Free Essay Example: Wisdom vs. Knowledge

I truly believe that wisdom/critical thinking is a better life well-being predictor as compared to intelligence. A perfect question to ask ourselves is why smart people sometimes get to do foolish stuff in life. Well, this gives us the perfect difference between wisdom and knowledge. On the one hand, wisdom refers to an individual's capability to make sound and good opinions regarding a certain subject matter. Whereas, on the other hand, knowledge is when an individual has information and facts about the subject matter. Wisdom involves making an evaluation and analyzing an issue before making any decision, which, in other words, involves critical thinking skills (Butler, 2017). The study focuses on differentiating between wisdom and knowledge.

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There are many advantages that intelligent people have like they can out-smart and shine in books, which makes them go further and acquire excellent grades in school. They are the few people to get into trouble and are very successful in their work. However, intelligent people still make grave errors since being intelligent does not mean they are life-smart. Individuals with wisdom can evaluate judgments, and this enables them not to jump into false conclusions. According to Butler, a person with wisdom is determined by the kind of wise decision they make (Butler, 2017). They can manage their financial affairs, make wise investments, avoid things like scams, and manage their health. An IQ test is the most used intelligence measure, but it fails to offer life outcomes prediction like that of well-being (Grossmann et al., 2013). Intelligent people think that they are always the best, whereas a wise person understands they still have room for improvement. Wise people are resourceful, have good friends, and have life balance, making them most happy. Persons with knowledge are not always happy and, at times, result from the decisions they make (Grossmann et al., 2013).

Conclusively, it can be noted that having wisdom is much better than being intelligent. A wise person can make excellent life choices that will have no negative outcomes. However, an intelligent person can become wise, but it is their choice. For an intelligent person to become wise, they have to change their way of thinking and behavior. Thus, good is not always smart but can become smart by making a few sacrifices, as mentioned above.

References

Butler, H. A. (2017). Why do smart people do foolish things? Intelligence is not the same as critical thinking—and the difference matters. Sumber: https://www. scientific American. com/article/why-do-smart-people-do-foolish-things. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-smart-people-do-foolish-things/

Grossmann, I., Na, J., Varnum, M. E., Kitayama, S., & Nisbett, R. E. (2013). A route to well-being: Intelligence versus wise reasoning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 142(3), 944. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3594053/