“Wisdom” 是什麼？也許你和許多人一樣，覺得給智慧下一個簡單、明確的定義並不容易。人們對智慧的定義五花八門，本文介紹一項覆蓋五大洲 12 個國傢的大型研究，這項研究探索瞭人們對智慧的不同觀點和理解。
詞匯：wisdom 智慧
Think of the wisest person you know. What is it that makes them wise? What qualities do they have? Does wisdom mean the same for you as it does for me? All cultures value wisdom, but not all cultures agree on its definition. For some, the focus is on intelligence, while others emphasise compassionate love for others. In some cultures, a spiritual component is required to be considered wise. Are there any aspects of wisdom that all cultures can agree on?
A group of 34 researchers from all over the world and from fields like psychology, philosophy and anthropology got together to explore ‘Dimensions of wisdom perception across twelve countries on five continents’. The study found two characteristics that everyone – from urban university students in Peru to villagers in rural India – associated with wisdom.
The first quality a wise person must have is ‘socio-emotional awareness‘. This is about the ability to understand others’ point of view and really care about their thoughts and feelings. However, this person must also have the second quality: ‘reflective orientation’, which is about using logic and past experience to make judgements. If you are mindlessly driven by emotions and don’t think before you act, then you are unlikely to be perceived as wise. So, if you want to be wise, learn to both keep your cool and put yourself in others’ shoes.
But, while this study helps us build a more unified definition of wisdom, the world is vast and cultures vary hugely. In ‘The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom’, the authors make an apple pie analogy, comparing pie to wisdom. Imagine your grandmother makes your favourite apple pie – she represents the wisdom you think is best. Now, imagine you take this apple pie to the Amazon rainforest, where apples don’t grow. For the locals, the pie isn’t as good as their own traditional desserts; they’ve grown up with different flavours and ingredients, just as different cultures have developed their own wisdom traditions. Ultimately, the way wisdom is experienced, shared, and valued depends on the cultural ingredients involved.
詞匯表
quality （人的）品質
compassionate 有同情心的
spiritual 精神上的，心靈的
anthropology 人類學
perception 認知
characteristic 特征
awareness 意識，認知
point of view 觀點
reflective 反思的
logic 邏輯
judgment 判斷
mindlessly 盲目地
perceive 認為，視為
keep one’s cool 保持冷靜
put oneself in others’ shoes 從他人的角度看問題
測驗與練習
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. True or False? There is a universal definition of wisdom that all cultures agree on.
2. What did the study by a group of 34 researchers find?
3. How is ‘socio-emotional awareness’ described?
4. What is ‘reflective orientation’?
5. What does ‘The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom’ compare wisdom to?
2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. It’s important to consider everyone’s _______ before making big decisions.
point of view mind aware characteristic
2. I need to stop _______ scrolling through social media before bed.
mindful mindless minding mindlessly
3. His work in _______ focuses on the culture of a tribe in Papua New Guinea.
awareness anthropology quality compassion
4. Even in a really stressful situation, he managed to _______.
keep himself cold keep his cool kept his cool keep his cold
5. One _______ that wise people have is the ability to understand others.
perception characteristic logic judgment
答案
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. True or False? There is a universal definition of wisdom that all cultures agree on.
False. While all cultures value wisdom, not all cultures agree on its definition.
2. What did the study by a group of 34 researchers find?
The study found two characteristics that all cultures associated with wisdom: socio-emotional awareness and reflective orientation.
3. How is ‘socio-emotional awareness’ described?
Socio-emotional awareness is about the ability to understand others’ point of view and really care about their thoughts and feelings.
4. What is ‘reflective orientation’?
Reflective orientation is about using logic and past experience to make judgements.
5. What does ‘The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom’ compare wisdom to?
‘The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom’ compares wisdom to apple pie.
2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. It’s important to consider everyone’s point of view before making big decisions.
2. I need to stop mindlessly scrolling through social media before bed.
3. His work in anthropology focuses on the culture of a tribe in Papua New Guinea.
4. Even in a really stressful situation, he managed to keep his cool.
5. One characteristic that wise people have is the ability to understand others.
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