The other night I was listening to this show on CBC Radio. The topic was wisdom and how we acquire it. There were a number of theories but mainly the conclusion was that wisdom is not simply a function of age but rather a function of learning. So older people aren't necessarily wiser than younger people. But if you stick around long enough and you bother to learn from your experiences then wisdom can be the result.
As someone with training in behavioural psychology I was fascinated with this take on things. As a student I struggled with definitions of learning and memory and eventually came to agree with one of my teachers that learning is a change in behaviour (since this is the only way we can tell if someone has learned something) and that memory is the persistence of that learning over time. Viewed in this way, wisdom is demonstrated by an accummulation of changes (useful adaptations) in behaviour in response to experiences. And in fact, memory must be key factor in the development of wisdom.
What I love about this is that it allows for responsibility on the part of the learner. Just as I was responsible for engaging in learning in the classroom, so can I be responsible for learning everywhere in my life. And wisdom will be the result if I continue to adapt my behaviour in a positive way over time. Of course it's not easy to become wise and that's where memory comes in. It's important to persist in the right kinds of learning if we are to improve our lot. But what a great thought and how lovely that it fits with what we already know about animal learning. Thanks CBC for that show! Here's the link:
http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Tapestry/ID/2305702601/?sort=MostPopular
