ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews how wisdom was understood by the ancient Western philosophical tradition as well as modern psychological interpretations. It looks at the concept of wisdom as it was understood in ancient philosophies and in modern psychology. Psychological characterizations of wisdom also focus on character and capability. In the non-Western traditions, early documented discussions of wisdom can be found in ancient traditions in the Middle East and East Asia. In The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle conceptualizes wisdom as a contemplation of what is good for living a good life. The bifurcation of practical and theoretical wisdom seems to have been marginalized in contemporary studies of wisdom. Implicit studies try to understand wisdom by examining people’s perception of the concept of wisdom. The three-dimensional Wisdom Scale and the Berlin School share commonalities with another influential theory of wisdom, the Balance Theory of Wisdom. The Balance Theory of Wisdom identifies knowledge and intelligence as the foundations of wisdom.
