Wise Reasoning in an Uncertain World

Abstract

Climate change, proliferation of ultranationalist movements in various parts of the globe, tribalism, and denial of science—in times like these social critiques and philosophers often call for greater wisdom. What is wisdom and how does it develop? Philosophers argue that knowledge is insufficient for wisdom. Instead, they have argued that wisdom requires certain aspects of meta-cognition to flexibly navigate complex environments: epistemic humility, consideration of multiple perspectives and ways a situation may unfold, and integration of different perspectives. Empirical scientists recently started to explore these concepts. Our chapter highlights some of the evidence-based advances in the study of wisdom made in the last decade and their utility for tackling some of the problems the world is facing today.