Knowledge Can be Transferred, but Not Wisdom

Positive, objective knowledge is public property. It can be transmitted directly from one person to another, it can be pooled, and it can be passed on from one generation to the next. Consequently, knowledge accumulates through the ages, each generation adding its contribution. Values are quite different. By values, I mean the standards by which we judge the significance of life. The meaning of good and evil, of joy and sorrow, of beauty, justice, success-all these are purely private convictions, and they constitute our store of wisdom. They are peculiar to the individual, and no methods exist by which universal agreement can be obtained. Therefore, wisdom cannot be readily transmitted from person to person, and there is no great accumulation through the ages. Each man starts from scratch and acquires his own wisdom from his own experience. About all that can be done in the way of communication is to expose others to vicarious experience in the hope of a favorable response.

Notes:

Wisdom relies on an accumulation of personal experiences.

Folksonomies: culture knowledge wisdom meme

Taxonomies:
/law, govt and politics (0.546496)
/society (0.469193)
/family and parenting/children (0.439980)

Keywords:
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The nature of science and other lectures

Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Hubble , Edwin Powell (1977-12), The nature of science and other lectures, Greenwood Pub Group, Retrieved on 2012-06-05

Source Material [books.google.com]