Wisdom is one of those things that, like exercise or meditation, is universally prized but seldom performed. Author Jason Merchey hopes to change that with WISDOM: A Very Valuable Virtue That Cannot Be Bought, a book that not only extols the virtues of wisdom but argues for its practical necessity at a time when ignorance, selfishness, moral blindness, and other unwise ways of thinking have become existential threats to Americans’ lives and the future of democracy itself. In the words of the late General Omar Bradley, which Merchey quotes in his book: “The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.”
Despite its intellectual subject matter, WISDOM is not an academic philosophical work. Merchey, who is not a professional philosopher but an ardent student of the field, writes about wisdom from an accessible and pragmatic point of view designed to connect with the average reader. Beginning with a discussion of societal problems the author attributes to a lack of wisdom—from the epidemic of opioid addiction and gun violence to economic and social inequality—Merchey defines the practical applications of wisdom as a tool of personal growth. Wisdom, the author argues, helps foster a sense of interconnectedness, empathy, and compassion. Merchey makes his case with a combination of personal statements and life experiences and a wealth of quotations drawn from a broad range of thinkers, including ancient and modern philosophers such as Aristotle, Confucius, and Bertrand Russell, writers and artists, and political leaders of every stripe.
While the worldview Merchey espouses is essentially left-leaning (“America has sown the seeds of hyper-individualism and materialism, violence, and class distinction, and we are now reaping what we have sown”), the author does not argue against conservative or for liberal views, so much as a mature, self-aware value system that embraces kindness, understanding, and social responsibility over self-interested individualism. (Readers will find quotes from, and praise for, conservatives such as John McCain alongside lefties like Howard Zinn.) WISDOM is, to a great extent, a book about the American political landscape, but it asserts that our political positions should be a product of an enlightened morality rather than political alignments determining our moral choices.
Dense with ideas but highly readable, WISDOM: A Very Valuable Virtue That Cannot Be Bought, advocates passionately for its subject without veering into polemics. Readers willing to approach the book with an open mind and an appetite for enlightenment will find a sizable trove of valuable insights in its pages.
~Edward Sung for IndieReader