The concepts of “intelligence, “knowledge” and “wisdom” have been circulating in the heart of humanity since the dawn of our civilizations. Even though we seem to have an intuitive understanding of these concepts, the matter of their importance rather remains outside of the general public’s awareness.

Definition

We are not going to approach this mechanically with the rigid definitions listed in the dictionaries and other literature, which you can find them all over on the internet now, both reliable and less-reliable sources, from the most simplistic definitions to the most comprehensive ones, but practically and functionally, we can understand these concepts as follows:

1. Intelligence is the ability to solve problems, to acquire and apply learned knowledge and skills effectively.
2. Knowledge is the well-processed data/information acquired from the objective world around us through sensory experiences and what is retained after our formal education is done.
3. Wisdom is the state of being able to understand matters in-depth and knowing how to apply experience and knowledge to make sound judgment, to practice good conduct and to act with a good intent and a sense of long-term vision.

Being intelligent, knowledgeable or wise – which one would you choose?

The short answer to many people is, why not all three? Anyway, these three pillars function in progression, going from the lowest level, which is intelligence, all the way up to wisdom. Some people live their whole lives never passing level one, while some are better as they manage to arrive at level two, being quite knowledgeable, but they are stuck there with their ego, never making it to the final level.

With enough observation of people, you will find countless examples of individuals who have reached their 30s, 40s, 50s and so on, but still behave like an obnoxious and spoiled brat. On the other hand, you may have actually seen some youngsters who are very decent, considerate and thoughtful, who are way more mature than some old people who would rather use seniority and status to impose unconditional authority without showing their decency and respectability.

Origins

With regard to intelligence and knowledge, it’s obvious that one is innate while the other is acquired, but the advent of wisdom is more nuanced and complex, because there can never be wisdom without intelligence and knowledge, but conversely, the possession of intelligence and knowledge alone does not guarantee the acquisition of wisdom.

Wisdom resembles a potion produced after you have mixed intelligence and knowledge together, but it’s HOW you mix them that ensures the formation of wisdom. Personally, I have some fun analogic visualizations of the mixing conditions like this: “Do I have to stir or shake it? Should I do it gently or roughly? Should I put the mixture under the effect of heat?” However, if you realistically wish to learn in detail about how to use intelligence and knowledge to produce wisdom, it can be tricky and complex as it depends on multiple factors:

1. Logic and reasoning
2. Associative learning ability
3. Intuition
4. Imagination
5. Observation
6. Curiosity
7. Mental organization and systematization
8. Attachment to reality
9. Openness
10. Practice
11. Humility
12. Patience
13. Morality

This list of factors is not done in order of importance or any other standard.

Take a good look at the list. If you possess all these qualities on a high level when employing intelligence and knowledge in daily life, your ability to achieve a good level of wisdom is guaranteed, which takes time for fruition. Otherwise, your outlook on reality can become twisted and obscure, whereas purpose of wisdom is to cultivate a good sense of judgment, make long-term and strategic decisions, reduce subjectivity and attain as much clarity and truth as possible.

Wisdom cannot be forced to ripen like the artificially ripened fruits we have by injecting chemicals. It only comes when the conditions are right, which translates to a wide range of ages for different people based on their character, lifestyles and modes of thinking, etc.

Intelligence vs. Wisdom

As mentioned, there can be no wisdom without intelligence as the latter is the prerequisite for the acquisition of the former, including knowledge, but not the other way around. However, intelligence alone can be disastrous in that intelligent individuals with a malicious intent usually manipulate and take advantage of others to achieve what they want. Another point to note is, an intelligent person focuses on getting things done at the moment, whereas a wise person focuses on getting things done with a vision. It’s not simply ‘solving the problem’, but it’s ‘solving the problem’ so that it wouldn’t recur, or the chances of recurrence remain as low as possible.

Knowledge vs. Wisdom

“Knowledge” precedes “wisdom” as you may only obtain the latter after rigorous process of learning to gain the former, and both are used to solve the problems in our world, albeit in different directions. However, the somewhat sarcastic phenomenon is, not everyone arrives at wisdom in their lifetime; some people live their entire life without ever achieving wisdom, whereas some young people in their twenties or thirties may do. Subsequently, wisdom is directly correlated with “mental age” as defined in psychology which addresses people’s true level of maturity based on their conduct’s decency and sophistication as well as their level of understanding of things instead of solely judging by their physical age.

Almost anyone can obtain knowledge but very few can have wisdom. We humans are also an animal, but what sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom is our complex developed brain which grants us intelligence not only to be the ultimate survivor, but also to subdue and conquer. Yet, we do not act purely upon instincts, because there is something we call “humanity” in us to suppress and control our own animal side, and to coordinate our moral behavior.

If we only/mainly live by instincts without [sufficiently] employing our faculty of thought, then we are only embracing our animality. In society, it is observable that many people are self-serving and focused on grabbing what they want as much as possible and they are ready to do so at the expense of others without even the slightest concern whatsoever. As we can see such animalistic behaviors are still strongly present in our so-called civilized world, what harm can they cause if they possess knowledge and know how to harness its power? The consequences will be immeasurable. Yet, that has already happened; it always did, is happening and will so continue in the future.

Knowledge is merely a tool, a means to an end, because a great many people are using it for selfish interests through all forms of manipulation, and that is basically how human societies are being run; modern life is still a survival of the fittest game disguised under the fancy appearance brought about by our material progressions.

Wisdom is more than just a destination; it’s accumulative and an ever-evolving state of being. Apart from having enough knowledge and experience, there are a few other conditions before you reach the point where your wisdom becomes noticeable and able to make an impact. You will never be the same as you were, because by then you will have become more refined as you will have achieved a higher state of being.

To achieve wisdom, you must:

1. Not take things for granted;
2. Have a strong sense of self-reflection, and of course, enough time for reflection, and
3. Have a moral purpose.

When you don’t take things for granted, it means you’re ready to go the extra mile to know more than you currently do at any given point. This is essentially a significant part of the first-principles thinking, which is – you are a permanent student, being ready to accept your flaws and shortcomings, and to accept that you don’t know if needs be instead of excuses and pretense. That’s the only way to learn, as you can only fill up an empty container, never an already full one.

Upon meeting the first condition, you are naturally led to the behavior of self-reflection, which is all about awareness, of both yourself as well as your surroundings. This forces you to do observations, and keenness on observation indicates your curiosity is strong as you are driven by a desire to learn and to know things as they are. Practicing self-reflection can help you develop yourself both personally and professionally because when you are self-aware, you know your strengths and weaknesses, which serve as a compass that points you to the cultivation of character, where you build up your fortes and minimize your flaws.

Subsequently, the last one is to have an ethical purpose. You should remember this, devotion leads to vision. In this case, a good devotion is required. When you are dedicated to a cause, you will step by step figure what you need to do and how to do it, for you see a prospect wherein you have a thriving, prosperous community that practices harmonious and peaceful co-existence.

Wisdom only ripens when learned knowledge, skills and experience are used with an awareness for goodness. Knowledge is for the mere purpose of achieving goals and purposes, with or without vision and moral considerations, but wisdom is all about sustainability, hence a vision for a sustainable future, where people help each other grow, not causing harm that could lead to destruction due to wickedness and treachery.

In the end, intelligence and knowledge without a good intent only result in conflicts of interests, confrontations and eventually chaos.