"The Getting of Wisdom"

“The Getting of Wisdom” is an Australian novel by Henry Handel Richardson, first published in 1910. According to the blurb which accompanied the 2009 Penguin edition, it is the story of “the clever and highly imaginative Laura (who) has difficulty fitting in with her wealthy classmates and begins to compromise her ideals in her search for popularity and acceptance.” Apparently, some things never change.

While the concept of “getting wisdom”, perhaps like the novel, may seem rather quaint these days, I have a particular interest in wisdom and its links with the development of young people.

Some of you may have come across the term ‘phronesis’ in the writings of Aristotle. Phronesis means ‘practical wisdom’ (Oxford Review Encyclopaedia of Terms). Importantly, according to Aristotle, phronesis enables us to discern the right thing to do in a complicated situation – for example, when different virtues might suggest different courses of action. Think, “Does my bum look big in this?” (although I am not sure this is a dilemma that Aristotle faced). Do I choose truth or kindness? There is no ‘right answer’ – I need wisdom!

In their “Framework for Character Education in Schools” the Jubilee Centre (here) puts phronesis at the centre, describing it as ‘the integrative virtue … which enables us to perceive, know, desire and act with good sense’. I regret that wisdom, along with character and virtues, seems to be far from the centre of the education offered in most schools that I observe. Indeed, a search of the Australian Curriculum for ‘wisdom’ just now returned 0 results.

That is not to say that Australian schools should not be looking for ways to develop wisdom in their students, however. For a school community that is so inclined, there is plenty of scope, especially in the AC General Capabilities, to discuss virtues and character, and to pursue wisdom. I would argue that Critical & Creative Thinking, Personal & Social Capability, Ethical Understanding and Intercultural Understanding are all types of learning that contribute to the getting of wisdom.

Whether a school recognises it or not, all schools (and all teachers) partner with families in helping children to develop their character. Much of the initial work is done in the early years, as desired virtues become ‘habituated’ in the mind of the child. That is why we spend so much time insisting on ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, and why learning how to share and take turns and not call names are so important. As children develop, we hope and expect that they will become self-regulated, that their choice to act virtuously will become autonomous.

Again, to quote the Jubilee Centre for Character Education, students need phronesis, or practical wisdom, “to guide their decision-making; otherwise their moral life will be fragmented, uncritical and lacking in intrinsic value”. Let us be more intentional about this vital aspect of a holistic education.