A teoria fundante da sabedoria

Abstract

Our research introduces a critical reflection on the epistemological studies about the nature of wisdom, pointing out gaps in current contemporary theories. We observe the same bibliographical root in all the analyzed works, making the reference to a dichotomous Aristotelian wisdom hinder the incorporation of a concept with both theoretical and practical properties of this knowledge. Another relevant question is the signalization of wisdom as a meta-cognitive virtue, which would denote incorporating, together with new theories, a way of establishing an analytical project associated with ethical presuppositions. We find, in Heraclitus's philosophy, a wisdom of epistemic- ethical imbrication, evidenced even as an instrumental good. From these peculiarities, we selected and interpreted 37 fragments of Heraclitus' work that allowed us to establish new criteria as guides of an integral and dynamic wisdom. From this perspective, we proposed the Founding Theory of Wisdom (FTW), establishing four necessary conditions, or basic principles, to obtain and re-actualize human wisdom, considering that S is wise only if: (i) S is aware of human nature, and motivated to constantly overcome ignorance; (ii) S is committed to an innovative knowledge (at a time t, and in relation to the available resources to access this knowledge); (iii) S masters their cognitive activity through the process of critical understanding; (iv) S structures their intellectual virtues through intellectual sensitivity (IS), and adjusts their moral virtues through harmonious moral guidance (HMG), taking place in its distinctive character.