Thought and Wisdom**A revised version of this paper first given at IIASA became the first lecture in the ninth and final Gaither Lecture Series, given at the University of California, Berkeley, May, 1981.

Abstract

Publisher Summary Wisdom is thought combined with a concern for ethics. This is a highly intellectual idea about wisdom, and may emanate from thought itself. The science of Leibniz, Spinoza, Hume, and Kant of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was far wiser than the so-called science of the 20th century. Apparently, basing legitimacy on economic costs seemed to most of the committee members a calmer, more thoughtful approach than simply getting angry at the carelessness of people who got themselves and others killed by their failure to wear safety belts. All planning begins with a problem; however, it should not be confined to the problem statement. Also, the beginning should not be a clear problem formulation, but rather should be an utterance of moral outrage. John Dewey once said that problems arise from felt needs; however, that is much too mild a statement. One very sad aspect of a great deal of planning research is that the roots of the Request-for-Proposals are cut off at the very start; no wonder the plant withers and dies as proposals, interim, and final reports are written.