Investigating Knowledge and Wisdom in Novel Study
In a recent novel study class, my students and I were exploring the theme of “knowledge versus wisdom” within the book Franny and Zooey, by J.D. Salinger. One of the protagonists of the story (Franny) struggles with an existential crisis based on this conflict. She is, as my class and I phrased it, ‘struggling to realize her spiritual self in a knowledge-driven environment,’ namely her 1955, upperclass, American university.
It’s a sticky theme. But the students in this class have a talent for hitting a complicated literary argument right on the bull’s eye. As one student summized, “Franny just has to face reality and see that, even if she is a spiritual person, she lives in a world that values knowledge over spirituality.” “Okay,” I said. “So if she was your best friend, tortured by this problem, what would you say to help her? What would you advise her to do?” “Just balance the two,” was the simple solution. (“And quit complaining about it,” was the follow-up remark.)
I liked this answer a lot. In fact, I liked it so much that I started doing some research. Specifically, I was looking for information on balancing wisdom and knowledge in a classroom setting. It would take a much longer article to fully explore these terms and I know I’m just lightly touching on a really huge and involved matter. But I at least want to share a small quote from a book called Destructive Emotions, which was written based on a dialogue between a group of philosophers, scientists, and Buddhist monks (including the Dalai Lama):
“Even though a society does not emphasize this, the most important use of knowledge and education is to help understand the importance of engaging in more wholesome actions and bringing about discipline within our minds. The proper utilization of our intelligence and knowledge is to effect changes from within that develops a good heart.” [His Holiness the Dalai Lama]
The book, for anyone who is interested, is loaded both with scientific research and testing, and philosophical and religious theories on why people struggle with difficult emotions. Chapter Eleven, “Schooling for the Good Heart,” deals precisely with the idea of fostering a sense of meaning, or making room for wisdom, in an educational setting. In a nutshell, the book seems to be saying -in four hundred pages- something very similar to what my students deduced (at least in the case of Franny and Zooey): the key to peace of mind is balancing intellectual pursuits with spiritual health. Or, more to the point, “just balance the two and quit complaining about it.”