NOTES FROM THE LAST SEMINAR, FROM INFORMATION TO WISDOM
As promised, Veronica Brady revisited her topic from our first seminar in the “Seeking Wisdom” series, “What is wisdom?” She reminded us of the derivation of the word “wisdom” – “wys” meaning perfection, and “-dom” meaning “dwelling in it”; thus wisdom implies dwelling in what is actually the case. Veronica reminded us that our materialistic culture “enchants” us and prevents us from seeing what is actually the case. The evidence of global warming and the energy crisis should alert us to the necessity for a paradigm shift. Asking the question, “what might wisdom be?” Veronica developed the theme that Indigenous wisdom and the language of poetry find synthesis in the discoveries and understandings of physics. We are part of all things and all time, part of the cosmos. It is imperative for us to begin to do things differently and to get back in tune with the earth. The beginning of wisdom might be to change our attitudes to ourselves, to other humans, to creatures and to the earth. Veronica finished by reading a poem, “Connections” by Judith Wright. Page 2 of 3 Malcolm Hollick cheekily pointed out that “Seek wisdom”, the motto of The University of Western Australia, is getting somewhat buried in the undergrowth, and he showed a photograph to prove it. Malcolm used a bank statement as an example of data that needs to be understood and interpreted using a variety of background information (what is money, what is a bank, what is a deposit, etc). Intellectual understandings need to be balanced by imagination and emotion to move the knowledge towards wisdom. “What does money mean to me?” is a question that might be asked. Is it security, survival, identity? This kind of evaluation of knowledge and understanding is the basis for proposing actions and making choices; proposed actions can then be analysed further for their meaning and benefit.
Malcolm proposed a number of criteria we could use to assess the wisdom of ideas or actions, including knowing what is “right”; integration of reason, intuition, and spiritual knowledge; asking the right questions and remaining open to new ideas; and the love of harmony, beauty and truth – but not THE truth. We should interrogate our “knowledge” and ask ourselves whether an idea or action reflects an extreme view; whether it can integrate conflicting ideas; whether it is consistent with the teachings of Christ, Mohammed, Buddha and other wise ones; whether its motivation is compassionate or negative; whether it would benefit all beings; and whether it is in
tune with other beings and with the rocks and trees and rivers. Finally we should seek
inspiration from whatever sources it springs for us, from religion, from Pan, from Gaia …
Malcolm ended his talk by showing us a photograph of one of his personal sources of
inspiration, a “wise green man”. You can see it here in his PowerPoint notes, along with notes from Veronica’s talk.
Questions and comments included:
How can secular institutions offer a path to wisdom if spirituality is essential to it? (Veronica rejected the divide between the secular and the sacred, offering a definition of “sacred” as “containing mystery” and proposing that it exists in everyday things.)
Spirituality can come from a non-religious background, and some people find it in a relationship with nature. The old Australian “bushies” who walked the land had a relationship with it like traditional Australian Aborigines did; we may need to walk the land again to relate to it. Our current environmental crisis requires us to have the humility to review our past mistakes.
Can wisdom be taught? Is our “ownership” of land (as opposed to the Aborigines’ custodianship) the cause of our current problems?
Neville begs to differ.
Although both Veronica and Malcolm, in reply to the question, “can wisdom be taught?”
answered “no”, the director of the Centre for Integrated Human Studies, Neville Bruce, in conversation later begged to differ. “If we didn’t leave the seminar any wiser than we were when we came in, we might as well not have attended,” he said. Neville strongly believes in the ideal of tertiary education leading people towards ways of thinking and knowing that enable wisdom.
That’s what this seminar series is all about!
NEXT SEMINAR
Centre director Neville Bruce will chair our last seminar in the “Seeking wisdom” series. As usual, it will be held at 5.30 pm in Seminar room 1.81 in the School of Anatomy and Human Biology at the University of Western Australia (two buildings south of Shenton House on the Matilda Bay side of the campus).
To mark the end of our first series, we’ll have some slightly more substantial refreshments. If you’ve attended any of the seminars in this series, please join us in celebrating its success – and if you haven’t made it to any yet, this would be a good one to start!
Seminar 6, 25 June 08 Greening Australia: why, when and how
The green movement in Australia has flourished, from its early beginnings as an alternative philosophy championed by farseeing but amateur enthusiasts, to more organised and accredited minor political, academic and interest groups. It has now finally been dignified by adoption by all major political parties, and indeed by nearly all but sectional economic interests and the scientific heretic.
Media references
Karen Connolly
Integrated Human Studies
School of Anatomy and Human Biology
The University of Western Australia
35 Stirling Highway Crawley WA 6009
+61 08 6488 3647 email: kconnolly@anhb.uwa.edu.au
In the office on Mondays and Thursdays - for urgent enquiries please phone Neville Bruce on 6488 3292
