Socrates’ Revenge: A Symposium Presenting Three Conceptions of Wisdom for Modern Times

One of the most important psychological qualities in today’s world is certainly wisdom, which, almost however defined, has become a sine qua non for solving the thorny problems confronting contemporary societies. Three wisdom researchers have joined forces to answer five common questions about wisdom: (1) What do you believe wisdom to be? (2) Is wisdom the same in different times, places, and domains? (3) How is wisdom best developed, and how does one measure the success of that development? (4) Is wisdom a property only of individuals, or also a property of collectives or systems? (5) What are the main obstacles to the expression of wisdom in today’s world? The answers to each question of each of the three researchers are presented in succession, and then each of the three researchers responds to the other two’s answers. Finally, the researchers offer a brief conclusion.