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From Knowledge to Wisdom: A Revolution for Science and the Humanities
 
 
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From Knowledge to Wisdom: A Revolution for Science and the Humanities (Paperback)

by Nicholas Maxwell (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 484 pages
  • Publisher: Pentire Press; 2nd Revised edition edition (Feb 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0955224004
  • ISBN-13: 978-0955224003
  • Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.2 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 36,970 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #19 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Philosophy > Topics > Epistemology, Theory of Knowledge
    #27 in  Books > Science & Nature > History & Philosophy > Philosophy of Science > Science

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Synopsis

From Knowledge to Wisdom argues that there is an urgent need, for both intellectual and humanitarian reasons, to bring about a revolution in science and the humanities. The outcome would be a kind of academic inquiry rationally devoted to helping humanity learn how to create a better world. The basic intellectual aim of inquiry would be to seek and promote wisdom - wisdom being the capacity to realize what is of value in life for oneself and others, thus including knowledge and technological know-how, but much else besides. * "There are altogether too many symptoms of malaise in our science-based society for Nicholas Maxwell's diagnosis to be ignored." Professor Christopher Longuet-Higgins, Nature. * "a strong effort is needed if one is to stand back and clearly state the objections to the whole enormous tangle of misconceptions which surround the notion of science to-day. Maxwell has made that effort in this powerful, profound and important book." Dr. Mary Midgley, University Quarterly. * "The essential idea is really so simple, so transparently right ...It is a profound book, refreshingly unpretentious, and deserves to be read, refined and implemented." Dr.Stewart Richards, Annals of Science.

This second edition is revised throughout, has additional material and three new chapters.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars What Critics Said about the First Edition (Blackwell, 1984), 19 Nov 2007
From Knowledge to Wisdom argues that there is an urgent need, for both intellectual and humanitarian reasons, to bring about a revolution in science and the humanities. The outcome would be a kind of academic inquiry rationally devoted to helping humanity learn how to create a better world. Instead of giving priority to solving problems of knowledge, as at present, academia would devote itself to helping us solve our immense, current global problems - climate change, war, poverty, population growth, pollution of sea, earth and air, destruction of natural habitats and rapid extinction of species, injustice, tyranny, proliferation of armaments, conventional, chemical, biological and nuclear, depletion of natural resources. The basic intellectual aim of inquiry would be to seek and promote wisdom - wisdom being the capacity to realize what is of value in life for oneself and others, thus including knowledge and technological know-how, but much else besides.
This second edition has been revised throughout, has additional material, a new introduction and three new chapters.

What critics said about the first edition of From Knowledge to Wisdom

"Maxwell is advocating nothing less than a revolution (based on reason, not on religious or Marxist doctrine) in our intellectual goals and methods of inquiry ... There are altogether too many symptoms of malaise in our science-based society for Nicholas Maxwell's diagnosis to be ignored."
Professor Christopher Longuet-Higgins, Nature.

"a strong effort is needed if one is to stand back and clearly state the objections to the whole enormous tangle of misconceptions which surround the notion of science to-day. Maxwell has made that effort in this powerful, profound and important book."
Dr. Mary Midgley, University Quarterly.

"The essential idea is really so simple, so transparently right ... It is a profound book, refreshingly unpretentious, and deserves to be read, refined and implemented."
Dr. Stewart Richards, Annals of Science.

"Maxwell's book is a major contribution to current work on the intellectual status and social functions of science ... [It] comes as an enormous breath of fresh air, for here is a philosopher of science with enough backbone to offer root and branch criticism of scientific practices and to call for their reform."
Dr. David Collingridge, Social Studies of Science.

"Maxwell has, I believe, written a very important book which will resonate in the years to come. For those who are not inextricably and cynically locked into the power and career structure of academia with its government-industrial-military connections, this is a book to read, think about, and act on."
Dr. Brian Easlea, Journal of Applied Philosophy.

"This book is a provocative and sustained argument for a 'revolution', a call for a 'sweeping, holistic change in the overall aims and methods of institutionalized inquiry and education, from knowledge to wisdom' ... Maxwell offers solid and convincing arguments for the exciting and important thesis that rational research and debate among professionals concerning values and their realization is both possible and ought to be undertaken."
Professor Jeff Foss, Canadian Philosophical Review

"Wisdom, as Maxwell's own experience shows, has been outlawed from the western academic and intellectual system ... In such a climate, Maxwell's effort to get a hearing on behalf of wisdom is indeed praiseworthy." Dr. Ziauddin Sardar, Inquiry

"Maxwell's argument ... is a powerful one. His critique of the underlying empiricism of the philosophy of knowledge is coherent and well argued, as is his defence of the philosophy of wisdom. Most interesting, perhaps, from a philosophical viewpoint, is his analysis of the social and human sciences and the humanities, which have always posed problems to more orthodox philosophers, wishing to reconcile them with the natural sciences. In Maxwell's schema they pose no such problems, featuring primarily ... as methodologies, aiding our pursuit of our diverse social and personal endeavours. This is an exciting and important work, which should be read by all students of the philosophy of science. It also provides a framework for historical analysis and should be of interest to all but the most blinkered of historians of science and philosophy."
Dr. John Hendry, British Journal for the History of Science

"Nicholas Maxwell (1984) defines freedom as 'the capacity to achieve what is of value in a range of circumstances'. I think this is about as good a short definition of freedom as could be. In particular, it appropriately leaves wide open the question of just what is of value. Our unique ability to reconsider our deepest convictions about what makes life worth living obliges us to take seriously the discovery that there is no palpable constraint on what we can consider."
Professor Daniel Dennett, Freedom Evolving
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5.0 out of 5 stars Very important book: A "must" for relevant audiences, 30 April 2009
By J. Huggins (Los Gatos, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Any philosopher or other person who seeks wisdom should read this book. Any educator who loves education--especially those in leadership positions--should read this book. Anyone who wants to understand an important source of modern human malaise should read this book. And anyone trying to figure out why, in a world that produces so many technical wonders, there is such an immense "wisdom gap" should read this book.

In "From Knowledge to Wisdom: A Revolution for Science and the Humanities," Second Edition, British philosopher Nicholas Maxwell presents a compelling, wise, humane, and timely argument for a shift in our fundamental "aim of inquiry" from that of knowledge to that of wisdom. To appreciate the bare essence of Maxwell's conclusion, one need only consult a good dictionary and reflect on the state of the world today. But, the book helps bring the problem to life and presents a compelling rationale for the shift. Indeed, the essential argument of the book "rings true" (and loudly so) in light of what's going on in the world today on many dimensions.

Maxwell argues that the highest priority of inquiry--the "aim" of inquiry--should be to help humans realize (including achieve) "what is of value in life" in a broad sense of that phrase and in ways that are themselves subject to continuing assessment and improvement as wisdom and knowledge progress. For example, rather than claiming to seek "truth" primarily for the sake of knowledge itself, we should, Maxwell argues, place a higher priority on seeking understanding, and corresponding action, aimed at helping humans actually realize "what is of value in life."

The book is not simply or even primarily an emotional plea: Instead, the argument is based in reason, rationality, an analysis of shortcomings of current approaches, and wisdom. The book does not argue for wisdom-without-knowledge (as if there were such a thing for humans). It argues, instead, that a priority should be placed on wisdom and, within that broader context--and as one key element of it--on the acquisition of knowledge that serves the higher priority of wisdom and, in so doing, serves the aim mentioned above. Nor is the book's message relativistic in the sense of "everything is equally true" or "anything goes." In fact, the book reflects a deep appreciation for empirical discovery and practicality. That said, the book makes the very healthy argument, among others, that the aims and assumptions of inquiry, in general, should be made explicit and should be subject to ongoing assessment and improvement.

In a very helpful way, Maxwell uses the phrases "philosophy of wisdom," "philosophy of knowledge," "aim-oriented rationality," "standard empiricism," and "aim-oriented empiricism" to clarify concepts and express his argument. That said, given the immense importance of the topic, I could not possibly do it justice by trying to summarize Maxwell's compelling argument here.


"From Knowledge to Wisdom" is for the open-minded wisdom-seeker but perhaps not for the faint of heart. Maxwell sheds light on--and seeks to correct and improve--some key unexamined or under-examined assumptions that influence academia, scientific pursuit, and global well-being. Mary Poppins might have added a bit more sugar, but that's Mary Poppins.

In short, my recommendation: Read this book!
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