Editing Wisdom (section)

===Historical overview===

Wisdom has been a central concept in philosophy, religion, and literature across ancient civilizations.

The earliest wisdom literature comes from [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]] and [[Egyptian hieroglyphs|Egyptian]] texts. In Sumerian tradition, wisdom (''me'') was considered a divine principle given by the gods, recorded in [[Proverb|proverbs]] and [[Myth|myths]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Kramer |first=Samuel Noah |title=The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character |orig-year=1963 |year=1991 |publisher=University of Chicago Press}}</ref> Egyptian wisdom texts, such as the [[Maxims of Ptahhotep]] (c. 2400 BCE), emphasized moral conduct and social harmony.<ref>{{cite book |last=Parkinson |first=R. B. |title=The Wisdom Texts from Ancient Egypt |orig-year=1991 |year=2002 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref>

Wisdom became a major theme in Greek philosophy. Socrates equated wisdom with knowing one's own ignorance, while Plato argued that wisdom was the highest form of knowledge.<ref>{{cite book |last=Plato |title=The Republic |orig-year=4th century BCE |year=2003 |publisher=Penguin Classics}}</ref> Aristotle distinguished between practical wisdom (''phronesis'') and theoretical wisdom (''sophia''), defining wisdom as the ability to deliberate well about the good life.<ref>{{cite book |last=Aristotle |title=Nicomachean Ethics |orig-year=4th century BCE |year=2014 |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref>

In Roman philosophy, wisdom (''sapientia'') was regarded as the virtue of the [[Stoicism|Stoic]] sage. [[Cicero]] and [[Seneca the Younger|Seneca]] viewed wisdom as self-discipline and rational living, essential for achieving inner tranquility (''ataraxia'').<ref>{{cite book |last=Long |first=Anthony A. |title=Hellenistic Philosophy |orig-year=1974 |year=1986 |publisher=University of California Press}}</ref>

Wisdom also developed as a spiritual concept in various traditions:

* Biblical wisdom literature: Books like [[Book of Proverbs|Proverbs]], [[Ecclesiastes]], and [[Book of Job|Job]] depict wisdom as both divine and practical, often contrasting human knowledge with divine omniscience.<ref>{{cite book |last=Crenshaw |first=James L. |title=Old Testament Wisdom: An Introduction |orig-year=1981 |year=2010 |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press}}</ref>
* Buddhism: Wisdom (''prajñā'') is one of the [[Threefold Training|threefold trainings]] leading to enlightenment, developed through meditation and ethical conduct.<ref>{{cite book |last=Harvey |first=Peter |title=An Introduction to Buddhism |orig-year=1990 |year=2012 |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref>
* Islamic philosophy: The Arabic term ''hikmah'' (حكمة) refers to wisdom as both divine insight and rational philosophy, deeply influenced by Aristotle, [[Avicenna]], and [[Al-Farabi]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Nasr |first=Seyyed Hossein |title=Islamic Science: An Illustrated Study |orig-year=1976 |year=2001 |publisher=World Wisdom}}</ref>