What makes a person seem wise? Global study finds that cultures do differ – but not as much as you’d think

By Maksim Rudnev, Research Associate, Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo
Veli Mitova, Professor in Philosophy and Director of the African Centre for Epistemology and Philosophy of Science, University of Johannesburg

We all admire wise people, don’t we? Whether it’s a thoughtful teacher, a compassionate doctor, or an elder in the community, we recognise wisdom when we see it. But have you ever thought about how people in different cultures perceive wisdom? Does someone in Morocco view a wise person in the same way as someone in Ecuador? Our recent study explored how people across cultures think of wisdom.

This large-scale project required a joint effort of 34 researchers across fields of philosophy, psychology, anthropology,…

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