Wisdom/critical thinking is a better predictor of well-being than intelligence

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Do you agree that wisdom/critical thinking is a better
predictor of well-being than intelligence? To answer, you will
have to define what the following terms mean for you:
▪ Critical thinking-
▪ Wisdom-
▪ Intelligence-
▪ Well-being-
◦ Reflect on what you read in the text this week. Think of the
people you know.
▪ Are the good people smart?
▪ Are the smart people good?
▪ How do you define “good”? How do you define “smart”?
▪ Can we use our intelligence to become “good”? If yes,
how? If no, why not?

 

Sample Solution

Critical thinking is the ability to think analytically and ask questions that challenge, probe, and go beyond surface-level answers. This involves understanding different perspectives as well as drawing conclusions from available data. It also includes being able to assess potential solutions or strategies based on logical rather than emotional reasoning (Kuhn 2011).

Wisdom can be defined as a combination of knowledge and experience along with insight, intuition, discernment, judgement, common sense and the capacity for reasoned decision making (Charurupan 2020). It comes from synthesizing information gathered over time into meaningful patterns or life lessons which can then be applied in new situations.

Intelligence consists of many different skills such as problem solving; abstract thinking; recall; logic; verbal fluency; processing speed etc.It is generally measured by IQ tests which measure cognitive abilities associated with academic performance (Wechsler 1994).

Well-being is an overall state of physical health combined with positive psychological functioning such as feeling contentedness or satisfaction with one’s life (Lebowitz et al., 2017). It involves having sound mental health including feelings of joy/happiness which are less prone to disruption from negative emotions.

In conclusion, while intelligence plays an important role in achieving success at school or work related tasks it may not necessarily be enough when dealing with more complex problems that require ‘thinking outside the box’ i.e critical thinking or wisdom. Therefore it could be argued that wisdom is seen to better predict people’s well-being than intelligence due to its emphasis on reflective thought processes combined with past experiences which aim to help individuals make wiser decisions (Panagiotou et al., 2018).

Firstly, Vittola argues after a war, it is the responsibility of the leader to judge what to do with the enemy (Begby et al (2006b), Page 332).. Again, proportionality is emphasised. For example, the Versailles treaty imposed after the First World War is questionably too harsh, as it was not all Germany’s fault for the war. This is supported by Frowe, who expresses two views in jus post bellum: Minimalism and Maximalism, which are very differing views. Minimalists suggest a more lenient approach while maximalist, supporting the above example, provides a harsher approach, punishing the enemy both economically and politically (Frowe (2010), Page 208). At the last instance, however, the aim of war is to establish peace security, so whatever needs to be done can be morally justified, if it follows the rules of jus ad bellum.
In conclusion, just war theory is very contestable and can argue in different ways. However, the establishment of a just peace is crucial, making all war type situation to have different ways of approaching (Frowe (2010), Page 227). Nevertheless, the just war theory comprises of jus ad bellum, jus in bello and jus post bellum, and it can be either morally controversial or justifiable depending on the proportionality of the circumstance. Therefore, there cannot be one definitive theory of the just war but only a theoretical guide to show how wars should be fought, showing normativity in its account, which answers the question to what a just war theory is.

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