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CONTENTS      (Click to go directly to the indicated section of The Wisdom Page)

GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH WISDOM    Why care about wisdom?     What is wisdom?     Words of wisdom    Wisdom-literature bibliographies    The traditional wisdom literature    Contemporary books about wisdom and wise living (including free downloads)     Wisdom-related poetry
THE STRUCTURE OF WISDOM     The varieties of wisdom    Wise perspectives    Wise values    The integration of truth and the integral vision
WISDOM AND HUMANITY'S FUTURE  
WISDOM RESEARCH     Links to materials of individual wisdom researchers
EDUCATION FOR WISDOM  
RESOURCES FOR WISDOM DEVELOPMENT     Defining the task—constructing a wisdom-based life    The meditation tool    Other practices and tools    Wisdom-related sight and sound media    Other wisdom-related resources
WISDOM-RELATED ISSUES      Transforming academia from knowledge-inquiry to wisdom inquiry      Spirituality and wisdom in business
WISDOM IN ACTION     Comments on activist wisdom and socio-cultural wisdom    World Wisdom Alliance    Activist organizations    Dialogue instead of debate
PERSONAL QUESTS FOR WISDOM  

GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH WISDOM

WHY CARE ABOUT WISDOM?

by Jerry Ortiz y Pino. Excerpts from one of his columns in the Santa Fe Reporter.

WHAT IS WISDOM? — SOME ESSAYS, ARTICLES, AND TALKS ON THE SUBJECT
WISDOM: The Highest Aim of Life and Higher Education   A text (with slides) rendering of Copthorne Macdonald's “Thomas P. Johnson Distinguished Visiting Scholar” address at Rollins College April 5, 2006.
Wisdom and Wilderness by Joseph W. Meeker. An excellent article by Dr. Meeker on wisdom and its relationship to wilderness.
Definitions of Wisdom is a section of Richard Trowbridge's Wisdom-Centered Life website that presents many perspectives on the nature of wisdom.
Wisdom Lexicon Project is John Uebersax's welcomed contribution to our understanding of words associated with wisdom. See also his list of wisdom-related links.
The "Understanding Wisdom" issue of Vimukt Shiksha, a publication of India-based Shikshantar, an organization dedicated to transforming existing models of education and development.
Wisdom: A First Approximation by Don Cochrane. University of Saskatchewan professor Don Cochrane's views on the subject.
What is Wisdom? by Alan Nordstrom. In this short but moving essay, Professor Nordstrom tells us that Wisdom is our Way Out from Folly.
Monika Ardelt's Model of Wisdom An overview of this prominent wisdom researcher's view of wisdom as an integration of congnitive, reflective, and affective personality characteristics.
Playing the Wisdom Game by Copthorne Macdonald. An essay that appears in the 2006 book Living a Life of Value.
Introduction to Getting a Life by Copthorne Macdonald. Comments on the nature of Practical Wisdom, as Aristotle called it.
Chapter 1 of Toward Wisdom by Copthorne Macdonald. More about the nature of wisdom; here primarily Aristotle's other variety of wisdom: Existential/Metaphysical Wisdom.
Living Wisdom by Troy Dunn is a thoughtful and expansive essay in PDF format that views the issue from many perspectives.
Sophology: The Study of Wisdom, an essay on the nature and development of wisdom by Glenn Shipley, is part of his sophology.org website.

The Dance of Polarization by Andrew Bard Schmookler. In this essay Schmookler deals with the polarization-integrating aspect of wisdom.

What is Wisdom? asks Douglas Reay.  He presents his own and other's thoughts on the subject.

WORDS OF WISDOM — COMPILATIONS OF WISE SAYINGS
The Wisdom of The World is a database of 1000+ quotations compiled by Bruce Lloyd, Principal Lecturer in Strategy, South Bank University, London.
Inspirational Quotes and Words of Wisdom is a database of 16,500 quotations compiled by Jason Merchey, and made available on his Values of the Wise Web site.
Wisdomology: People Share Wisdom has its database of wise sayings, but it is more than that. It is a site where visitors are invited to "Share your own insights with the world. Your thoughts, hopes, inspirations, meditations."
Wisdom Quotes is Jone Johnson Lewis's compilation of challenging, inspiring, and interesting quotes — organized by topic, and searchable as well.
Words of Wisdom 4 U is an eclectic mix of quotations: proverbs, inspirational thoughts, and more.

WISDOM–LITERATURE BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Chronology of Wisdom Literature in the West is a perfect resource for anyone interested in exploring the history of the concept of wisdom. It's part of Richard Trowbridge's Wisdom-Centered Life website.
Working Bibliography of wisdom resources prepared by Richard Trowbridge. Contains references to more than 800 works, some available on the Internet.
Wisdom links and resources includes the bibliography associated with the doctoral dissertation of Elle Allison.
Annotated Bibliography from Toward Wisdom by Copthorne Macdonald. These contemporary books deal with important aspects of wisdom without necessarily using the term wisdom.
A detailed bibliography appears in the Covey/Merrill/Merrill First Things First (New York: Simon & Schuster Fireside, 1995, ISBN 0-684-80203-1)
 
THE TRADITIONAL WISDOM LITERATURE
Works available for free downloading and online reading
The Internet Sacred Text Archive is an extensive collection of online texts from the world's major religions and spiritual traditions.
Wisdom Classics compiled by Sanderson Beck is another extensive collection of wisdom-related texts from Eastern and Western philosophical and spiritual traditions.
Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion offerings from the extensive online books collection at the University of Pennsylvania. Indexed according to the Library of Congress system.
Tablet of Wisdom (also know as LAWH-I-HIKMAT) is a Bahá'í text by Bahá’u’lláh.
The Book of Wisdom (also known as The Wisdom of Solomon) appears to have been written by an Alexandrian Jew familar with classical Greek thought. This is the King James translation.
From the Harvard Classics: Selections from Confucian, Hebrew, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic spiritual literature.
 
Paper-and-ink books.  Find out more about them by clicking the links
Compilations of selections from the wisdom literature are a helpful way to get acquainted with that literature. Here are several suggestions from Copthorne Macdonald. 
Links to Sources of Judaic Materials compiled by Mike Murphy, contains links to a wide range of sources for Judaic books, audio tapes, and CDs.

CONTEMPORARY BOOKS ABOUT WISDOM AND WISE LIVING 

Works available for free downloading and online reading
The Scientific Approach to Wisdom, a doctoral dissertation by Richard Trowbridge. This is the complete dissertation in Microsoft Word format — a comprehensive review of the scholarly research on wisdom from 1980 to 2005, and a useful overview of the history of wisdom.
Education: From Conception to Graduation – A Systematic Integral Approach, a doctoral dissertation by Anne Adams concerning education for wisdom — integral education — education that purposefully develops and integrates the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual intelligences.
The Tree of Philosophy by Stephen Palmquist. This book brings a wisdom focus back to philosophy. Available as a free online book or in print form.

EARTH VISION is inviting readers to download, free of charge, one of Josef Graf's five spiritual ecology eBooks. You get to choose which one.

Copthorne Macdonald's books in eBook format    Download free, screen-readable, eBook editions of Matters of Consequence (concerning personal and societal wisdom in the 21st century), Getting a Life (about practical, everyday-life wisdom), and Toward Wisdom (concerning big-picture, existential wisdom).

A selection of Cop's wisdom articles is also available, free, for use on your own website or blog    Check out the choice of articles, terms and conditions, and downloading instructions. THE EXISTENCE GAME: Steps Toward a Scientific/Spiritual Paradigm and a Wisdom-Based Culture This book manuscript by Copthorne Macdonald (copyright 1988) was never published "as is" in print form. Large portions of it, however, found their way into his 1993 book Toward Wisdom and his 2004 book Matters of Consequence.

Paper-and-ink books.  Find out more about them by clicking the links
From Knowledge to Wisdom, 2nd Edition by Nicholas Maxwell. With the first edition long out of print, we welcome this updated second edition of Maxwell's seminal work in which he calls for an academic revolution from knowledge acquisition for its own sake to knowledge acquisition in the service of greater human wisdom.
Living a Life of Value Subtitled A Unique Anthology of Essays on Values & Ethics by Contemporary Writers, this book presents the views of 75 writers.
Building a Life of Value by Jason Merchey. Merchey has divided wise values into 14 sets, and the 14 chapters of this book contain quotations that bear on living those values.
Values, Prosperity, and the Talmud by Larry Kahaner draws from the Talmud a wealth of ethical advice for business — advice that is highly relevant to today's concerns about corporate behavior.
Wisdom, Intuition, and Ethics by Trevor Curnow is a valuable resource for anyone wanting to explore the history of wisdom, its nature, and wisdom's relationship to ethics.
Wisdom: Its Nature, Origins, and Development, Robert J. Sternberg, Editor. This scholarly book's 14 chapters by 20 authors looks at wisdom from philosophical, psychological and folk perspectives.
Matters of Consequence by Copthorne Macdonald is a comprehensive map of the human situation that presents the vision of a 2050 world worth creating and discusses opportunities for personal action.
Toward Wisdom by Copthorne Macdonald explores the "Perennial Philosophy" variety of wisdom, impediments we face in our quest to become wise, and various ways and means of getting past them.
Getting a Life by Copthorne Macdonald is about the practical variety of wisdom. Its 21 chapters deal with different facets of everyday life and skillful and not-so-skillful ways of handling them.
5 books by Ken Wilber. When it comes to putting the big picture into words, Ken Wilber does a superb job. Here, read brief comments about five of his important books.

Reviews and Comments About Wisdom-Related Books
Charles Halpern — Making Waves and Riding the Currents: Activism and the Practice of Wisdom
Debashis Chowdhury — In Our Own Image
Les Fehmi and Jim Robbins — The Open-Focus Brain
Stephanie Pace Marshall — The Power to Transform
Tom Lombardo — The Evolution of Future Consiousness and Contemporary Futurist Thought
John P. Miller — Educating for Wisdom and Compassion
Trevor Curnow — Wisdom, Intuition, and Ethics
Ken Wilber — A Theory of Everything
Michael Lerner — Spirit Matters
Cliff Havener — Meaning
Copthorne Macdonald — Matters of Consequence
Copthorne Macdonald — Toward Wisdom
Copthorne Macdonald — Getting a Life

 

THE STRUCTURE OF WISDOM

THE VARIETIES OF WISDOM
Overview of the Varieties of Wisdom   Copthorne Macdonald discusses Personal Wisdom (the Practical, Existential/Metaphysical, and Activist varieties) and Socio-Cultural Wisdom.
A Wisdom-Based Culture. This look at the possibility of creating a wisdom-based, wisdom-fostering society is discussed in this excerpt from Chapter 13 of Copthorne Macdonald's book Toward Wisdom.

WISE PERSPECTIVES
Overview of Perspectives — some wise perspectives or "wise ways of seeing" with comments by Copthorne Macdonald.
The System Perspective
A Brief Introduction to the System Perspective by Copthorne Macdonald includes information about two important books that deal with systems and the system perspective.
A Review of Cliff Havener's book MEANING by Copthorne Macdonald. Learn more about this highly illuminating book that focuses on the life-cycle of societal systems.
Internet Resources Related to Systems. This is a list of links to Internet sites involved with systems — some with systems per se, others with socio-cultural systems.
Systems Thinking. Papers and links related to systems thinking.

The Evolutionary Perspective
The Great Story. "The 14 billion year epic of Cosmos, life, and humanity told as a sacred story, glorifying all."

WISE VALUES
The Role of Values in Wisdom by Copthorne Macdonald. A discussion of values in the human decision-making process, and the sort of values required for wise decisions.
Lists of Wise Values. This is a compilation of several lists of values that their originators have considered superior in some sense, and likely to be operational in the lives of wise people.
Jason Merchey's "Values of the Wise". In his personal quest to understand wisdom, Jason Merchey has focused on the presence of certain "values of the wise" in the lives of wise people.
CHARACTER COUNTS! is a value-based approach to character education from the Josephson Institute based on a set of six basic values or "pillars of character": trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
The Virtues Project considers the human virtues to be the highest aspiration for humanity and has established a program to help children acquire them.

THE INTEGRATION OF TRUTH, AND THE INTEGRAL VISION
The Integral Vision, a brief introduction by Copthorne Macdonald concerning the movement to integrate morals, science, and art;  the WE, the IT, and the I;  and the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.
Deep Understanding: Wisdom for an Integral Age by Copthorne Macdonald. An essay that first appeared in the journal Integralis and was re-published in The Journal of Conscious Evolution. 
Heiner Benking has long focused on the integration of truth — on creating "a common framework for understanding" in which disparate perspectives and models can be brought together.
Ikosmos.com's "mission is to help you define [the integral worldview] and share it in a highly interactive community, through an online union of souls."
Integral Institute was founded by Ken Wilber and a group of other Integral theorists to come up with comprehensive, systematic, encompassing—and integral approaches to the world's problems.
Creating an Integral Culture by Copthorne Macdonald addresses this issue in the context of the "cultural creatives" study by Paul H. Ray and a related international study.

WISDOM AND HUMANITY'S FUTURE

The Corporate State   Sometimes the best way to get a handle on some aspect of societal wisdom is to take a close look at its opposite. That is what Chris Lucas does in this penetrating essay.
Metanexus Institute on Religion, Science, and the Humanities promotes "the constructive engagement of science, religion and the humanities in the communal pursuit of wisdom in order to address humanity’s most profound questions and challenges."
Values, Wisdom, and Action is an article by Copthorne Macdonald in the World Wisdom Rising (Fall/Winter 2007) issue of the journal Kosmos: An integral Approach to Global Awakening. (Also available in PDF format.)
Wisdom and Humanity's Transformational Dilemma. Some comments by Copthorne Macdonald on Anthony Judge's insightful essay: "Imagining the Real Challenge."
The Janus Project. A proposal by Chris Thomson to create an institute that would bring together personal development, exploration of the "deep causes" of humanity's problems, visioning a future that works for all, and action to help realize that vision.
The Solidarity, Sustainability, and Non-Violence (SSNV) Newsletter, edited by Luis Gutierrez, "is a monthly digest of research on the most critical issues at the intersection of technology, religion, and society."
Institute for the Emerging Wisdom Culture, headed by Dr. Paul H. Ray and associated with Wisdom University, will "formulate and work toward implementing a positive vision of the emerging wisdom culture."
A Transformative Wisdom presents Debashis Chowdhury's thesis that for humanity to deal effectively with the challenges and opportunities we face, a "higher," more comprehensive, "transformative" wisdom is needed.
In Our Own Image, a thought-provoking book by Debashis Chowdhury, is reviewed here by Copthorne Macdonald who considers it a valuable read for those interested in personal/societal wisdom development.
Our Work in Life   Alan Nordstrom addresses the "selfish and egotistical story that predominates in the postmodern society," and has us consider a much more positive one. 
Spiritual Wealth is an essay by Chris Thomson that examines modernity's "relentless pursuit of money and things," the "spiritual poverty" that goes with that, and the possibility of replacing them with spiritual wealth. 
Ecological Economics is a textbook (online, full text) by noted economist and UN advisor Herman E. Daly and Joshua Farley that expands traditional economic theory into the kind of economics the world needs. 
Laetus in Praesens   If you are serious about wanting to create a wiser and more functional global society, immerse yourself in the information- and idea-rich world of Anthony Judge. 
Wisdom and the Second Enlightenment is an article by Thomas Lombardo from the June 2007 issue of the World Futures Study Federation publication, Futures Bulletin.
The Evolution of Future Consciousness and Contemporary Futurist Thought These two new books by Thomas Lombardo paint an amazingly comprehensive picture of humanity's relationship to the future. 
The Pursuit of Wisdom and the Future of Education  is a thought-provoking article by Tom Lombardo that appeared in the 2006 World Future Society anthology: Creating Global Strategies for Humanity's Future. See also his Odyssey of the Future Web site. (The article is in MS Word format.)
Wisdom, Knowledge Management & Leadership is a paper that Bruce Lloyd presented at the October 2006 "Business as an Agent of World Benefit" conference. 
The Human Problem, Solved at Last is a powerful and uplifting essay by Alan Nordstrom on the challenges of the 21st century, and the potential for turning things around and creating a wiser world. 
A Story to Live By   In this essay Alan Nordstrom focuses on our role as creative contributors to the "universal creative process," and the moral imperative implicit in that. 
Wisdom & Leadership: Linking the Past, Present & Future is an illuminating talk that deals with key issues. To be presented to the World Future Society in July 2006 by Bruce Lloyd, a Professor of Strategic Management.
Resonances between Challenging Psychosocial Change Initiatives How can positive-change initiatives be successful, and relate in positive ways to other initiatives? Anthony Judge explores the many considerations.

WISDOM RESEARCH

The Scientific Approach to Wisdom, a doctoral dissertation by Richard Trowbridge. This is the complete dissertation in Microsoft Word format — a comprehensive review of the scholarly research on wisdom from 1980 to 2005, and a useful overview of the history of wisdom.

University of Chicago's "Defining Wisdom" Project  is "a $2 million research program on the nature and benefits of Wisdom." Up to 20 research grants will be awarded to scholars from around the world.

Some Online Articles and Academic Papers Related to Wisdom. An eclectic assortment of articles and papers just a click away. 

LINKS TO MATERIALS OF INDIVIDUAL WISDOM RESEARCHERS
Clicking on one of the names below will take you to information about that researcher, and links to relevant documents. In the future, more names will be added.
Anne Adams      Monika Ardelt      Paul B. Baltes      Caroline Bassett      Susan Bluck      Monisha Pasupathi      Ursula M. Staudinger      Robert J. Sternberg      Masami Takahashi     Richard H. Trowbridge    

EDUCATION FOR WISDOM

RESOURCES FOR WISDOM DEVELOPMENT

DEFINING THE TASK — CONSTRUCTING A WISDOM-BASED LIFE
Review of Charles Halpern's book Making Waves and Riding the Currents. Subtitled Activism and the Practice of Wisdom, this remarkable book about a remarkable life is reviewed here by Copthorne Macdonald.
The Wisdom-Centered Life website. Richard Trowbridge's new website is a rich trove of wisdom resources. Check out the Cultivating Wisdom section.
Principles for the Wisdom-Centered Life by Richard Hawley Trowbridge. This helpful set of principles or maxims are one part of Richard's "Wisdom as Skill" course. (MS Word format.)
MAGIC Wisdom Guidelines is Tom Fox's tightly focused "crash course" in wisdom, presented in his 2007 Commencement Address at Saint Peter's College.
Some Thoughts on Developing Wisdom by Copthorne Macdonald. An overview of nine wisdom-fostering tools and activities.
Flaws In Human Mentality A few thoughts on the subject by Copthorne Macdonald.
Personal and Societal Wisdom: Some thoughts on their nature and development   A text-with-slides transcript of Cop's 2006 talk at Orlando's University Unitarian Universalist Society.

THE MEDITATION TOOL
The Importance of Meditation. Thoughts on this subject excerpted from Copthorne Macdonald's book Matters of Consequence. 
Resources for Developing the Self-Knowledge / Intuitive Aspect of Wisdom. A compilation of relevant books, meditation resources, links to online resources, and guided-meditation CDs.
About Open Focus™. Comments on this technique for developing wide-angle, open-to-everything attentiveness from Copthorne Macdonald's book Toward Wisdom, plus info on the currently available CDs.
Review of The Open-Focus Brain by Les Femhi and Jim Robbins. Reviewer Copthorne Macdonald feels that this 2007 book and the CD that comes with it provide a powerful introduction to attentiveness practice.
Seeing the Unity: Identifying with Being. This discussion of relevant practices is from Chapter 9 of Copthorne Macdonald's book Toward Wisdom.

OTHER PRACTICES AND TOOLS
Nonduality.com is a rich compendium of resources to help us comprehend oneness, not-two — the nondual nature of reality.
www.kabbalah.info Available free on this site are video Kabbalah lessons, authentic Kabbalah texts, books for download, introductory lessons and courses, and feature and documentary films on Kabbalah.
EARTH VISION has a spiritual ecology theme and is "dedicated to raising awareness about the depth of the human-nature interweave," "the spirit of wilderness," and "reverence for the natrural world."
Gratefulness Practices. From gratefulness.org, practice sessions to "deepen your understanding of gratefulness and, better yet, send it out in ripples, transforming our world." 
Nurturing the Now, "a path to nonduality," is Vicki Woodyard's web site. She focuses on Self-realization and transcending adversity in her writing and her "Nurturing the Now" CD.  

WISDOM-RELATED SIGHT AND SOUND MEDIA
 THE WISDOM PAGE PODCAST presents selected Wisdom Page materials in audio format, and is now available both here and in the Society & Culture Podcasts section of the iTunes Store.
Center for Spirituality and Health at the University of Florida makes available on their web site (in WMV streaming video) talks by highly respected speakers.
Jason Merchey's Values and Ethics: From Living Room to Board Room on the Internet radio network Ideocast. Past shows are archived, and the streaming audio feed works well even with a dialup connection.
Copthorne Macdonald Talks and Programs. Streaming audio and audio-with-slides presentations using RealPlayer and Windows Media Player software. (They work well with a dialup connection.)
Tom Fox Podcasts. Editor/publisher/journalist Tom Fox is conducting a series of streaming audio interviews with spiritual seekers and guides.
New Dimensions Media presents thought-provoking audio programming on tapes, CDs, Public Radio, Sirius Satellite Radio, and podcasts.
Ideas "is a program about contemporary thought" aired weekday evenings on the Canadian Broadcasting Company radio network and streaming audio on the Internet via Windows Media Player.
Knowledge Products produces educational books-on-tape (and CD) in a wide range of "serious" subject areas such as philosophy, economics, political thought, comparative religion, etc.

OTHER WISDOM-RELATED RESOURCES
The Wisdom Institute "supports the development of wisdom in people, organizations, and communities..." Of special interest is their Wisdom Resources section and Caroline Bassett's insightful model of wisdom. 
Wisdom Project Resources is a page of links to a wide range of wisdom resources compiled by Chad Osborne and OZ Associates. 
WisdomOut is the web site (and forthcoming book) of Elle Allison. The focus is on "contemporary wisdom strategies for transforming adversity into positive growth." 
Wisdom University offers a Masters level programs in "Wisdom Spirituality" and "Indigenous Mind" as well as a Doctor of Ministry program. In 2008 they will also offer a PhD program in "Wisdom Studies." 
The School of Wisdom was founded in 1920 by Count Hermann Keyserling, and continues today largely via the Internet. Its emphasis "is on current, pragmatic methods and procedures by which each person can create their own answers to the great questions of life." 
The Wisdom Society focuses on practical wisdom and aims "to debate in print, all controversial ideas with the objective of finding where reasoned opinion lies."  
The Wisdom Conservancy describes itself as "a private nonprofit organization established for the study of wisdom and community.
The Philopsychy Society promotes "soul-loving in a variety of forms, both in theory and in prectice, through the agency of the written word."
The Collective Wisdom Initiative is a website "created to help make visible an emerging field of collective wisdom, its study and practice."
Fernando Senior's "Capturing your Life Wisdom" Workshops are attempting to help people share their life wisdom in some way that makes sense to them.
Elder Wisdom Circle is a vehicle for "empathetic seniors" over age 60 to provide "practical advice and guidance" to advice-seeking younger people.

WISDOM-RELATED ISSUES

Radio Interview with Nicholas Maxwell. The "Weekly Signals" program on California radio station KUCI interviews Maxwell about his book From Knowledge to Wisdom. See also the station's audio archives. 

Wisdom, Nicholas Maxwell, and the Academic Enterprise. A short introduction by Copthorne Macdonald to the issue of wisdom acquisition as an academic focus, and the work of British scholar Nicholas Maxwell. 

Nicholas Maxwell in Context is Copthorne Macdonald's chapter for a forthcoming (Rodopi, 2008) book, a chapter that explores the relationship of Maxwell's wisdom theses to the contemporary global interest in wisdom.

How Can Life of Value Best Flourish in the Real World? is Nicholas Maxwell's chapter for the forthcoming (Rodopi, 2008) book.

Wisdom in the University  is an editorial by Nicholas Maxwell and Ronald Barnett that appeared in the London Review of Education, and made available in e-form in the SSNV Newsletter.

Discussion that followed WISDOM: The Highest Aim of Life and Higher Education   A streaming RealAudio presentation of the discussion that followed Copthorne Macdonald's 2006 Rollins College talk.

SPIRITUALITY AND WISDOM IN BUSINESS
Spirituality and Wisdom in Business, a brief introduction to the subject by Copthorne Macdonald. Contains links to resources and email addresses of people involved in the movement. 
Spirituality in the Workplace by Martin Rutte is an updated version of an article that first appeared in the popular business book, Heart at Work, by Jack Canfield & Jacqueline Miller.
Wisdom at Work by Let Davidson is an essay that discusses how Davidson has been applying the principles and techniques of the wisdom tradition to the workplace in his role as consultant and trainer.
Centre for Spirituality at Work in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A very active group with many activities, and a web site with interesting links to other resources.

WISDOM IN ACTION

COMMENTS ON ACTIVIST WISDOM AND SOCIO-CULTURAL WISDOM
Laetus in Praesens   If you are serious about wanting to create a wiser and more functional global society, immerse yourself in the information- and idea-rich world of Anthony Judge.. 
Overview of the Varieties of Wisdom   Copthorne Macdonald discusses Personal Wisdom (the Practical, Existential/Metaphysical, and Activist varieties) and Socio-Cultural Wisdom.
A Wisdom-Based Culture. This look at the possibility of creating a wisdom-based, wisdom-fostering society is discussed in this excerpt from Chapter 13 of Copthorne Macdonald's book Toward Wisdom.
How Plato Might Have Helped Us Avoid an Iraq Debacle. John Uebersax shows how Plato's four kinds of human knowledge relate to the disordered public and government thinking that led to the Iraq situation. See also his wisdom links.
Doing What Needs To Be Done is Chapter 15 of Copthorne Macdonald's book Matters of Consequence. It is in PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

WORLD WISDOM ALLIANCE (WWA)
The World Wisdom Alliance (WWA) is a new community of like-minded groups, organizations, and individuals actively addressing our shared societal and environmental challenges and opportunities, both global and local. The WWA was launched in Toronto on July 28, 2006 with the support of The Club of Budapest Canada in association with the World Wisdom Council (WWC).
The WWA's core concepts are: Consciousness > Connection > Communication > Collaboration. A multi-faceted Web presence is currently being designed that will allow community members — through communication, dialogue, and collaborative action — to deal more effectively with those challenges and opportunities than each could in isolation. The main Communication Centre is being established in Toronto, Canada under the auspices of The Club of Budapest Canada. For the latest information on implementation of the WWA Web site, check www.clubofbudapest.ca.

4 June 2007 Message on WWA Status from Club of Budapest Canada President David Woolfson.

World Wisdom Alliance A statement about the status of the WWA made in late December 2006 by Club of Budapest Canada President David Woolfson.

Elisabet Sahtouris's comments at the WWA launch. Elisabet Sahtouris is a member of the World Wisdom Council, an evolutionary biologist, futurist, UN consultant, and author of EarthDance and several other books.
Audrey Kitagawa's comments at the WWA launch. Audrey Kitagawa is a member of the World Wisdom Council, member of many advisory boards, and author of articles on spirituality, global security, and globalization.
A New Dream for Earth. Alan Nordstrom attended the WWA launch, and wrote this essay that appeared in the August 11, 2006 Orlando Sentinel.

ACTIVIST ORGANIZATIONS
The World Wisdom Council "seeks to cultivate wisdom as the highest priority for our time through various means, including the posting of some fundamental and far from obvious questions..."
Links to Social Innovation Sites. A Hames Group list of examples of social innovation.
Links to More than 80 Organizations working toward a sustainable and more equitable world. Nowhere near a complete list, but you might find it a good place to start.

DIALOGUE INSTEAD OF DEBATE: CUTTING THROUGH IDEOLOGICAL POLARIZATION

Wanted: A New Worldview by Alan Nordstrom. A short but to-the-point essay that asks, "What view of reality will let us live most fruitfully as human beings in a just and generous community with each other?"
The Dance of Polarization by Andrew Bard Schmookler. In this essay Schmookler deals with the polarization-integrating aspect of wisdom.
Dialogue Instead of Debate: Cutting Through Ideological Polarization. Some thoughts on this subject by Copthorne Macdonald plus links to organizations with active programs to address the problem.


OTHER SOCIAL CHANGE APPROACHES AND METHODS

The Global Marshall Plan is a proposal by the Network of Spiritual Progressives who say that it is the "Strategy of Generosity that is the real point of the plan."
Building on Existing Solutions —— Many of the bits and pieces of a wiser world already exist. What are they? And how can they be further developed, integrated with other initiatives, and brought into the mainstream?

www.worldchanging.com "was founded on the idea that real solutions already exist for building the future we want. it's just a matter of grabbing hold and getting moving." This information-rich web site has been called "the most important web site on the planet," and its worldwide team of dedicated reporters is intent on making it that.
Appreciative Inquiry —— "a co-operative search for the strengths, passions and life-giving forces that are found within every system"
Appreciative Inquiry and Community Development is an overview of appreciative inquiry from The International Institute for Sustainable Development.
Appreciative Inquiry Commons "academic resources and practical tools on Appreciative Inquiry and the rapidly growing discipline of positive change."
Appreciative Inquiry and the Quest. "This web site will introduce you to a new theory and methodology of human development called appreciative inquiry (AI)."
Multi-stakeholder Approaches —— "processes which aim to bring together all major stakeholders in a new form of communication, decision-finding (and possibly decision-making) on a particular issue."
Multi-stakeholder Processes. MSP resources from the UNED Forum.

PERSONAL QUESTS FOR WISDOM

Wising Up by Alan Nordstrom. Leave it to this Professor of English to say so much in so few words. (MS Word format.)
The Time of Your Life: Personal Responsibility, Wisdom, and the Future by Thomas Lombardo. What a compelling piece of writing! A rich, thought-stimulating, feeling-stimulating, mind-massaging trip. (PDF format)
Living The Questions is a Wisdom Page feature that invites us to visit (or revisit) some significant questions, to share our current take on them, and to suggest other questions.
Personal-Quest Books are books that document the personal quests of individuals (real or fictional) for greater understanding, personal development, and wisdom.

Cop Macdonald's personal web site is now at http://www.copmacdonald.com/