Practical Wisdom: The Right Way to Do the Right Thing

Schwartz, Barry; Sharpe, Kenneth

ISBN 10: 1442339489 ISBN 13: 9781442339484

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio, 2010

Synopsis

The surest route to a happier, more productive life and future

 

Most of us want to succeed. And most of us want to do the right thing. But we often forget that the way to

succeed is by doing the right thing, as Barry Schwartz and Kenneth Sharpe remind us in Practical Wisdom:

The Right Way to Do the Right Thing. When the institutions that shape our society need to change, the people

in them typically either make more rules or offer smarter incentives. But there is a better way, and in this

lively and provocative book, Schwartz and Sharpe explore the essential principle of problem solving that can

transform our lives: practical wisdom.

 

A concept that Aristotle identified millennia ago and that new scientific research reveals is as crucial today

as it was in ancient Greece, practical wisdom is the essential human quality that combines the fruits of our

individual experiences with our empathy and intellect. It’s how we learn to be a good friend or parent or doctor

or soldier or citizen or statesman. It’s how we come to understand, as the authors write, “the right way to do

the right thing in a particular circumstance, with a particular person, at a particular time.”

In Practical Wisdom, Schwartz and Sharpe explain the importance of wisdom in our daily lives and show how

to combat work situations that squeeze it out of our practices. They introduce us to what they call the “canny

outlaws,” people with the wisdom to work around the calcified conventions of business as usual to achieve

inspiring and satisfying results in daily life. And they identify System Changers, people who are building new,

more rewarding, and ultimately more effective ways to work. The result is a book that helps us understand

that wisdom is above all a practical idea.

 

What the world needs now is more people with practical wisdom and more institutions that allow them to

display it. And this is the book to teach us how to identify and cultivate it.

 

About this title

About the Author

Barry Schwartz is a professor of psychology at Swarthmore College and the author of Why We Work, The Paradox of Choice, and Practical Wisdom. His articles have been published in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Parade Magazine, USA TODAY, Advertising Age, Slate, Scientific American, The New Republic, Harvard Business Review, and The Guardian, and he has appeared on dozens of radio shows, including Morning Edition, Talk of the Nation, Anderson Cooper 360, and CBS Sunday Morning.

From Booklist

In this thoughtful consideration of an Aristotelian ideal, Schwartz and Sharpe delve deeply into what it means to practice wisdom. What makes this an engrossing (and socially significant) read is not the nod to the ancient Greeks but, rather, the numerous examples of people in all facets of American life who seek wisdom in their professional and personal choices. The authors consider how mandatory sentencing has removed the element of judgment from a judge’s position, citing a heartbreaking example. As they further make the case for empathy and patience, they delve into health care, education, and the groundbreaking work being conducted in the extraordinarily successful Veterans Court in Buffalo. Repeatedly, by example, they stress the necessity of a human approach, without politics, to the issues of how we live and interact with each other. And through all of this, Schwartz and Sharpe demonstrate how relevant Aristotle is today. As surprising as it is convincing, this thoughtful work will long stay with readers, as will the many people who are profiled on its pages. --Colleen Mondor

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1442339489
• ISBN 13: 9781442339484
• Binding: Audio CD
• Language: English