A3 Refereed book chapter or chapter in a compilation book

Practising Wisdom: Wisdom Is Realised in Practice, in History;




AuthorsKemmis, Stephen; Huttunen, Rauno; Mahon, Kathleen; Heikkinen, Hannu L. T.

EditorsBillett, Stephen; Heikkinen, Hannu L. T.; Tynjälä, Päivi; Virolainen, Maarit

Edition1

Publication year2026

Book title Wisdom in Practice : Conceptions, Perspectives and Development

Series titleProfessional and Practice-based Learning

Number in series38

First page 75

Last page97

ISBN978-981-92-0729-9

eISBN978-981-92-0730-5

ISSN2210-5549

eISSN2210-5557

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-92-0730-5_4

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-92-0730-5_4

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/533826485

Self-archived copy's licenceCC BY

Self-archived copy's versionPublisher`s PDF


Abstract

This chapter complements Chap. 3 in this volume. The question of wisdom in practice is addressed here from a perspective that is different from, and complementary to, the philosophical and psychological perspectives introduced in the previous chapter. The basic assumption of this chapter is that wisdom manifests itself—or fails to manifest itself—in everyday practices. In this chapter, practices are addressed from a social perspective—in particular, from the perspective of the theory of practice architectures, a particular version of practice theory. Rooted in the philosophical legacy of Aristotle and Hegel, a Marxian view of praxis as ‘sensuous human activity’ and ‘history-making action’ is outlined. Next, a contemporary view of practice is introduced as learned, situated, embodied human social action in history. It is argued that practising-in-history is the medium in which people discover how things turn out, and in which they discover whether those consequences might be judged ‘wise’. Next, it is argued that wise action comes from listening (attending to different sources), noticing, reflecting, deliberating, discerning, and prioritising, which are not only mental processes but also practices, as we have defined them. People can learn to do these things better, and when they do so they transform themselves and their worlds. It is then argued that the double purpose of education (learning to live well in worlds worth living in) aligns with developing isdom. Finally, to conclude, some suggestions are made about educating people for wisdom in practice.


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Last updated on 21/08/2026 09:09:21 AM