Wisdom... an old and dusty concept that has fallen down the pecking order in today's world. As a result, it's no surprise that many feel our civilisation is slipping ever deeper into an idiocracy. Well, this episode aims to single-handedly arrest that slide... and bring wisdom back into fashion! To this end, we have enlisted the talents of Jason Merchey, who literally wrote the book on wisdom. In fact, he's written four, including his latest work - Wisdom: A Very Valuable Virtue That Cannot Be Bought.  Given his lifelong study of this subject, Jason helps us tackle wisdom from many angles. He uses a supporting cast of wise quotations from down through the ages to prevent us losing sight of what wisdom really means - and why it is indeed a most valuable virtue.More About JasonIn addition to being a philosophical thinker and author, Jason is a master’s level psychologist, proponent of the research ideal, social critic, author / essayist / blogger, and a student of the tradition of arts and letters. You can buy Jason's latest book on Amazon (or enter our competition - see below!) or follow his work via his website.Note: This episode supports a "Chapters" feature, which is available in the web player and many podcast apps.Main Talking PointsWhat is wisdom?Capitalism, Sisyphus and higher valuesThe usefulness of philosophyThe power of quotationsEffective truth-seekingThe wisdom and anti-wisdom of intuitionIs America wise or unwise?Wisdom vs common senseChanging opinions, changing climateThe knowing nod of older Ireland (and why some things may be best left unsaid)Respecting elders but perhaps not their ideasConflating status with wisdomReal wisdom, real estate, and investingWhat can Foucault, Trump and Mussolini teach us about Irish house prices?Staying sane in an insane worldOther LinksThe Road Less Traveled  by Scott Peck (1978) A very influential book on psychology that Jason citesWisdom: From Philosophy to Neuroscience by Stephen S Hall (2010) A book on wisdom with a big impact on Jason's philosophical thinkingThe myth of Sisyphus by Alex Gendler (TED Ed) Wonderfully illustrated video of this mythic taleJason's Wisdom Search Engine - a quote database that around 36,000 quotes for you to exploreStanford Prison Experiment -  a highly unethical study to analyse behavioural effects in a two-week simulation of a prison environment (wikipedia)The Stanley Milgram Experiment: How Far Will You Go to Obey an OrderCitizens United Supreme Court Decision (wikipedia)CompetitionSend us in your favourite quotation - and why it is - to be in the running to win one of the 3 copies of Jason's book that he is kindly giving away to listeners! Enter using our contact details below.Show Info, Contact Details & CreditsSee  here. 

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