BBC随身英语｜什么样的人是智慧的？

What makes a person wise?

Think of the wisest person you know. What is it that makes them wise? What qualities do they have? Does wisdom mean the same for you as it does for me? All cultures value wisdom, but not all cultures agree on its definition. For some, the focus is on intelligence, while others emphasise compassionate love for others. In some cultures, a spiritual component is required to be considered wise. Are there any aspects of wisdom that all cultures can agree on?

A group of 34 researchers from all over the world and from fields like psychology, philosophy and anthropology got together to explore 'Dimensions of wisdom perception across twelve countries on five continents'. The study found two characteristics that everyone – from urban university students in Peru to villagers in rural India – associated with wisdom.

The first quality a wise person must have is 'socio-emotional awareness'. This is about the ability to understand others' point of view and really care about their thoughts and feelings. However, this person must also have the second quality: 'reflective orientation', which is about using logic and past experience to make judgements. If you are mindlessly driven by emotions and don't think before you act, then you are unlikely to be perceived as wise. So, if you want to be wise, learn to both keep your cool and put yourself in others' shoes.

But, while this study helps us build a more unified definition of wisdom, the world is vast and cultures vary hugely. In 'The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom', the authors make an apple pie analogy, comparing pie to wisdom. Imagine your grandmother makes your favourite apple pie – she represents the wisdom you think is best. Now, imagine you take this apple pie to the Amazon rainforest, where apples don't grow.

For the locals, the pie isn't as good as their own traditional desserts; they've grown up with different flavours and ingredients, just as different cultures have developed their own wisdom traditions. Ultimately, the way wisdom is experienced, shared, and valued depends on the cultural ingredients involved.

词汇表
compassionate [kəmˈpæʃənət] 有同情心的，怜悯的
spiritual [ˈspɪrɪtʃuəl] 精神的，心灵的；宗教的
anthropology [ˌænθrəˈpɒlədʒi] 人类学
Peru [pəˈruː] 秘鲁（南美洲国家）
rural [ˈrʊərəl] 农村的，乡村的，田园的
socio-emotional awareness [ˌsəʊsiəʊ ɪˈməʊʃənl ˈeəwənəs] 社会情感意识（理解他人观点、并真正关心他人的想法和感受）
reflective orientation [rɪˈflektɪv ˌɔːriənˈteɪʃn] 反思倾向，反思取向（运用逻辑和过往经验来做出判断）
。然而，这个人还必须具备第二个品质：“反思倾向”，即运用逻辑和过往经验来做出判断。
mindlessly [ˈmaɪndləsli] 盲目地，无意识地，不用心地
be perceived as [pəˈsiːvd] 被视为，被看作是
keep one's cool 保持冷静，沉住气
put yourself in others' shoes 设身处地为他人着想，从他人的角度看问题
unified [ˈjuːnɪfaɪd] 统一的，一致的，联合的
vast [vɑːst] 广阔的，巨大的，大量的
vary hugely [ˈveəri ˈhjuːdʒli] 差异巨大
analogy [əˈnælədʒi] 类比，比喻，比拟
Amazon rainforest [ˈæməzən ˈreɪnˌfɒrɪst] 亚马逊雨林
flavour [ˈfleɪvə(r)] 味道，风味，特色
ingredient [ɪnˈɡriːdiənt] （烹饪）原料，成分；因素

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