ABSTRACT
Wisdom has its roots in Greek, from words meaning ‘to see’ and ‘to know’. It is
also related etymologically to the word ‘wit’, which has connotations of humour
(‘he’s a real wit’), intelligence (being witty) and the senses (‘keeping her wits
about her’). Whether a wise person would agree with me or not is a moot point,
but as far as I’m concerned the origins of the word ‘wisdom’ clarify a set of
attributes that bed down into the kind of attitude I am aiming to cultivate in
children in this book.
