Smart to Wise
The Seven Pillars for True Success
nd Edition: Revised and Enlarged
Author: Dr Mike Clayton
This second edition first published by
Mike Clayton in 2022
First published by Marshall Cavendish in 2012
www. Mike Clayton.co.uk
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Dr Mike Clayton, 2022
The right of Mike Clayton to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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The author and publisher has used his best efforts in preparing this book and disclaims any liability arising directly and indirectly from the use or application of this book and its contents. Any omissions and errors are unintentional and will, if brough to the attention of the author, be corrected in future editions.
DEDICATION
To Sophia, goddess of wisdom, and my own smart, wise child; the indirect inspiration for this book.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface to the Second Edition
Are we allowed to have favourites? To date, I have written 14 print books for major publishers like Pearson, Macmillan, and Wiley. And, on top of those, Pearson commissioned me for 10 of their Business Express eBooks and I have created and self-published over a dozen eBooks myself.
Yet Smart to Wise, which came from a long conversation over coffee with my commissioning editor at Marshall Cavendish, is my favourite. I love the spread of ideas, the unusual format, and the small, hardback form factor.
The last of these, however, has had to go. Literally, within a week or two of the original publication date for Smart to Wise, the publisher, Marshall Cavendish, decided to withdraw from the European market. Smart to Wise did not get the launch it was promised. Nor, indeed, did it get the launch I believe it deserved. I had hoped to see it placed prominently in hundreds of bookshops especially those at transport hubs. My editor had hoped the same too. He was out of a job and my book was orphaned. (Hes gone onto bigger and better things).
It wasnt long before Marshall Cavendish even stopped supplying the online book retailers with copies of Smart to Wise. It became hard to get. They offered for me to buy the warehouse stock, but I dont have a warehouse of my own.
My ultimate response was to negotiate a return of the publication rights back to me. The trickiest part was tracking down the right people. I am in the UK and Marshall Cavendish is now exclusively in east Asia. However, once I did, the folk at Marshall Cavendish were easy to deal with and I now have the right to create and publish my own edition.
So, here you have it. I have been through the whole book, revising it in minor ways and adding three appendices, or extra chapters. These started life as published long-form articles or bonus eBooks. I hope you like Smart to Wise as much as I do.
All the best
Mike Clayton
Christmas 2021
Introduction: Wisdom
Youre smart. You know stuff. Youve made great strides in your career and your life. But you know theres more: there are levels that you arent ready for yet. There are things you want to do and people you want to impress that you cant yet reach. Because being smart is not enough. Being smart will only get you so far: to achieve all that you can, people need to see you as more than smart. They need to see you as wise.
Wisdom is a rare commodity. There are a lot of very brilliant people, bright people, clever people; not so many people who are wise.
Malcolm Fraser, Prime Minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983
What is Wisdom?
Dictionaries each have their own definition of wisdom. Some are very long: others are commendably short. They talk about ability to think, to know what is true or right, to apply knowledge and be sensible. They talk about shrewdness, erudition, and enlightenment. Lets start with something simple.
wisdom : ability to use your knowledge well
As you read this book, you will see how many different interpretations there are. Well take ideas from ancient Chinese, Indian and Greek traditions, and from modern philosophy, psychology and social science.
Indeed, the Greeks had two different words that we translate as wisdom. These give us the two main aspects of wisdom:
Theoretical Wisdom
Sophia is the wisdom we have about our world and its phenomena. It is about using our knowledge and reason to search for truth and gain deep insights into reality.
Practical Wisdom
Phronesis is the wisdom we show when we have understood reality and make choices that change our world for the better.
The Humility of Wisdom
A Greek legend has it that the Oracle at Delphi declared the philosopher Socrates to be the wisest of all the Greeks. Socrates reasoned that this was because he alone knew that he did not know anything. A wise person must, first of all, be humbled by the vast wealth and variety of knowledge and experiences that are available to us all, and know the limits of their own comprehension.
From Smart to Wise
Smart to Wise is about how to become wise. It does not set out to give you the answers, nor to dispense wisdom, but to show you the direction of your journey. There are many routes and many possible destinations. So Smart to Wise offers you a list of some of the places to visit along the way and some of the souvenirs to collect, which will mark your progress to your own place of wisdom. Where that is, and how you will get there, are for you to discover.
Where are you going?
How will you get there?
Where are you starting from?
These are not glib questions. Whilst perfect answers are not possible; wisdom demands that you engage with questions like these and start to form your response. From here on, you need to be prepared to spend time thinking about important matters.
Smart or Wise?
Lets draw a distinction between smart and wise. If you are smart, you will know how things work: how to get on. Smart is a matter of learning the rules and being able to follow them. Wisdom needs more. How will you cope when the rules dont apply? How will you manage in a new environment, where you dont know the rules? What rules would you work to, when there are none?
Wisdom requires experience to understand the real world as it is, in all its complexity, rather than the narrow context where you grew smart. Can you accurately interpret the new events, patterns, and behaviours to discern whats really going on, and determine what needs to be done? If you can, thats wisdom.
Smart is necessary but it isnt sufficient, if you want to reach your full potential, and play a leading role in our family, your work, and your society.
Seven Pillars of Wisdom
Wisdom has built her home; she has hewn her seven pillars
Proverbs 9:1
Figure 1: Seven Pillars of Wisdom
The Old Testament alludes to wisdom as offering herself to any who will come, and promising great rewards to those who seek her out: In my hands are riches and honour, boundless wealth and the rewards of virtue. My harvest is better than gold.
