Owl Header: Michelle Mathias
Sophiology is the study of wisdom.
Preface
Quite some time ago, I directed my academic career towards philosophy. Obviously, this was prompted neither by a desire to legitimately acquire vast quantities of material wealth nor by a pressing need for a sector-specific certificate of employability. Rather, it was due to the sentimental fact that I sensed something worthwhile in the subject matter. Academic philosophy offered to sharpen the mental tools necessary to rationally distill a meaningful way of life from the information-saturated cacophany that is this digital age.
I cannot retroactively attribute the interest to a particular teacher or author, but somehow the classes drew me further into logic and introspection. Philosophy was science without the labcoats and religion without the dogma, puctuated by debate with metaphysical implications. Best of all, philosophy conferred a method for making even the most absurd concepts intellectually tangible.
Yet as the years progressed I had an odd feeling that my studies were missing the mark in some fundamental way. It took time for the suspicion to coagulate, but when the realization finally dawned I was stupified that I had acquired a degree in the subject without having noticed the oversight.
Amusingly enough, it was etymology that finally revealed the problem. Every worthwhile Philosophy 101 course lays the groundwork: the modern English word "philosophy" derives from the ancient Greek words φίλος (philos, meaning "dear" or "beloved") and σοφία (sophia, meaning "skill" or "wisdom"). Interpreted passively, philosophy is the love of wisdom; interpreted actively, it is the cultivation of wisdom.
Though I styled myself a philosopher, I had somehow glossed over a limited understanding of the very thing I was cultivating: wisdom. What is it? What does it mean to be wise? Without the guidance of answers, it was no wonder that life as a pseudo-philosopher was little more than unchecked egotism. A skilled debater with delusions of infallibility is hardly cultivating wisdom.
Intellectual humility was the first step; the second is to revise my role as philosopher.
I cannot retroactively attribute the interest to a particular teacher or author, but somehow the classes drew me further into logic and introspection. Philosophy was science without the labcoats and religion without the dogma, puctuated by debate with metaphysical implications. Best of all, philosophy conferred a method for making even the most absurd concepts intellectually tangible.
Yet as the years progressed I had an odd feeling that my studies were missing the mark in some fundamental way. It took time for the suspicion to coagulate, but when the realization finally dawned I was stupified that I had acquired a degree in the subject without having noticed the oversight.
Amusingly enough, it was etymology that finally revealed the problem. Every worthwhile Philosophy 101 course lays the groundwork: the modern English word "philosophy" derives from the ancient Greek words φίλος (philos, meaning "dear" or "beloved") and σοφία (sophia, meaning "skill" or "wisdom"). Interpreted passively, philosophy is the love of wisdom; interpreted actively, it is the cultivation of wisdom.
Though I styled myself a philosopher, I had somehow glossed over a limited understanding of the very thing I was cultivating: wisdom. What is it? What does it mean to be wise? Without the guidance of answers, it was no wonder that life as a pseudo-philosopher was little more than unchecked egotism. A skilled debater with delusions of infallibility is hardly cultivating wisdom.
Intellectual humility was the first step; the second is to revise my role as philosopher.
Introduction
For practical purposes, The Wise One Project is an ongoing investigation into methods for cultivating wisdom in a modern individual.
The project will take the general form of a sophiological literature review. Each essay aims to derive one or more wisdom practices from the information available on a particular aspect of life. To give the project a tentative framework: the goal is to develop practices contributing to the realization of a healthy, individuated, and whole creature.
Health recognizes the indivisible symbiosis of flesh and mind.
Individuation accepts responsibility for what is within our control.
Wholeness does not reject any aspect of oneself as inherently evil, no matter how dark.
The essays are dynamic and liable to change as new information and realizations emerge. I may change a poorly written phrase or reorganize the essay's structure, as this urge strikes nearly every time I reread something I've written. this being an advantage of the website format over the relatively immutable book.
I will do my utmost to avoid misrepresenting facts. To this end, I openly solicit informed objections to any material contained herein. Please note that I am disinclined to entertain dogmatic objections based on the infallibility of a single source. Generally speaking, scientific evidence from a reputable peer-reviewed journal trumps other sources, especially when the results have been verified by repeated experimentation.
If tempted to cite a news report, please refer to this humorous Cracked article by David Wong for assistance in determining whether your source is valid.
The project will take the general form of a sophiological literature review. Each essay aims to derive one or more wisdom practices from the information available on a particular aspect of life. To give the project a tentative framework: the goal is to develop practices contributing to the realization of a healthy, individuated, and whole creature.
Health recognizes the indivisible symbiosis of flesh and mind.
Individuation accepts responsibility for what is within our control.
Wholeness does not reject any aspect of oneself as inherently evil, no matter how dark.
The essays are dynamic and liable to change as new information and realizations emerge. I may change a poorly written phrase or reorganize the essay's structure, as this urge strikes nearly every time I reread something I've written. this being an advantage of the website format over the relatively immutable book.
I will do my utmost to avoid misrepresenting facts. To this end, I openly solicit informed objections to any material contained herein. Please note that I am disinclined to entertain dogmatic objections based on the infallibility of a single source. Generally speaking, scientific evidence from a reputable peer-reviewed journal trumps other sources, especially when the results have been verified by repeated experimentation.
If tempted to cite a news report, please refer to this humorous Cracked article by David Wong for assistance in determining whether your source is valid.
