ABSTRACT
Wisdom has been virtually non-existent in the field of marketing. Perhaps it has seemed irrelevant, yet wisdom has been called the apex of human qualities. Perhaps it seems intractable, yet related research has intensified in the social sciences during the last 30 years. Wisdom—the opposite of foolishness—is the application of knowledge in pursuit of well-being and the common good. It involves balancing intrapersonal, interpersonal, and extrapersonal factors in the context of short- and long-term horizons. In one study of consumer choices, those rated wiser exhibited evidence of strong personal intentions, prudent deliberation, and a clear linkage from values and knowledge to action, each of which the wisdom literature features. Students in high school or in university business programs can engage with complex cases, moral dilemmas, and everyday problems in which they are tasked with applying wisdom components for deriving more constructive and uplifting solutions.
