The Beginning of Wisdom

PragerU: Five-Minute Videos

PragerU

Non-profit, Self-improvement, Education, Business, History

4.7 • 6.8K Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2024

⏱️ 5 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

You need wisdom to navigate the challenges and complexities of life. But how do you get it? Owen Anderson, professor of philosophy at Arizona State University, suggests the perfect place to start.

Transcript

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0:00.0	On the first day of my philosophy 101 class, I ask my students this question.
0:07.0	Does life make any sense?
0:09.0	A few awkward moments pass.
0:11.0	One hand goes up and then another.
0:13.4	No, life doesn't make sense, many students tell me.
0:17.4	It seems arbitrary and full of pain and suffering.
0:20.7	How does this make them feel, I ask. They tell me it causes them anxiety and even
0:25.0	depression. Well, what do they plan to do about it? I inquire. They have no
0:29.2	answer. And this, of course, only adds to their anxiety.
0:33.4	Fortunately, there is an answer.
0:35.7	It's called wisdom.
0:37.5	Not exactly a fashionable concept these days,
0:39.7	but given how much mental illness is reported on campus is primed for a comeback.
0:44.6	The Oxford Dictionary defines wisdom this way.
0:47.4	The capacity of judging rightly in matters relating to life and conduct.
0:52.1	Soundness of judgment. That's some matters relating to life and conduct.
0:52.6	Soundness of judgment.
0:54.7	That's something we all desire.
0:56.3	Life is complex.
0:57.7	Difficult questions and choices confront us all the time.
1:01.2	Wisdom helps us to deal with them. By the way, the word philosophy means the love of wisdom.
1:06.8	So where should we start on our wisdom journey? How about with the most significant and
	...

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