Why the Wisest People Are Humble

Where Intolerance and Ignorance Comes From

“It’s a universal law - intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility.”

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Wisdom is one of the four cardinal virtues, but it’s more than that; it’s commonly considered the most important of the virtues, as it interconnects all of the others. Regardless, it’s true that wisdom is vital for human flourishing.

When we call something a virtue, we also call the opposite of that a vice. In this case, if we deem wisdom a virtue we simultaneously deem foolishness a vice. Certainly, we deem a lack of wisdom not virtuous.

When it comes to knowledge, things get complicated. Wisdom and knowledge are not exactly the same things, though they are deeply related. Knowledge is amoral. It’s fact. Wisdom is using those facts aimed toward virtue.