What distinguishes the sage from the rest of us?
The word most commonly used to describe the special attainment of a sage is “wisdom.”
What wisdom is, and how it finds expression in a life, however, varies quite a lot.
In this talk, David Egan, philosophy teacher will explore the difference between wisdom and intelligence. The two are related and complementary in many ways, but intelligence involves a quickness and sharpness, a way of working from problems towards solutions. Wisdom is slower, more patient, and it works in the opposite direction. It’s not about finding answers to questions, but rather calling the questions themselves into question. Wisdom is a matter of stepping back and trying to see the bigger picture, to try to see more clearly how a given situation has been framed and asking whether there might not be some other way of framing it.
In this presentation, David Egan will also compare two conceptions of wisdom in two different models of sagehood: Socrates and the Buddha. Both of them come to their wisdom by way of a quest.
Socrates learns by way of an oracle that he is the wisest of all men, a riddle that perplexes him because he thinks himself not wise at all.
Ultimately, he learns that he is wiser than others precisely because he acknowledges his own ignorance.
The Buddha, too, confronts a riddle: the riddle of suffering.
At the heart of Buddhist teaching is the idea that the deepest wisdom is an understanding of suffering – what it is, what causes it, and what brings about its cessation.
Both Socrates and the Buddha attain wisdom through rigorous perseverance. In that respect, we might say that wisdom comes about through a particular intensity of attention.
Laurence Freeman will respond to the talk and explore what Christianity can offer in terms of its teaching on wisdom. We hope that you will then join in with our speakers in a discussion on the theme.
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Schedule (French time)
| Wednesday, 3 April | |
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| 19:30 – 19:50 | Meditation |
| 19:50 – 20:35 | Talk by David Egan |
| 20:35 – 20:45 | Short break |
| 20:45 – 21:15 | Response and contribution from Laurence Freeman |
| 21:15 – 21:30 | Discussion |
Leader
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Laurence Freeman
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Laurence Freeman is a monk of the Benedictine Congregation of Monte Oliveto. He is the Director of Bonnevaux and of The World Community for Christian Meditation.
Other Leaders
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David Egan
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David Egan has degrees in philosophy from Oxford (DPhil, 2012), the University of Toronto (MA, 2006), and Harvard (BA, 2000). He has taught philosophy and the humanities at a number of institutions, including Oxford, McMaster University, the University of Chicago, Hunter College at the City University of New York, and Outer Coast. He is the author of numerous articles and essays and a book, The Pursuit of an Authentic Philosophy: Wittgenstein, Heidegger, and the Everyday (Oxford University Press, 2019). He is currently working on a book about humans and animals. David teaches philosophy online to the general public at eganphilosophy.com
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Contribution
This event is held online. Registrations give 1 year access to recordings.
Contribution is £20 (concession price £15).
The prices reflect the need to achieve self sufficiency.
Therefore if you’re able to give a little more we would be very grateful.
Please, click here to donate.
We do not turn anybody away for lack of resource.
Please, click the email address <support@wccm.org> to contact us if you need further financial assistance to join this event.
This event is held online. Registrations give 1 year access to recordings.
Contribution is £25 (concession price £20).
The prices reflect the need to achieve self sufficiency.
Therefore if you’re able to give a little more we would be very grateful.
Please, click here to donate.
We do not turn anybody away for lack of resource.
Please, click the email address <support@wccm.org> to contact us if you need further financial assistance to join this event.
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Registration
Image by Benjamin Balazs from Pixabay.