowledge and the degree to which that knowledge is applied.
So no, they aren't synonyms.
They are different.
Intelligence is the ability to take in information, to understand it and to use it to advantage.
Knowledge is what can result from applying your intelligence to the information that you receive. Being knowledgable means that you can recall a lot of factual information and, often, that you know how that information can be used to advantage.
Wisdom is the quality of using one's knowledge to make prudent and sensible decisions. Wisdom involves the ability - often from experience - to pick out relevant information from one's knowledge and to apply it with intelligence and insight to solving some problem or deciding on a sensible course of action.
Having lots of knowledge does not make one intelligent. For instance, a lot of the world's accumulated knowledge is within easy reach for a lot of people via the internet, but most people have the intelligence to understand and use only a tiny fraction of that knowledge.
Being intelligent does not, by itself, make a person wise, but it's certainly more likely to help with that than being stupid. There are an awful lot of intelligent people who lack common sense and/or prudence - probably more than you might imagine.
Gawdzilla Sama
Valued Senior Member
I was extensively read by the time I left high school, but hadn't a clue as to how to use it.
Knowledge is acquired through learning. Intelligence is innate and enhanced by stimulation. A more acute intelligence allows its user to acquire knowledge more easily and quickly, while a dull intelligence has to work harder longer to attain the same level of knowledge. Wisdom is an attribute that some develop over time, through experience, attention, observation, knowledge, memory and empathy.
Being intelligent and having a good memory (they're independent traits) make it easier to accumulate and retain a lot of knowledge.
No. Dull people can sometimes be more insightful and practical than sharp ones.
Gawdzilla Sama
Valued Senior Member
So we can skip the sweeping generalizations?