There’s more to the pursuit of happiness, he argues, than the acquisition of material goods, noting that the wealthy tend not to be much happier than those making a median income, and that a life of value can come about “from learning, philosophizing, commitment, conscientiousness, and practice.” Reading this hefty yet welcoming, even conversational, volume represents much time engaged in all of those, as Merchey teases apart the “nuanced, subtle, context-bound, and perspectival aspects of wisdom” and makes the case that the oldest of truisms—that wisdom cannot be bought—is actually true.
One aspect of wisdom Merchey reveres is “intellectual humility,” a trait that, to his credit, he demonstrates throughout the book. He presents himself not as the final authority on his subject but as a thinker making sense of it all, drawing from philosophy, literature, the sciences, and more. He can be flip—an offhand dismissal of the Jonas Brothers does not demonstrate the open-mindedness he elsewhere calls for—but more often this thoughtful, illuminating volume exemplifies his arguments: like any of us, he’s a work in progress, striving for wisdom.
Takeaway: A searching, illuminating consideration of the urgent value of wisdom, for individuals and for society.
Great for fans of: Richard E. Simmons’s Wisdom: Life’s Great Treasure, Barry Schwartz’s Practical Wisdom.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
