Wisdom: From Philosophy to Neuroscience

by Stephen S. Hall

We all recognize wisdom, but defining it is more elusive. In this fascinating journey from philosophy to science, Stephen S. Hall gives us a penetrating history of wisdom, from its sudden emergence in the fifth century B.C. to its modern manifestations in education, politics, and the workplace. Hall’s bracing exploration of the science of wisdom allows us to see this ancient virtue with fresh eyes, yet also makes clear that despite modern science’s most powerful efforts, wisdom continues to elude easy understanding.

Genres: Philosophy, Science, Psychology, Neuroscience, Nonfiction, Nature, Self Help

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

For nearly three decades, Stephen S. Hall has written about the intersection of science and society in books, magazine articles, and essays. He is the author, most recently, of Wisdom: From Philosophy to Neuroscience (2010), which grew out of a 2007 cover article in The New York Times Magazine.

His previous books include Size Matters: How Height Affects the Health, Happiness, and Success of Boys—and the Men They Become (2006), Merchants of Immortality: Chasing the Dream of Human Life Extension (2003), A Commotion in the Blood: Life, Death, and the Immune System (1997), Mapping the Next Millennium: How Computer-Driven Cartography Is Revolutionizing the Face of Science (1992), and Invisible Frontiers: The Race to Synthesize a Human Gene (1987). Most titles were acknowledged as a “Notable Book of the Year” by the New York Times Book Review.

Hall has received numerous awards, including the “Science in Society Award” in 2004 for book writing from the National Association of Science Writers for Merchants of Immortality, which was also a finalist for a Los Angeles Times Book Award, and the William B. Coley Award in 1998 from the Cancer Research Institute for A Commotion in the Blood. His work has also been widely anthologized, including in Best American Science Writing (2000, 2001, 2008, 2009), A Literary Companion to Science (1990), and The Beholder’s Eye (2005).

Between 1997 and 2000, Hall served as an editor of the New York Times Magazine as well as a Contributing Writer, and has published numerous cover stories for the Magazine. In addition to the New York Times, his journalism has appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, National Geographic, New York, Science, The New Yorker, Technology Review, Scientific American, Discover, Smithsonian, and many other national publications. His essays and criticism have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Orion, and the Hastings Center Report.

In addition to writing, Hall teaches science journalism and explanatory journalism at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, and also conducts writing workshops for scientists-in-training at New York University’s Carter Institute of Journalism. His many public appearances include a keynote address at the Keystone Symposium, grand rounds at university medical centers, lectures at the Hastings Center, and readings that have been featured on “Book TV.”

Hall graduated as an honors student in English literature from Beloit College in 1973, and lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely marvelous book: well researched, well written and something I couldn't stop thinking about as I read it and in the spaces in between. I think I am going back through it to take notes it is so rich with content. It is written a scientific journalist with a marvelous feel for what is important and a tremendous ability to interview and gather relevant wisdom from the leading thinkers in this field.

Basically as its sub-title says it is about Wisdom: Philosophy to Neuroscience. The chapter headings of the eight neural pillars of wisdom give a fair indication of its content: emotional regulation, knowing what's important, moral reasoning, compassion, humility, altruism, patience, dealing with uncertainty. Understand the neural underpinnings of these elements and you will know a lot more about wisdom and hopefully in the process be wiser.

I will not say anymore about the content of this book because I urge you to read it for yourself and enjoy the source code.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I read the later chapters first, simply because I'm interested is in social interaction. I was intrigued by the author's interpretation of how our elder's show wisdom (or lack of it). I loved the discussion on humility and how it pertains to wisdom. My favorite quote in the book is something like "some people lack the humility to know what they don't know." I know a lot of people who lack the humility to know what they don't know.....

[Eduardo Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

By any measure spending a glorious fall afternoon in front of a TV is what we should consider unwise, so that's what I did immediately upon finishing this book: I (re)watched Errol Morris's documentary "The Fog of War". It was almost a compulsion... during much of the book I found myself thinking of McNamara. And it worked: they blended well together. And, appropriately, what I got out of both was more questions than answers.

I found "Wisdom" disappointing -- but come on, Who could do justice to a topic as weighty and as elusive? Hall meanders, first summarizing the state of research into wisdom (precious little, with many tales of frustration) before launching into the meat of the book: Hall's breakdown of the components of wisdom. Patience, humility, morality, altruism, equanimity each get their chapters. Much interplay between them, and a little discussion of the hows and whys, but I left the book thinking conflicting thoughts: one, I didn't really learn much, and two, I need to read it again in a year. With time, and with time to follow up on the references. I think I was too quick -- this is a book that merits pondering. More: it merits discussion. Yes, that's it: it needs thought, discussion, pausing for reflection.

Find someone you respect. Read and discuss together, a chapter at a time. Let me know how that works for you, because I think I want to try that.

[Jim Coughenour · Rating 1 out of 5]

I approached this book with high hopes – after reading Iain McGilchrist's The Master and His Emissary, I was ready to dig into Stephen Hall's Wisdom: From Philosophy to Neuroscience. Almost immediately I realized I was going to be disappointed. Hall opens with a montage of dropping his daughter off at school, then watching a jet fly into the World Trade Center. "Almost immediately black smoke began to curl out of the cruel, grinning incision its wings had sliced in the façade of the skyscraper." I was reminded of Art Spiegelman's disturbing In the Shadow of No Towers (essentially the same opening) – and one graphic account is plenty. You always know a discussion is headed downhill when either Hitler or 9/11 is evoked.

The next chapter focuses on the pre-Socratics and the "Axial Age" – although "focuses" is the wrong verb. The ancient Greeks are difficult even in a more extended study; Hall's survey is a mashup. After that I started skipping through the book, reading intermittently – and realized he'd lost me. Two days after I'd bought Wisdom, it was on the "for resale" pile.

Hall is a science journalist, so my disappointment is my own fault. I'd rather have more philosophy and science, and fewer "telling" personal anecdotes. I should have read a bit more while standing in the bookstore.

[Jeff Ford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light on philosophy; heavy on psychology. Not what I was looking for.

[Tiago F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to be done.

[Tariq Mahmood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book which attempts to bring back Wisdom to the centre of science. For me there is a fundamental problem with science of today, it is too structured and somehow the faculty of wisdom has failed to formalize in this a very finely defined domain. No wonder the world has not seen a modern version of a Socrates or Pluto. or maybe we have already defined everything we ought to know about wisdom and now suffering from exposure to strings of wise clichés? A bit like self help books? The book is very important link in which the author tries to bring wisdom back into the main fold of science. But unfortunately he cannot do enough justice to the task he set himself as routinely he has to resort to stories and anecdotes to explain complex issues with wisdom. I think he will fail to see this book on the shelves along with great works of science which is indeed a state of shame.

[Leslie Herbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a dense, weighty book. It discusses biology and neurobiology as it relates to decision making and "wisdom", and also gives a historical overview to writings and beliefs about wisdom. It is a MARVELOUS book, but I had to set aside quiet times to read it. It took a lot of concentration and a lot of contemplation to understand and take value from it. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is serious about studying the brain, the human condition, and anyone who wants to figure out what"wisdom" really is.

[Iona · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part about this book is that it is so dynamic and multi-faceted. I liked that the author explored all the dimensions of wisdom, from philosophy, to neuroscience, to aging and development, but my favorite part is that he reapplied all of the information back to our daily lives. There was a lot of contradictory studies mentioned, but the author helps guide us through the contradictions to see the common ground. I absolutely loved this book, and have taken many qualities out of it that I will try to apply to my every day life. Will probably reread it sometime in the future!!

[Lorileinart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea of this book perhaps more than the actual book! Still, it was an engaging study on the lineage of wisdom. I can honestly say I never really thought about it on those simple terms before: Where did wisdom come from? Hall has definitely done his research, and for that reason alone, it's a worthwhile read. Still, it gets a bit muddled along the way, and the net effect is blah blah blah.

[Jimmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a difficult book to read for me. I became frustrated somewhat with the author's multiple examples of how difficult wisdom is to define, measure, etc. In all honestly, I only made it through about 3/4 of the book. With that said, I thought that the book didi contain some very interesting information about historical philosophy and current research.

[Leif Denti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it to be very heavy on the neurological explanations/underpinnings for wisdom, which I find to be moderately interesting. Personally I would have liked more philosophy. It's still worth a read.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather disappointing.

[Evin]

Attempted to read at the request of a friend and found myself too frustrated with the padding and the subject matter itself I couldn't finish. It's philosophy dressed up for science. Not for me.

[Klim Badger · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got a signed copy of this at a talk by the author in 2010. Skimmed the first five chapters and gave it away.

[Raz Pirata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wisdom - From Philosophy to Neuroscience

Wisdom is “the ability to exercise good judgement in the face of imperfect knowledge”

Wisdom from Philosophy to Neuroscience by Stephen S Hall is an engaging tour through our understanding of wisdom which reveals its many mysteries, traits and contradictions. Most of us have come to revere the wise and heed their lessons.

“We crave wisdom, worship it in others, wish it upon our children and seek it in ourselves”

Stephen Hall does a wonderful job in Wisdom, of writing a book that explores the many facets of a complicated subject. Though we can probably form some loose definition of what wisdom is for ourselves and name some historical figures whom we believed were wise, what Stephen Hall has done is provided the reader with a more detailed image of wisdom, upon which they can come to a fuller understanding. An understanding that is far more useful and practical. One that allows them to come to recognize wisdom in its many forms, its distinct traits, its path to acquisition and its uses and shortcomings.

Hall’s examination of wisdom begins with the sages, Socrates, Heraclitus, Confucious, Buddha and others. A philosophy of wisdom is as displayed by the great thinkers. He then moves on to examine the Neural Pillars of wisdom. The science of wisdom. The habits associated with a wise mind examined under a microscope.

It is here the author pulls wisdom apart trait by trait. Exploring the elements that make up the wise: emotional regulation, knowing what is important, establishing value, making judgements, moral reasoning, compassion, humility, the gift of perspective, patience, etc.

“To know what you know and don’t know is the characteristic of one who knows” Confucious

Hall then moves on to share with us a guideline for becoming wise. He dissects the notion that wisdom is something that comes with age. Explores numerous factors which can enhance or hinder one’s ability to acquire wisdom and makes us aware that the pursuit of wisdom is a deliberate activity. That part of becoming wise is wanting to become wise, it is looking for and practising wise actions with the recognition that everyone’s path to wisdom is different and that it does not come easily.

Lastly, Hall examines what wisdom might look like in our lives today, at home, in politics, the boardroom and the bedroom, as well as the place of wisdom in society.

“Wisdom alters times, forces us to rise above the petty urgencies of every day, abides a different clock, requires a different focus, demands a different courage”

Wisdom from Philosophy to Neuroscience is an educational and engaging read. Rife with interesting ideas, well researched and absolutely necessary. This is a must-read for anyone hoping to navigate the complexities and uncertainties of life with greater aplomb.

Overall Score: 4.7 / 5

In a sentence: a book on wisdom that will make you wiser

[Aadesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wisdom is a fascinating topic to understand. But like consciousnesses, it doesn't have a widely accepted definition or working theory. There are bits and pieces of research in different parts of wisdom but those parts doesn't give us the whole story on wisdom. I learned a lot about those parts ( patience, altruism,...) that we think are essential for wisdom. Sometimes the examples was somewhat disconnected from the main theme but it was an interesting read.

[Nisha Tirumalai · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a terribly written book, which is a shame because it touches on really interesting topics- I read only 25% of it before deciding not to waste my time.

I like how it explores the difference between wisdom and intelligence and also looks into whether or not, and why, wisdom may increase with age.

However this author is remarkably terrible at writing because they include horrible side tracks that make getting one point across take 40 pages. The worst type of author.

[Jason Merchey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really can't say enough positive things about Hall's book. I wrote a book about wisdom in part because his was so influential! It "tells a good story" in addition to being very broad and deep. I wish the book itself were a little bigger, the font bigger, and the paper less "old newspaper-y" but the content is very rich. I think highly of this author.

[Ralphie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is unwise to appear wise!

[Alisha Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional regulation, being wise, what is wisdom, neuroeconomics, neuroscience... and much, much more. Really enjoyed this read and highly recommend it just for the "thinking" it provokes.

[Wayfaring_Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting book! I loved the science and research and how complicated the concept of wisdom is.

[Claire Brodish · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit dry and lacked any trauma-informed perspective on wisdom

[Roger Paine · Rating 1 out of 5]

don't bother

[CAC · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Some really good stuff in here but the book meandered here and there seemingly without reason. He dug into areas only tangentialy related to wisdom and was really heavy on neuroplasticity topic. Still, a good writer...and this must be a very difficult topic to pull off - so vast.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that I have wisdom I think I'll start smoking one of those pipes with a head carved into the bowl and walking around with my head cocked up to one side, spewing deep thoughts.

Amazon:
Definitions of wisdom abound in Hall’s exploration of the concept, which he reports is no longer the exclusive domain of theology and philosophy. Clinical psychology and neurobiology have elbowed their way into the subject in recent decades, and their investigations and investigators make up much of Hall’s work. An author of several books about human physiology (Size Matters: How Height Affects the Health, Happiness, and Success of Boys, 2006), Hall details brain-scan experiments intended to elucidate at a neuronal level components of wisdom such as ethics and also cites studies that rely on interviews with older people about their life experiences. From the author’s accounts, it doesn’t seem as though the scientist in the lab coat offers better definitions of wisdom than the sage in the toga. An essential ineffability about wisdom dogs both the empiricist and the theorist, according to Hall, but, not willing to concede futility in the hunt for wisdom, he suggests it is to be sought in family life and interpersonal relationships—a practical proposition on which his readers can reflect.

[Shishir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drawing upon history of philosophers and combining the latest neuroscience, this is a book that explores what wisdom means and tries to provide the key elements that make up what we call wisdom. Wisdom is different from mere intelligence. Wisdom is being able to exercise good judgment in face of imperfect knowledge. The book narrows to some EIGHT neural pillars - basis of wisdom. 1/ Emotional management 2/Knowing what is important 3/Moral reasoning 4/Compassion 5/Humility 6/Altruism 7/Patience 8/ Dealing with uncertainty
While the examples stories and quotes add a lot of value to the content, I found the book overly repetitious and lengthy at times and could have used some further editing.
Overall I found the message relatable engaging and enlightening

[D'face · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like some of the other reviewers, I can see the need for such a book but I don't think this was a particularly good execution. Wisdom is a mystery, we all aspire to it, but it cannot be bought or even learnt. We think it accumulates with age, yet we all know foolish old men and wise youths.

I think the psychology and ethical/religious aspects of this were more interesting than the neuroscience, because frankly who cares what part of the brain is lighting up when one is exercising wisdom as opposed to intelligence?

I happened to be reading '12 steps to a compassionate life' at the same time, and they went well together.

[Tess McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far the trick to being wise is regulating our emotions. So far, I like this. Emotional regulation, even though it may come off like emotional distance means something else. I think it means the wisdom to temper anger when it is unjust or irrational; to be sad is to be emotionally regulated--however, wallowing in self-pity isn't the path. I am slowly learning the distinctions. But, I don't think I'm terribly wise--yet?

I read it nightly. I'm trying to draw out all the little stories about the researchers measuring "wisdom."

[mono · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it's obvious that there aren't may people worthy of writing a book on wisdom, let alone some journalist. That said, this is more like a reference point to start looking deeper into the matter than something that even comes close to an authority. I would have thought science had made more head way on the subject in recent years, rather than relying so heavily on the well established roads paved throughout history by Socrates, Confucius, etc.