Nearly everyone agrees that knowledge is gained through diligent study and investigation, but there is far greater ambiguity when it comes to the meaning of wisdom and how it is acquired. What is wisdom, and how can it be attained? Is there an empirical relationship between wisdom and the cultivation of character, as Aristotle and others have argued? Are the development of virtue and the fulfillment of our innate potential prerequisites to living the good life? Steven Paulson, moderator and executive producer of To the Best of our Knowledge, led a discussion with philosopher Philip Kitcher, philosopher Valerie Tiberius, and psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett on role of wisdom in the interplay between positive emotions, virtues, and character.
Keywords: character; humility; knowledge; living; positive emotions; reflection; the good; truth; virtue; wisdom.
© 2016 New York Academy of Sciences.