Wisdoms Questions
Is the thing I want to do legal or illegal (government standards)?
Is the thing I want to do moral or immoral (societal standards)?
Is the thing I want to do good or evil (God’s standards)?
Those are the questions I ask when making hard decisions. I would expect that all I need to do is line up the good poles and my decision would be easy. If a thing is good, moral, and legal, why would I not do it?
But even when those things line up, moral decision-making may require yet another spectrum of consideration: Is the thing I want to do wise or foolish?
General principles are certain, but the closer you get to the particulars of a case—reality as it is—the more often those principles alone fall short. For example, “help your family” is a sound principle of goodness; it is also moral, and depending on the help needed, not illegal.
But if a certain family member with a history of financial irresponsibility asks me to co-sign a loan, that good principle is not the only pertinent information to consider. The particulars of the situation make me ask: Is it wise to help this family member in this way?
Wisdom considers the variables of life and human behavior and knows that not everything is predictable. Principles involve abstract ideals; wisdom involves concrete reality assessed by experience.
Experience tells me to consider the costs and benefits of a decision. A cost is a good that is lost; a benefit is a good that is gained. If I co-sign the loan, what might it cost and who will pay the costs? Who benefits?
Experience tells me to think beyond the first step, what Thomas Sowell calls “thinking beyond stage one.” If I co-sign, my irresponsible family member gets the loan. Then what? What is my family member’s likely response based on his history with money? And what will be the consequences to me if he fails to follow through on his financial commitment?
Experience asks: Can this decision be undone? If so, how easily can it be undone? Are there long-term adverse effects of the decision?
These are just a few of the kinds of questions wisdom may ask about a decision. While it may be legal, moral, and good to “help your family,” it may not be wise to co-sign a loan for a family member. The book of Proverbs repeatedly warns against it, whether one is doing so for a neighbor or a stranger (Proverbs 6.1-5; 11.15; 17.18; 20.16; 22.26-27).
Asking and answering such questions won’t make the final decision for you, but you’ll make the decision informed by reality rather than naïve optimism based on abstract ideals alone.
Is the thing I want to do moral or immoral (societal standards)?
Is the thing I want to do good or evil (God’s standards)?
Those are the questions I ask when making hard decisions. I would expect that all I need to do is line up the good poles and my decision would be easy. If a thing is good, moral, and legal, why would I not do it?
But even when those things line up, moral decision-making may require yet another spectrum of consideration: Is the thing I want to do wise or foolish?
General principles are certain, but the closer you get to the particulars of a case—reality as it is—the more often those principles alone fall short. For example, “help your family” is a sound principle of goodness; it is also moral, and depending on the help needed, not illegal.
But if a certain family member with a history of financial irresponsibility asks me to co-sign a loan, that good principle is not the only pertinent information to consider. The particulars of the situation make me ask: Is it wise to help this family member in this way?
Wisdom considers the variables of life and human behavior and knows that not everything is predictable. Principles involve abstract ideals; wisdom involves concrete reality assessed by experience.
Experience tells me to consider the costs and benefits of a decision. A cost is a good that is lost; a benefit is a good that is gained. If I co-sign the loan, what might it cost and who will pay the costs? Who benefits?
Experience tells me to think beyond the first step, what Thomas Sowell calls “thinking beyond stage one.” If I co-sign, my irresponsible family member gets the loan. Then what? What is my family member’s likely response based on his history with money? And what will be the consequences to me if he fails to follow through on his financial commitment?
Experience asks: Can this decision be undone? If so, how easily can it be undone? Are there long-term adverse effects of the decision?
These are just a few of the kinds of questions wisdom may ask about a decision. While it may be legal, moral, and good to “help your family,” it may not be wise to co-sign a loan for a family member. The book of Proverbs repeatedly warns against it, whether one is doing so for a neighbor or a stranger (Proverbs 6.1-5; 11.15; 17.18; 20.16; 22.26-27).
Asking and answering such questions won’t make the final decision for you, but you’ll make the decision informed by reality rather than naïve optimism based on abstract ideals alone.