Wisdom or sapience is the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding,

common sense, and insight.[1] There appears to be consensus that wisdom is associated with att
ributes such as compassion, experiential self-knowledge, non-attachment and virtues such as ethi
cs and benevolence.[2][3][4]

Wisdom has been defined in many different ways, a variety of measurement scales have been d
eveloped, and several subtypes of wisdom have been proposed.[4][3][2] Out of these, phronesis
and sophia are two key subtypes of wisdom.[4][3] Phronesis refers to practical knowledge, or th
e seeking of knowledge to apply to the given circumstance such as an understanding of people
, objects, events, situations, and the willingness as well as the ability to apply perception, judge
ment, and action in keeping with the understanding of what is the optimal course of action.[2][5
] Sophia on the other hand refers to “transcendent wisdom” or the “ultimate nature of reality.” [
6][3][4]

The Oxford English Dictionary defines wisdom as "Capacity of judging rightly in matters relating
to life and conduct; soundness of judgement in the choice of means and ends; sometimes, less
strictly, sound sense, esp. in practical affairs: opp. to folly;" also "Knowledge (esp. of a high or a
bstruse kind); enlightenment, learning, erudition."[7] Charles Haddon Spurgeon defined wisdom as
"the right use of knowledge".[8] Robert I. Sutton and Andrew Hargadon defined the "attit ude o
f wisdom" as "acting with knowledge while doubting what one knows".[9] In the psychological lit
erature however the construct of wisdom does not have a commonly accepted definition.[4]

Sapience is closely related to the term "sophia" often defined as "transcendent wisdom", "ultimat
e reality", or the ultimate truth of things.[3][4][28] Sapiential perspective of wisdom is said to lie
in the heart of every religion, where it is often acquired through intuitive knowing.[3][4] This typ
e of wisdom is described as going beyond mere practical wisdom and includes self-knowledge, i
nterconnectedness, conditioned origination of mind-states and other deeper understandings of su
bjective experience.[6][3][4] This type of wisdom can also lead to the ability of an indivi dual to
act with appropriate judgement, a broad understanding of situations and greater appreciation/co
mpassion towards other living beings.[6]

The word sapience is derived from the Latin sapientia, meaning "wisdom".[31] Related to this wo
rd is the Latin verb sapere, meaning "to taste, to be wise, to know"; the present participle of sa
pere forms part of Homo sapiens, the Latin binomial nomenclature created by Carl Linnaeus to
describe the human species. Linnaeus had originally given humans the species name of diurnus,
meaning man of the day. But he later decided that the dominating feature of humans was wisd
om, hence application of the name sapiens. His chosen biological name was intended to empha
size man's uniqueness and separation from the rest of the animal kingdom.

In fantasy fiction and science fiction, sapience often describes an essential property that bestows
"personhood" onto a non-human. It indicates that a computer, alien, mythical creature or other
similar individual merits treatment as a being with capabilities and desires equal to any human c
haracter. These sapient, non-human characters are often entitled to, or eligible to receive, full ci
vil rights. The words "sentience", "self-awareness", and "consciousness" are used in similar ways i
n science fiction.