milkbadger's review against another edition
1.0
Got a signed copy of this at a talk by the author in 2010. Skimmed the first five chapters and gave it away.
ionabaird46's review against another edition
5.0
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!!
elusivity's review
4.0
Skimmed. An exploration of what is the nature of wisdom (comprises, perhaps, of emotional regulation, compassion, altruism, patience, and a host of such virtues as well as ability to identify worthwhile goals & pursuits), whether it increases with age (apparently, from studies of the aging brain, no physical evidence that it does), through the ages and history and philosophy.
Definitely worth a read. Recommended.
Definitely worth a read. Recommended.
edsantiago's review
4.0
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.
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.
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