Smarts AND Wisdom?

     Bernie Madoff is a smart guy - you have to be to con so many people out of their life savings. Hitler was a gifted orator - he conned the citizens of one of the most civilized, sophisticated countries in the world to behave like barbarians. A certain kind of intelligence goes into creating counterfeit drugs, land mines, biological weapons, etc. A health-care administrator can be a brilliant accountant and at the same time wreak havoc in a hospital. A health-care professional can be brilliant, and at the same time be clueless about therapeutic alliances. How many times have we seen smart people behaving unwisely?
     We clearly possess different types of intelligences, and we each have varying levels of each type. However, above and beyond these more or less IQ-related capacities, there's wisdom. Philosophy, psychology and other disciplines are formally studying wisdom with renewed interest.
     We're slowly starting to realize that explicit training in, AND embodiment of wisdom is essential if our complex, rapidly changing, multi-racial, multi-cultural world is to survive, and perhaps flourish.
     Selection criteria for all responsible positions must start prioritizing wisdom.

       Sternberg RJ. Assessing students for medical school admissions: is it time for a new approach? Acad Med 2008; 83(10 Suppl): S105-10.

Photo: Rami Alkhoury   www.dpreview.com