Answer the following questions.

1. Which leaders does Russell say were able to mix knowledge and wisdom soundly?

Answer: Russell cites Queen Elizabeth I of England, Henry IV of France, and Abraham
Lincoln, President of the United States, as examples of leaders who successfully combined
knowledge and wisdom.

2. What according to Russell is the true aim of education?

Answer: The true goal of education is to develop the ability to solve problems objectively,
whether they are personal or public in nature. It is also the ability to make a man aware of the
importance of incorporating wisdom into our knowledge. We gain access to it through
education because wisdom is an essential component of education.

3. Why is wisdom necessary in education?

Answer: Wisdom is required in education because knowledge alone leads to its misuse
because one cannot see its true purpose in life. It has the potential to be dangerous and
harmful to humans. If one does not consider an individual’s ability to suppress his personal
ego and consider all of the facts and figures run by them, the circumstances would greatly
benefit him in the long run. He will gain wisdom and produce fruitful results as a result of
doing so. The essayist emphasises that in order to be a productive individual, all of these
issues must be considered and that focusing on one’s egotistical personality only hinders
one’s ability to gain true wisdom.

4. What are the four factors that Russell refers to in the essay?

Answer: Bertrand Russell asserts in his essay ‘Knowledge and Wisdom’ that four factors
contribute to wisdom: a sense of proportion, awareness of the ends of human life, choice of
ends to pursue, and emancipation from personal prejudice. The essence of wisdom, according
to the essayist, is to free oneself from the confinement of the physical and emotional worlds
and look beyond. Though people cannot avoid being partial, the wise man is less partial than
the unwise man. According to the author, we can begin to learn wisdom by loving others and
letting go of selfishness. Give up our egos and begin to think about things other than our
immediate surroundings. This prevents hatred and allows one to grow in wisdom.

5. What is the ideal approach to imparting wisdom in education?

Answer: Wisdom, according to Russell, should be taught as a goal of education. He uses the
parable of the Good Samaritan’s love for his neighbours as an example and message.
According to the essayist, we often miss the message in this parable because we fail to love
those who cause harm to society. Understanding, not hatred, is the only way forward. Russell,
in a nutshell, tells us not to hate anyone. In the cause of spreading knowledge, the dangers of
hatred and narrow-mindedness can be highlighted. He believes that knowledge and wisdom
can be combined in an educational scheme. People should be educated to see things in
context with the rest of the world. They should be encouraged to consider themselves global
citizens.

7. Why does Russell say that Hegel’s philosophy of history was lacking in wisdom?

Answer: Russell claims that Hegel’s philosophy of history lacked wisdom because he was
only concerned with his own facts and figures. He wrote with great historical knowledge and
made the Germans believe they were a master race, and this false sense of pride drove them
to war. According to Russell, it is critical to combine knowledge with feelings. When an
intellectual uses his knowledge to demonstrate his theory or principles without considering
the feelings or outcomes of such ideas, he may cause more harm than good. According to the
author, such people have a very narrow mind. It results in a false embodiment of the person
involved, which may incite unwanted actions or situations. The essayist also stated that men
who have knowledge but no feelings lack wisdom, which is required in both public and
private life in order to set goals and free ourselves from personal prejudices. Man, in his quest
for the impossible, may end up hurting himself in the process.

8. How does Russell distinguish between knowledge and wisdom?

Answer: Bertrand Russell discusses the difference between wisdom and knowledge in his
essay “Wisdom and Knowledge,” and how having only knowledge without wisdom can
hinder our progress in life. He defined knowledge as the acquisition of facts and information,
whereas wisdom is the practical application and use of knowledge to create value. According
to Russell, wisdom is gained through learning and practical experience rather than
memorization. It is not something that comes naturally. According to the essayist, a wise
person possesses both insight and foresight, whereas a clever person may or may not. A
clever person reacts quickly to external changes, but a wise man can see through the changes
and make the correct decision. To be wise, one must have a broad vision and an unbiased
mind, and one can gain a lot of wisdom through constant thinking and experiencing. Wisdom
is gained when a person’s thoughts and feelings become less personal. According to the
essayist, one who possesses intellectual knowledge must combine it with wisdom in order to
avoid harm. Wisdom and knowledge should go hand in hand in order to make progress in
one’s life quest by being less partial and showing due respect and interest in various things.

9. Explain: With every increase of knowledge and skill, wisdom becomes more necessary, for
every such increase augments our capacity of realizing our purposes, and therefore augments
our capacity for evil if our purposes are unwise.

Answer: The author is assured that wisdom must be an integral part of education because a
man or person can be well-educated but lack the wisdom to understand the true meaning of
life. Most people would agree that we are more knowledgeable today than we were in the
past, owing primarily to incredible advances in science and technology. Most people would
agree, however, that despite this vast increase in knowledge, we are not necessarily wiser
than people a few thousand years ago. The fundamental concept is that knowledge and
wisdom are not synonymous. Thus, the path of wisdom is to act with compassion and
understanding rather than fear and compulsion. People should be educated to see things in
context.

Think and discuss.

1. How can a potential benefit become a threat? Explain in the context of wisdom and
knowledge.

Answer: Bertrand Russell discusses how a very intelligent person’s knowledge can become
harmful when exercised without wisdom in his essay ‘Knowledge and Wisdom.’ The essayist
uses history and famous people to demonstrate how great people’s knowledge has caused
harm. According to the essayist, knowledge without wisdom can be harmful, and even
complete knowledge is insufficient and should be combined with the total needs of mankind.
Using the example of historian Hegel, who wrote with great knowledge but led the Germans
to believe that they were a superior race, led to war. We begin to understand and comprehend
how such potential knowledge could have deteriorated into something so dangerous.

To avert this, the author suggests combining feelings with knowledge, becoming impartial,
avoiding personal prejudices, and taking the big picture into account in order to make the
potential success and advancement for humanity. The essayist also uses science and
technological advancement as an example, where new inventions and discoveries have both
positive and negative outcomes, with much being used to create weapons rather than for the
good of mankind.

2. Is the teaching of wisdom impossible?

Answer: According to Bertrand Russell’s essay “Knowledge and Wisdom,” wisdom can be
taught as a goal of education in school; in fact, he emphasises the issue, that wisdom should
be taught in school alongside knowledge, and he gives the readers the chives and principles to
follow for applying wisdom in a wide range of subjects. Wisdom, he claims, should be
planted and nurtured in one’s mind. He instructs his readers to love their neighbours, whether
they are friends or foes, and to hate no one. The author also warns his readers about the
dangers of prejudice and bigotry. He advises his readers to rid themselves of selfishness and
to realise that knowledge and wisdom can be combined in an educational scheme.

Wisdom can be gained by considering other people’s feelings and letting go of one’s ego.
Even though it is difficult to completely eliminate selfishness, we can think about things that
are not in our immediate vicinity. When we start loving others, we gain wisdom. The author
informs his readers that two people can remain enemies because of prejudice and a dislike for
imaginary flaws. If we are wise, we will be able to avoid hatred. Understanding the
possibilities and scenarios of one’s knowledge might be the most important lesson to teach
when it comes to intellectual education. Avoiding one’s pride and opening up to one’s
surroundings will bring more progress in one’s life.

Additional/extra questions and answers/solutions

Answer: Bertrand Russell discusses several factors that contribute to wisdom in his essay
“Knowledge and Wisdom.” According to him, a sense of proportion, comprehensiveness with
broad feeling, emancipation from personal prejudices and the tyranny of sensory perception,
impartiality, and awareness of human needs and understanding are all factors that contribute
to wisdom.

2. With the examples of technicians, what message is the writer attempting to convey?

Answer: Russell has used the example of technicians to convey the message that lone
technical knowledge can be harmful to humans if applied without caution. They are unable to
see how their knowledge in one field can be detrimental in another. For instance, the
discovery of medicine that reduces infant mortality can lead to population growth and food
scarcity. Similarly, atomic theory knowledge can be used to build atom bombs.

3. Why is wisdom required not only in public but also in private life?

Answer: Wisdom is not only advantageous in public situations, but also in private ones. It is
required for the selection of goals to be pursued as well as personal prejudice emancipation.
We may fail to choose our life’s goal due to a lack of wisdom, and we may lack the patience
and persuasiveness needed to persuade others.

4. What, in Russell’s opinion, is the true purpose of education?

Answer: According to Russell, the true goal of education is to instil wisdom in people.
Wisdom is what allows us to put our knowledge to good use in the real world without causing
harm to others. To be good citizens, people must have both knowledge and wisdom.

5. Is it possible to teach someone wisdom? If that’s the case, how should it be done?

Answer: Yes, it is possible to learn wisdom. More than moral instruction, wisdom education
should include a strong intellectual component. In the course of imparting knowledge, the
disastrous consequences of hatred and narrow-mindedness to those who feel them can be
mentioned. When teaching the composition of an atom, for example, the disastrous
consequences of its misuse, such as the creation of an atom bomb, must also be taught.

6. “The Pursuit of Knowledge may become harmful unless it is combined with wisdom,”
Russell says. Justify.

Answer: Humans are inquisitive creatures who are eager to learn new things. The majority of
people have spent their entire lives in search of knowledge. Some pieces of knowledge are
noble and beneficial to humans, while others are harmful. Knowledge combined with wisdom
is beneficial to us because it addresses all of humanity’s needs. Because it is used to make
bombs, knowledge of atomic composition has become harmful to mankind. Similarly, Hegal,
despite his extensive knowledge of history, persuaded the Germans that they were a superior
race. It resulted in massively destructive wars. As a result, knowledge must be combined with
a sense of humanity. We require an event to determine our life’s purpose. It liberates us from
our prejudices. In the absence of wisdom, even noble things are used in injudicious ways.

7. Russell defines wisdom as “the essence of wisdom.” And how does one go about obtaining
the essence?

Answer: Emancipation from the tyranny of being prejudiced, according to Russell, is the
essence of wisdom. It makes our feelings and thoughts less personal, and it makes us less
concerned with our physical well-being. Wisdom is what causes us to care for and love the
entire human race, and it is what propels us to the next level of spirituality. It enables us to
make the best decisions and instils in us a broad vision and objectivity. By breaking the link
of our senses’ egoism, recognising the aims of human life, applying our knowledge
intelligently for the benefit of humanity, choosing noble and attainable life goals, managing
our sensory perceptions, progressively becoming impartial, and loving others, we might
obtain the very essence.