Pursuing Wisdom

A Primer for Leaders and Learners

John R. Shoup; Troy W. Hinrichs and Jacqueline N. Gustafson

Wisdom, considered the highest level of enlightenment, has not had a foothold in our education since Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum. Yet it is wisdom that ultimately promotes human flourishing and equips individuals with the sophistication to live life well. Wisdom is especially urgent if leaders and followers are to lead and follow well.

Wisdom is more critical and urgent than ever in today’s world. Stories of lack of discernment and sound judgment abound in the news. Comments such as “what were they thinking?” and “why did they do that?” reveal that wisdom is often painfully lacking when it comes to making decisions. The world needs people who judiciously discern and courageously implement innovative decisions at the right time and in the right way. But before wisdom can be adequately taught, it needs to be properly understood.

Historically, the study and acquisition of wisdom has been reserved to the philosophical and theological fields of study, often making wisdom appear esoteric, elusive, and mysterious. While relatively recent empirical attempts have led to certain quantifications and qualifications of wisdom, a comprehensive and cohesive model for understanding, teaching, and implementing general wisdom has yet to emerge. Unfortunately, philosophical and theological treatises on wisdom have been overly convoluted or mystical, making wisdom appear elusive for the lay person. The empirical traditions have overanalyzed the concept to make it almost formulaic and uninspiring.

This primer merges insights from the philosophical, theological, and empirical traditions to provide a simple model for understanding, acquiring, practicing, and teaching wisdom. This primer is unique is that it uses clear language to walk the readers through representative classical philosophical and religious works and empirical studies in lieu of jargon-filled meditations. As a result, the primer orients readers to think like philosophers, theologians, and social scientists by shepherding them through to the logic of previous works on wisdom. What also sets this work apart is its brevity without compromise to substance. This primer demonstrates that the complicated can be made relatively simple, and that brevity and profound meaning often walk hand in hand.

Ideal for emerging and established leaders, this book demonstrates that wisdom inspires confidence, establishes credibility, and helps us successfully navigate complex problems and promote human progress. This primer makes wisdom accessible and provides all soon-to-be, novice, and seasoned leaders with the understanding, dispositions, and skills to be discerning and virtuous people others will want to emulate and follow.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 168 • Trim: 5¾ x 9

978-1-5381-5984-2 • Hardback • October 2021 • $83.00 • (£64.00)

978-1-5381-5985-9 • Paperback • October 2021 • $28.00 • (£19.99)

978-1-5381-5986-6 • eBook • October 2021 • $26.50 • (£19.99)

Subjects: Business & Economics / Leadership, Philosophy / Epistemology, Self-Help / Personal Growth / Success

Pursuing Wisdom

A Primer for Leaders and Learners

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Wisdom, considered the highest level of enlightenment, has not had a foothold in our education since Plato’s Academy and Aristotle’s Lyceum. Yet it is wisdom that ultimately promotes human flourishing and equips individuals with the sophistication to live life well. Wisdom is especially urgent if leaders and followers are to lead and follow well.

Wisdom is more critical and urgent than ever in today’s world. Stories of lack of discernment and sound judgment abound in the news. Comments such as “what were they thinking?” and “why did they do that?” reveal that wisdom is often painfully lacking when it comes to making decisions. The world needs people who judiciously discern and courageously implement innovative decisions at the right time and in the right way. But before wisdom can be adequately taught, it needs to be properly understood.

Historically, the study and acquisition of wisdom has been reserved to the philosophical and theological fields of study, often making wisdom appear esoteric, elusive, and mysterious. While relatively recent empirical attempts have led to certain quantifications and qualifications of wisdom, a comprehensive and cohesive model for understanding, teaching, and implementing general wisdom has yet to emerge. Unfortunately, philosophical and theological treatises on wisdom have been overly convoluted or mystical, making wisdom appear elusive for the lay person. The empirical traditions have overanalyzed the concept to make it almost formulaic and uninspiring.

This primer merges insights from the philosophical, theological, and empirical traditions to provide a simple model for understanding, acquiring, practicing, and teaching wisdom. This primer is unique is that it uses clear language to walk the readers through representative classical philosophical and religious works and empirical studies in lieu of jargon-filled meditations. As a result, the primer orients readers to think like philosophers, theologians, and social scientists by shepherding them through to the logic of previous works on wisdom. What also sets this work apart is its brevity without compromise to substance. This primer demonstrates that the complicated can be made relatively simple, and that brevity and profound meaning often walk hand in hand.

Ideal for emerging and established leaders, this book demonstrates that wisdom inspires confidence, establishes credibility, and helps us successfully navigate complex problems and promote human progress. This primer makes wisdom accessible and provides all soon-to-be, novice, and seasoned leaders with the understanding, dispositions, and skills to be discerning and virtuous people others will want to emulate and follow.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 168 • Trim: 5¾ x 9

978-1-5381-5984-2 • Hardback • October 2021 • $83.00 • (£64.00)

978-1-5381-5985-9 • Paperback • October 2021 • $28.00 • (£19.99)

978-1-5381-5986-6 • eBook • October 2021 • $26.50 • (£19.99)

Subjects: Business & Economics / Leadership, Philosophy / Epistemology, Self-Help / Personal Growth / Success

Author

John R. Shoup is professor of education and director of the Dr. Paul & Annie Kienel Leadership Institute at California Baptist University.
Jacqueline N. Gustafson is professor of psychology, the dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and fellow at the Dr. Paul & Annie Kienel Leadership Institute at California Baptist University.
Troy Hinrichs is professor of criminal justice and fellow at the Dr. Paul & Annie Kienel Leadership Institute at California Baptist University.

Table of Contents

Chapter Detail
Preface and Introduction. The preface explains why a primer on the nature of wisdom is needed and provides and outline of each chapter.

Chapter One: The Philosophers’ Pursuit
The chapter begins with overview of the field of philosophy and its love affair with wisdom. The chapter walks the readers through Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy, Plato’s Republic and The Laws, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, and Confucius’ Analects. The chapter also references the works of Al-Farabi, Avicenna, and Averroes’ treatment of wisdom from the Golden Age of Islam. The chapter concludes what the major philosophers had in common in their approaches to explain the nature of wisdom, albeit different content.

Chapter Two: Religious Perspectives
This chapter begins with an introduction to theology. The chapter walks the readers through wisdom as described in four major religions and their respective texts, The Vedas from Hinduism, the Hebrew Bible from Judaism, The Old and New Testament for Christianity, and the Quran for Islam. The chapter concludes with how the different theological texts share similar approaches to the nature of wisdom, albeit different content.

Chapter Three: The Influence of Social Science
This chapter begins with an overview of the empirical tradition. The chapter describes in detail the different research models on wisdom found in the social sciences: Ardelt’s Three Dimension Personality Model of Wisdom, Baltes’ Expert Theory of Wisdom, Sternberg’s Balance Theory of Wisdom, and Pederson and Seligman’s study of wisdom in the field of positive psychology. The chapter also reviews the hidden architecture governing all complex adaptive systems as described in complexity theory and makes corresponding connections to the models previously identified to reveal similar understandings on the nature of practical wisdom.

Chapter Four: Reinstating Wisdom
This chapter reveals how the philosophical, theological, and empirical traditions share striking similarities in their understanding of wisdom and provides a simple model to reinstate wisdom as a core element of our ongoing human education. With guidelines and specific practices to enable readers to understand, teach, and enact wisdom in their own lives, this chapter reinstates wisdom as a core value for all leaders.

Reviews

In Pursuing Wisdom: A Primer for Leaders and Learners, the authors expose the reader to a robust consideration of wisdom and its relationship to Truth and truth. The authors masterfully interweave theory and practice by exploring common ground and comparing divergent execution among a variety of philosophical, theological, and empirical perspectives. Using a collection of real-life narratives and crafted scenarios, the book helps readers better understand that “knowing truth and practicing wisdom involves different combinations of humility, confidence, faith, and reason regarding truth claims and corresponding judgments.” This is an intelligently accessible book that skillfully balances the why and how of pursuing wisdom.

— Andrea Scott, provost, George Fox University

I am excited about this opportunity to further explore wisdom from the lenses of a 40-year public safety leader, husband, father, coach and mentor. I’m excited to have a one-stop book of philosophy, theology and empirical tradition that I can dive into and take small bites to learn wisdom for life. As I press through my final chapter as a public service leader (Fire Chief), this book will give me and others the tools to summarize the so often mystical components of wisdom that are required to truly be successful in life.

— Michael D. Moore, M.P.A., EFO, fire chief, Riverside City Fire Department

Pursuing Wisdom is unique, insightful and takes a new perspective on wisdom and the practical application to leadership. This is a must-read primer that breaks down the BIG idea of what wisdom is into everyday bits, so all of us can live and lead wisely.

— Jenny Nuccio, founder and CEO of Imani Collective

Pursuing Wisdom

A Primer for Leaders and Learners

John R. Shoup; Troy W. Hinrichs and Jacqueline N. Gustafson

Pursuing Wisdom

A Primer for Leaders and Learners

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