What is Wisdom and Can it be Taught?

What is Wisdom and Can it be Taught? uses careful theoretical analysis and a well-argued ontological conception of the human being to present a new ‘Holistic Wisdom Model’, summarizing existing research and presenting fresh insights.

Human wisdom is a complex phenomenon. Psychological research in this area has led to a wide range of fragmentary claims and models, and therefore, there is a need for theoretical clarification of the field: What is wisdom? How should we study it in the first place? Is it a purely psychological phenomenon, or do we also need philosophy? This book examines these questions, as well as provides a pedagogical review of wisdom to evaluate how people become wise(r) and whether wisdom can be taught. Drawing on findings from a range of educational fields, it shows the crucial features of wisdom-enhancing pedagogies we already know, which are summarized in a ‘Teaching for Wisdom Model’.

Written by leading, interdisciplinary scholars, this book illuminates the study of wisdom for researchers, academics, teachers, and students of psychology, philosophy, and education.

Eeva K. Kallio is Associate Adjunct Professor at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, and the University of Tampere, Finland. She is Honorary President of ESRAD (European Society for Research in Adult Development). She leads the Wisdom and Learning team at the Institute for Educational Research, the University of Jyväskylä. She is currently involved in the project ‘Wisdom in Practice’ funded by the Research Council of Finland (2022–2026) and is the leader of its work package ‘Psychological foundations of research on wisdom’.

Päivi Tynjälä is Professor of Education at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. She has more than 30 years of experience in educational research, and she has published widely both nationally and internationally. In 2010–2014, she served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Educational Research Review. Currently, she is an editorial board member of Vocations and Learning. She leads the work package ‘Developing wisdom in higher education’ in the ‘Wisdom in Practice’ project funded by the Research Council of Finland (2022–2026).