The “wisdom of Solomon” hasn’t been the standard in most American elections. It might not have been a standard during any election anywhere. Immediate political and social concerns, international pressures, and economic matters probably motivate many voters who want “their” solutions embodied in the elected official. But wisdom? Is there such an animal, or is it a unicorn appearing in a flight of fantasy?
If we limit our definition of wisdom to “understanding” and “acting on some utilitarian ideal of the greatest good for the greatest number,” then wisdom can still have an inimical effect on individuals, especially on those concerned with personal freedom.
Is there a truism, an axiom, by which we can judge a leader’s wisdom?
If there is an underlying Truth about wisdom, it might be that relationship between facts and understanding encapsulated in one of the surviving “fragments” of Heraclitus. The Ephesian wrote, “One can’t have facts without understanding nor have understanding without facts.” Well, that’s the gist of it if not the exact words from the papyrus scroll.
So, there’s an interdependence between facts and understanding. In the current Age of Misinformation, one of the components is woefully lacking in those who “lead.” Take, for example, the mask mandates. The world went through at least a year of a pandemic before anyone attempted an experiment on the efficacy of masks; yet, many leaders proclaimed that masks stopped the spread of the disease. Recently, the CDC announced that cloth masks do not stop the spread of COVID-19 and that the only partially effective coverings are approved surgical masks. But the US President, who has worn a mask during a Zoom meeting and who recently took off his mask for a brief appearance before the Press, insists with other government officials, that masks “save lives.” Take, also, the numbers of people who have died specifically because of the disease. The US Vice President recently said the number was 200,000,000. Have you driven through the empty cities? The US population, if that “fact” were correct, would be only a third of what it was two years ago. Take the claim that the vaccines stop the spread of the disease, also. What’s one to do with Pfizer’s recent acknowledgement that the vaccines don’t, in fact, stop the spread? And what is one to do with the fact of infections among the vaccinated? Or take the effect of the Omicron variant that wended its way through the American population in late 2021 and early 2022. University administrators in at least one Ivy League school required vaccines and boosters for all students entering the 2022 spring semester because of Omicron, even though there is no factual evidence that they prevent the spread of the disease. And what of the fact that males between 18-24 are more likely to suffer some serious consequences from the vaccine, such as myocarditis, than they are to suffer from Omicron? Finally, take a Supreme Court Justice who said that COVID-19 has hospitalized 100,000 children, many of them on ventilators. From what treasure-trove of facts did she pull that bit of information, which a brief search through CDC records would negate?
No, we don’t live in an Age of the Wise. Wisdom isn’t the forte of those in charge, and maybe that’s a product of their not coupling facts to their understanding.. If the President, Vice President, Supreme Court Justice, multiple governors, and college administrators had just paid attention during their introductory philosophy classes in college, they might have stumbled upon that fragment of Heraclitus.
But could those who lack wisdom have understood what the philosopher wrote? Keep in mind that in the fragment, understanding and facts are dual prerequisites.
If we limit our definition of wisdom to “understanding” and “acting on some utilitarian ideal of the greatest good for the greatest number,” then wisdom can still have an inimical effect on individuals, especially on those concerned with personal freedom.
Is there a truism, an axiom, by which we can judge a leader’s wisdom?
If there is an underlying Truth about wisdom, it might be that relationship between facts and understanding encapsulated in one of the surviving “fragments” of Heraclitus. The Ephesian wrote, “One can’t have facts without understanding nor have understanding without facts.” Well, that’s the gist of it if not the exact words from the papyrus scroll.
So, there’s an interdependence between facts and understanding. In the current Age of Misinformation, one of the components is woefully lacking in those who “lead.” Take, for example, the mask mandates. The world went through at least a year of a pandemic before anyone attempted an experiment on the efficacy of masks; yet, many leaders proclaimed that masks stopped the spread of the disease. Recently, the CDC announced that cloth masks do not stop the spread of COVID-19 and that the only partially effective coverings are approved surgical masks. But the US President, who has worn a mask during a Zoom meeting and who recently took off his mask for a brief appearance before the Press, insists with other government officials, that masks “save lives.” Take, also, the numbers of people who have died specifically because of the disease. The US Vice President recently said the number was 200,000,000. Have you driven through the empty cities? The US population, if that “fact” were correct, would be only a third of what it was two years ago. Take the claim that the vaccines stop the spread of the disease, also. What’s one to do with Pfizer’s recent acknowledgement that the vaccines don’t, in fact, stop the spread? And what is one to do with the fact of infections among the vaccinated? Or take the effect of the Omicron variant that wended its way through the American population in late 2021 and early 2022. University administrators in at least one Ivy League school required vaccines and boosters for all students entering the 2022 spring semester because of Omicron, even though there is no factual evidence that they prevent the spread of the disease. And what of the fact that males between 18-24 are more likely to suffer some serious consequences from the vaccine, such as myocarditis, than they are to suffer from Omicron? Finally, take a Supreme Court Justice who said that COVID-19 has hospitalized 100,000 children, many of them on ventilators. From what treasure-trove of facts did she pull that bit of information, which a brief search through CDC records would negate?
No, we don’t live in an Age of the Wise. Wisdom isn’t the forte of those in charge, and maybe that’s a product of their not coupling facts to their understanding.. If the President, Vice President, Supreme Court Justice, multiple governors, and college administrators had just paid attention during their introductory philosophy classes in college, they might have stumbled upon that fragment of Heraclitus.
But could those who lack wisdom have understood what the philosopher wrote? Keep in mind that in the fragment, understanding and facts are dual prerequisites.
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