It's interesting to compare and contrast [Knowledge](/Knowledge) and [Wisdom](/Wisdom) as goals of human endeavor. They can form a pair of axes that help us define our beliefs and the types of [progress](/progress) we prefer to focus on. Here is a rough comparison chart:
**Knowledge**
**Wisdom**
Fundamental questions:
What is true/real/possible?
What is right/good/important?
Institutions/fields of endeavor:
“Hard” Sciences, Engineering, Economics
Religions, Ethics, Psychology/ Sociology
Focus on:
Things (and beings), Matter/Energy, separation and difference
People (and other beings), Mind/Spirit, connection and unity
Core values:
Liberty and (limited) Authority
Community and (limited) Liberty
Type of progress:
Material, i.e. Technological and Economic
Moral, i.e. Social and Ecological
Rates of change:
Exponential growth, sudden crashes
Slow progress, occasional revolutions