Publications

Moving from Humanities to Sciences: A New Model of Wisdom Fortified by Sciences of Neurobiology, Medicine, and Evolution

Abstract: Wisdom, like many of its multidimensional and sociologically complex brethren, was birthed in the humanities. Wisdom was initially conceived, and continues to be conceived by many, as a concept rooted in religions and spirituality as exemplified by the Book of Job (Achenbaum & Orwoll, 1991) and the Bhagavad Gita (Jeste & Vahia, 2008), as well as in philosophy, with Socrates and Confucius as its guardians. Until recently, wisdom was not studied empirically by the modern sciences. Wisdom is not alone in this category; several other constructs that were long considered “too fuzzy” for hard sciences have in recent decades undergone considerable empirical research following thoughtful and illuminating conceptualizations by the humanities. For example, philosophers and adherents to various religious sects across the world conceived and explored the concept of consciousness for literal millennia prior to the development of psychology and neuroscience. Hunt’s Hunt (2007) history of psychology starts in ancient Greece, and captures thinkers like Seneca, St. Thomas Aquinas, Descartes, and Kant, all before arriving at any person we might now recognize as a psychologist. The separation of humanities and sciences used to be much less absolute. These distinctions grew in tandem with empiricism, and our ability to test more and more specific hypotheses with advancing methodology. Wisdom, like consciousness, emotion, cognition, stress, and resilience, can indeed be examined via both humanities lens and scientific lens (Jeste et al., 2019). Moreover, the integration of these lenses can help drive our primary agenda: improvements in public health, well-being, and longevity.

Read the article: Jeste, D. V., Lee, E. E., Palmer, B. W., & Treichler, E. B. (2020). Moving from Humanities to Sciences: A New Model of Wisdom Fortified by Sciences of Neurobiology, Medicine, and Evolution. Psychological Inquiry, 31(2), 134-143.