CLICK THE LINK HERE 👇 TO SELECT:
 |
| Neb English Support Class 12 |
Knowledge and Wisdom by Bertrand Russell: Summary | Questions and Answers | Class 12 English
Knowledge and Wisdom by Bertrand Russell
MAIN INTRO FOR ANSWERS
Note: Add this introduction to your answers to the exam.
The essay 'Knowledge and Wisdom' was written by Bertrand Russell, a British writer. In this essay, the writer distinguishes between knowledge and wisdom. He critiques the global explosion of knowledge but emphasises that knowledge and wisdom are not synonymous. He states that knowledge involves acquiring data, while wisdom involves practical application and value creation through learning and experience. Wisdom helps us use knowledge for our own advantage and the benefit of humanity.
Table of Contents
ABOUT THE WRITER
Knowledge and Wisdom
Bertrand Arthur William Russell (1872–1970) was a British philosopher, logician, essayist, and social critic best known for his work in mathematical logic and analytic philosophy. His most influential contributions include his championing of logicism (the view that mathematics is in some important sensereducible to logic), his refining of Gottlob Frege’s predicate calculus (which still forms the basis of most contemporary systems of logic), his defence of neutral monism (the view that the world consists of just one type of substance that is neither exclusively mental nor exclusively physical), and his theories of definite descriptions, logical atomism, and logical types.
ABOUT THE TEXT
Knowledge and Wisdom by Bertrand Russell
The essay 'Knowledge and Wisdom' was written by a British writer, Bertrand Arthur William Russell. This essay is a kind of argument where the writer seems to lament the great explosion of knowledge in the world but not the wisdom in its correlation. He believes that both knowledge and wisdom are not synonymous. Russell specifies both aspects by saying that these two aspects are two different things. According to him, knowledge is defined as the acquisition of data and information, whereas wisdom is defined as the practical application and use of knowledge to create value. Knowledge is acquired through study, research, experience, etc., but wisdom is acquired through learning and practical experience and not merely by memorization. It tells us how to use this knowledge to our best advantage or for the good of humanity. If knowledge is the engine, wisdom is the driver.
Wisdom is a complete vision. It's a power to see what will be the result of an action. But knowledge is concerned with action only. It doesn't care to see the result. As a part of knowledge, scientific medicine can be taken as the best example of research. Scientific medicine gives us the knowledge that enables us to reduce infant mortality in many countries. However, the knowledge thus gained does not enable us to see that a lower death rate would increase the population, making the food supply inadequate and lowering the standard of living. It is the wisdom that will enable us to see this bad outcome of research in scientific medicine. Knowledge that isn't governed by wisdom will cause calamity for humans.
Unlike wisdom, knowledge has nothing to do with the 'tyranny of the here and now'. Knowledge can reach the level of wisdom only when it enables man to free himself from the clutches of ego and see the world objectively. It is difficult to get rid of selfishness completely, but we can think about the things around us. Wisdom comes when we start loving others.
Russell believes that wisdom can be taught, which is the goal of education. The message in the parable of the Good Samaritan is that we should love our neighbour, whether friend or foe. Many times we miss the message in this parable (story or fable) because we fail to love those who harm society.
In short, Russell tells us not to hate anyone. The writer takes examples from the histories of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry IV, and Abraham Lincoln, who in the past were free from errors made by other eminent people. Although knowledge and wisdom are not synonymous, they are correlated. With each increase in knowledge, wisdom becomes more essential, for every such increase augments our capacity to realise our purposes and therefore augments our capacity for evil if our purposes are unwise. The dangers of hatred and narrow-mindedness can be pointed out in the course of imparting knowledge.
CLICK THE LINK HERE 👇 TO SELECT:
Wisdom lies in freeing oneself from the control of the senses. Russell believes that knowledge can be taught, which is the goal of education. He specifies wisdom more than knowledge. Even though we're born mindless, we can't help, but we are Lincoln, an influential personality who infused passion with wisdom and fought evil. Russell feels that knowledge and wisdom can be combined in the scheme of education. People should be educated to see things in relation to other things in the world. They should be encouraged to think of themselves as world citizens.
MAIN SUMMARY
Knowledge and Wisdom by Bertrand Russell
In this essay "Knowledge and Wisdom", the writer defines knowledge and enumerates the different ways of acquiring it. He laments that though vast knowledge has been acquired so far, there has been no corresponding increase in wisdom.
He defines wisdom as relating various things that contribute to wisdom. The knowledge of the composition of the atom could be misused by lunatics to destroy the world. He feels that knowledge without wisdom can be harmful. It should be combined with the total needs of mankind. Men who have knowledge but no feelings lack wisdom. We need wisdom both in public and private life. We need wisdom to decide the goal of our life. Knowledge without wisdom can be harmful. Even complete knowledge is not enough. For example, Hegel wrote with great knowledge about history but made the Germans believe that they were a master race. It led to war. It is necessary, therefore, to combine knowledge with feelings. Russell feels that wisdom can be taught as a goal of education.
Russell believes that knowledge can be taught, which is the goal of education. Wisdom comes when we start giving importance to those things which do not give importance to us immediately. Wisdom comes when we start loving others. The message in the parable of the Good Samaritan is that we should love our neighbour, whether friend or foe.
Many times, we miss the message in this parable, because we stop loving those who harm society. Understanding is the only way out and not hatred. In short, Russell exhorts us not to hate anyone. The writer takes from history the examples of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry IV and Abraham Lincoln, who in the past were free from errors made by other eminent people.
The dangers of hatred and narrow-mindedness can be pointed out in the course of imparting knowledge. Russell believes that knowledge and ethics can be combined in the scheme of education. People should be educated to see things in relation to other things in the world.
In conclusion, the author states five factors that contribute to wisdom. They are:
1) Comprehensiveness
2) A sense of proportion
3) Emancipation
4) Impartiality
5) Awareness of human needs and understating.
In short, as knowledge increases, so does our power to do evil. To make good use of our knowledge, we will need more and more wisdom. We need more knowledge to make good use of our growing knowledge. Only then can we realise our purpose in life and achieve our goals.
A wise person has both insight and foresight, whereas a smart person does not necessarily do so. A smart person can seize the here and now, but a wise man can go beyond it. A smart person reacts quickly to external changes, but a wise person can spot the changes and make the right decisions. Making someone wise requires a broad vision and an unbiased mind, and much knowledge can be gained through constant thinking and experience.
CLICK THE LINK HERE 👇 TO SELECT:
A wise person has a broad vision, able to take into account all the important aspects of the problem and give due weight to each of them. Moreover, a wise man knows about the end of his life.
It is considered unwise to pursue a goal if the goal is impossible to achieve. Russell also points out that one factor in wisdom is freedom from prejudice, as much as possible. As your thoughts and feelings become less personal, you can gain wisdom.
Traditional moral instruction lacks intellectual elements. To impart knowledge, the ill effects of hatred and narrow-mindedness should be pointed towards knowledge and at the same time morality should be taught.
The writer's concept of a citizen is that a person should be a citizen of the world, but not of a nation. The view of the citizens of the world is narrow. The former has more knowledge than the latter. One can't be both at the same time. The increase in knowledge leads to the development of various skills which result in scientific advancement. It also debates our capacity for evil unless our motives are intelligent. So knowledge should be in proportion as a result of an increase in wisdom. Otherwise, it will lead to hatred, destruction and disaster.
Every man always thinks about himself. We can't stop it. Sight, sound, and touch are tied to our own bodies and cannot be made impersonal. As a person gets older, his thoughts become less personal. He attains increasing wisdom.
Scientific medicine has been successful in significantly reducing infant mortality in Europe, America, Asia, and Africa.Its other effect is an increase in population and a decrease in standard of living. A scientist makes more people alive. But he doesn't have the wisdom to stop its destructive aspect.
GLOSSARY
proportion (n.): a part or share of a whole
absorb (v.): to take, draw or suck something in
distorting (v.): pull or twist out of shape
inculcate (v.): implant, infuse, instil
bound up (v.): to limit something
fanatical (adj.): a person who is too enthusiastic about something
CLICK THE LINK HERE 👇 TO SELECT:
Thanks for Visiting my Website: Suraj Bhatt
Post a Comment