Wisdom is a complex human trait, characterized by a marriage of the intellect with the emotions, and put into action.

• By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. [attributed to Confucius]
• The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom. [Isaac Asimov]
• Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. [widely attributed to Aristotle]
• Never interfere with the enemy when he is in the process of destroying himself. [attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte]

The transcendent intellectual virtue is wisdom. King Solomon’s court is said to have marveled at his wisdom when he ordered the baby cut in half, knowing that would identify the mother; even if he was wrong, the only woman, of the two, fit to care for the child was the one who would act to save him. Wisdom is intellect reaching deep into the emotional lives of others, often predicting how they will feel or what their behavior will be, and acting accordingly. It must be grounded in universal respect for human worth and dignity. All the building blocks we have taken so far must be in place, then wisdom can thrive.

Conceptually, agape and courage and simple concepts; by contrast, wisdom is a complex human trait, with many components. Overall, it refers to making sound judgments in difficult situations, employing knowledge and experience. Such knowledge may be most useful in leading to wisdom when it is hard-earned, However, scholars do not agree on a precise definition. A few statements about it are:

• “(a) As action or behaviour, wisdom refers to well-motivated actors achieving an altruistic outcome by creatively and successfully solving problems. (b) As a psychological trait, wisdom refers to a global psychological quality that engages intellectual ability, prior knowledge and experience in a way that integrates virtue and wit, and is acquired through life experience and continued practice.”
• “Wisdom may be defined as a complex human trait with several specific components: social decision making, emotional regulation, prosocial behaviors such as empathy and compassion, self-reflection, acceptance of uncertainty, decisiveness, and spirituality.”
• “Wisdom has been conceptualized as: (1) a rare, highly exercised and developed form of cognitive expertise about the domain of human affairs that allows for multiple conduits or (2) a constellation of personal attributes reflecting a high degree of cognitive, affective, and behavioral maturity that allows for an unusual degree of sensitivity, broad-mindedness, and concern for humanity.”
• “Wisdom can be defined as the ability to grasp human nature, which is paradoxical, contradictory, and subject to continual change.”
• “. . . a highly developed body of factual and procedural knowledge and judgment dealing with what we call the ‘fundamental pragmatics of life.’ The fundamental pragmatics of life concern important but uncertain matters of life.”
• “. . . a cognitive and motivational metaheuristic (pragmatic) that organizes and orchestrates knowledge toward human excellence in mind and virtue, both individually and collectively.”
• “. . . a special kind of real-life process that is accomplished after a person cognitively makes an unusual integration, embodies his or her ideas through action, and hence brings forth positive effects to both self and others.”
• Brown and Greene propose that “six factors contribute to wisdom development: Self-knowledge, understanding of others, judgment, life knowledge, life skills, and willingness to learn.”
• In Sternberg’s balance theory of wisdom, “wisdom is defined as the application of tacit knowledge as mediated by values toward the achievement of a common good through a balance among multiple (a) intrapersonal, (b) interpersonal, and (c) extrapersonal interests in order to achieve a balance among (a) adaptation to existing environments, (b) shaping of existing environments, and (c) selection of new environments.”
• Glück and Bluck propose that “some basic tenets are essential for the development of wisdom. . . . The four resources are: a sense of Mastery, Openness, Reflectivity, and Emotion Regulation and Empathy– in short, MORE.”
• Aldwin & colleagues developed “developed a definition of wisdom that integrated general and personal wisdom and emphasized the importance of compassion, self-regulation, moral action, and social justice, as well as the fact that wisdom is a developmental process.”
• “Characteristics of wise thinking, which include intellectual humility, recognition of uncertainty and change, consideration of different perspectives, and integration of these perspectives, is highly variable across situations.”
• “. . . there is some consensus that wisdom involves the use of certain types of pragmatic reasoning to navigate important challenges of social life.”
• In 2012, Fengyan & Hong presented “ a new concept of wisdom, which integrates intelligence and morality as its two constituent elements.”
• Based on a literature review, Meeks & Jeste identified six main components of wisdom: “(1) prosocial attitudes/behaviors, (2) social decision-making/pragmatic knowledge of life, (3) emotional homeostasis, (4) reflection/self-understanding, (5) value relativism/tolerance, and (6) acknowledgement of and dealing effectively with uncertainty/ambiguity.”

Several wisdom paradigms have been developed (see Table 4 here):

• Berlin wisdom paradigm defines wisdom as expert knowledge, which “usually refers to broad and deep knowledge and skill in a specific domain that is acquired through long-term deliberate practice . . .” 
• balance theory of wisdom: “The balance theory defines wisdom as the use of one’s intelligence, creativity, commone sense, and knowledge and as mediated by positive ethical values toward the achievement of a common good through a balance among (a) intrapersonal, (b) interpersonal, and (c) extrapersonal interests, over the (a) short and (b) long terms to achieve a balance among (a) adaptation to existing environments, (b) shaping of existing environments, and (c) selection of new environments.”;
• self-transcendence wisdom theory, which makes a case for wisdom “as self-transcendence”;
• three-dimensional wisdom theory, which integrates cognition, reflection, and compassion;
• H.E.R.O.(E.) model of wisdom, which focuses on humor, reflection, empathy, and openness;
• process view of wisdom, which defines wisdom as “a real-life process which consists of three core components—integration, embodiment, and positive effects”; and
• integrating virtue and wit theory of wisdom, which integrates intelligence and morality. 

If wisdom was easily defined, perhaps it would not be a transcendent intellectual virtue. Although not all scholars agree on a precise definition of wisdom, its main features are generally believed to include:

• Emotional regulation;
• Self-reflection;
• Acceptance of uncertainty;
• Prosocial behavior;
• Social decision-making;
• Pragmatic life knowledge;
• Considering multiple perspectives.

In addition to reaching into the emotions, wisdom is in its essence active. Knowing what to do but not doing it, is not wisdom. As we get into the components of dignity, at the pinnacle of ethical Being, the domains of Being are increasingly united.