What is wisdom? Students often answer, "experience", "knowledge", or having a lot of facts. I always try to get across the idea that wisdom is knowing the limits of our knowledge. Knowing that you only know so much and no more. Knowing where your knowledge stops and where the unknown begins. Knowing that there are things that you don't know. It is knowing when to ask questions or Look it up!

When you are studying for a degree, for example, you are studying knowledge from a particular point of view or perspective. The 'truths' you learn, the terminology, the ways of thinking, the skills are all going to be slanted from the perspective of the 'discipline' you study (see below for 'the disciplines'). This is both the 'benefit' and the 'curse' of specialization. It will always be your task to overcome the artificial boundaries that separate the branches of knowledge.

As a student, this will require that you be able to 'transfer' the knowledge and skills learned in one classroom to others. When you learn a reading skill, you should understand that this is not merely a 'reading' skill. It is a creative thinking skill and can be applied in any and all situations that thinking is required. This means always, right?

Therefore, if you want to succeed as a formal English user or even as a college student, you should always be thinking when you are in class or studying. You should talk with others who are doing the same, and you should discuss ideas and issues with your fellow students. Only in this way, by shifting around the 'spectacles' of Kant through the various 'filters' of the disciplines, can you really master "knowledge".

Take reading and writing for example. It is clear that these are two sides of the same coin. The writer needs a reader and the reader needs something written to read. That is why reading and writing skills can be mastered together; they are essentially the same task. You must sort out what is being communicated and what needs to be communicated. You must be able to take the knowledge you learn and apply it in different situations. At first this will be in different classrooms and then later it will be in different situations in the 'real' world, outside of the 'ivory tower', in venues (situations) such as work and family.

Therefore, if you want to acquire true wisdom, in my opinion, you will acknowledge that there are things you don't know and then you will keep this in mind as you go through the world. If you live your life wisely, then you live your life in such a way as to never assume anything that you don't know for sure. There is a very old joke that says, when you assume you make an "ass" of "u" and "me". This joke is sarcastic because it contains some truth.