What is Wisdom and Can it be Taught? uses careful theoretical analysis and a well-argued ontological conception of the human being to present a new ‘Holistic Wisdom Model’, summarizing existing research and presenting fresh insights.
Human wisdom is a complex phenomenon. Psychological research in this area has led to a wide range of fragmentary claims and models, and therefore, there is a need for theoretical clarification of the field: What is wisdom? How should we study it in the first place? Is it a purely psychological phenomenon, or do we also need philosophy? This book examines these questions, as well as provides a pedagogical review of wisdom to evaluate how people become wise(r) and whether wisdom can be taught. Drawing on findings from a range of educational fields, it shows the crucial features of wisdom-enhancing pedagogies we already know, which are summarized in a ‘Teaching for Wisdom Model’.
Written by leading, interdisciplinary scholars, this book illuminates the study of wisdom for researchers, academics, teachers, and students of psychology, philosophy, and education.
List of editors and contributors Acknowledgements 1. INTRODUCTION PART I: TOWARDS A HOLISTIC WISDOM MODEL Eeva K.Kallio, Päivi Tynjälä, Elina Paananen, Anu Virtanen, Maarit Virolainen, Terhi Ek, Hannakaisa Isomäki & Hannu L.T. Heikkinen 2. Philosophical anthropological background of the new wisdom metamodel 2.1. The central role of philosophical foundations in the study of wisdom 2.2. Importance of ontology in wisdom studies: Rauhala’s holistic image of the human being 3. Research questions and methods of the study 4. Explicit wisdom models and metamodels in psychology 4.1 Holistic Wisdom Model (HWM) 4.2. Dimensions of the Holistic Wisdom Model 4.2.1. Cognitive dimension: Deep understanding 4.2.2. Affective-social dimension: Deep caring 4.2.3. Ethical-existential dimension: Ethical vision 4.2.4. Action dimension: Ethical action 4.2.5. Subject/person as a core coordinative element. 5. Justification of the HWM: critique of former wisdom models and metamodels PART II: PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES FOR NURTURING WISDOM IN EDUCATIONAL CONTEXTS Päivi Tynjälä, Eeva K. Kallio, Elina Paananen, Maarit Virolainen, Anu S. Virtanen, Terhi Ek & Hannu L.T. Heikkinen 6. Pedagogical Methods and Practices Nurturing Wisdom 6.1. Cognitive dimension 6.2. Affective-social dimension 6.3. Ethical-existential dimension 6.4. Action dimension 7. Teaching for Wisdom Model (TWM) 8. Discussion 8.1. Limitations 9. CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSION Appendix References Index
Eeva K. Kallio is Associate Adjunct Professor at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, and the University of Tampere, Finland. She is Honorary President of ESRAD (European Society for Research in Adult Development). She leads the Wisdom and Learning team at the Institute for Educational Research, the University of Jyväskylä. She is currently involved in the project ‘Wisdom in Practice’ funded by the Research Council of Finland (2022–2026) and is the leader of its work package ‘Psychological foundations of research on wisdom’. Päivi Tynjälä is Professor of Education at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. She has more than 30 years of experience in educational research, and she has published widely both nationally and internationally. In 2010–2014, she served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Educational Research Review. Currently, she is an editorial board member of Vocations and Learning. She leads the work package ‘Developing wisdom in higher education’ in the ‘Wisdom in Practice’ project funded by the Research Council of Finland (2022–2026).
