Does Wisdom

Increase With Age?

By: Harrison West

Introduction
My purpose of this inquiry project is to
inform about my own exploration of the
question of age being relative to wisdom. I
have always thought of myself as being
wise (Im sure we all have) but is that just
ignorance.
Prior to starting this inquiry project I
believed that time was relative and that its
a persons reflective experiences, which
causes someone to look inward towards
themselves, creates real wisdom.

Perception of Wisdom

What is Wisdom?
Useless Facts
Your stomach has to
produce a new layer of
mucus every two weeks
otherwise it will digest
itself.
There are more chickens
than people in the world.
The elephant is the only
mammal that can't jump.

Thoughts
The wise man should be
prepared for everything
that does not lie within his
control.
One who understands
much displays a greater
simplicity of character
than one who
understands little.

Wisdom

An understanding of
human nature

Emotional resiliency

Humility

An ability to learn from

experience

Openness

Superior judgment and

problem-solving skills

Measuring Wisdom
Take this example:

"A 14-year-old girl wants to move out of her

home immediately -- what should be
considered in this situation?" Someone who
responded that a 14-year-old should never
move out on her own would be considered
unwise, while someone who considered
differences between cultures or issues such
as abuse in the home would be considered
wise.

Wisdom and Age

Is age a prerequisite for

wisdom?

In studies in which
participants were
asked to nominate
individuals that they
thought wise, the
average age for
nominees was about 55
or 60.

Elderly Not Wiser?

According to studies there is a
plateau of optimal wisdom
performance that seems to
occur actually in middle age
There is the fading memories
and decline in cognitive
function that we sometimes
associate with the elderly
However the ability to control
their emotional response and
remain more positive in the
face of an emotional
challenge is a trait that comes
with age

No Consensus
It may be that people of
all ages can be wise.
A young person may
exhibit wisdom in picking
out a career, but that
person does so with the
sense of limitless future
ahead of them.

On the other hand, an

elderly person, knowing
that time is more limited,
will exhibit a different
kind of wisdom in making
a decision

Works Cited
Sternberg, Robert J. "Older But Not Wiser?
The Relationship Between Age and
Wisdom." Ageing International. Winter
2005.