Received wisdom
It’s difficult to say when and how my children first became aware of the concept of a prison. It was certainly very early, well before they…
Wisdom
Essays and ideas exploring wisdom, judgement, experience, knowledge, and what it might mean to live well.
Explore Wisdom
News from nowhere: the myth of experience
We tend to assume that wisdom accumulates naturally with experience. Time passes, mistakes are made, lessons are learned, and judgment improves. This belief is deeply reassuring.…
Wisdom and philosophy
Wisdom is a word that features in book titles in the ‘Self-help’ section of bookshops, but not so much in the ‘Philosophy’ section (where that still…
Akin to mindfulness
Zan Boag: I want to start with your definition of wisdom and why you think wisdom matters in our lives from moment to moment. Ellen J.…
Winners of the 50 prizes for our 50th edition
To celebrate the publication of our 50th edition, we're giving away 50 prizes to subscribers, with first prize a 50-edition subscription (up to our 100th edition!).…
Lessons from stupidity
It is unclear just how the “Man from Song” (Songren) acquired his reputation, but classical literature is replete with stories of his stupidity. These stories were…
Word to the wise
The 21st century has created a whole range of new types of professional that we have never had before – or if not quite new, at…
