Meta-Cognition with a Heart: Mindfulness, Therapy, and the Cultivation of Wisdom

Abstract

This definition is laudable in many waysit casts a distinctively social lens upon wisdom, arguing that to be wise is to consider and at balance the common good against selfinterest. It requires that such consideration be excellent, which presumably allows for measurable, “gold standard” processes and outcomes. It also proposes that metacognition is a hallmark of wise reasoning (perspectival meta-cognition or PMC) – a wise person must consider the adequacy of their reasoning when considering socially-relevant problems. Together, these criteria provide a basis for cross-disciplinary wisdom research, as it might be possible to both assess and train wisdom with these concrete markers in mind. While a strong case is made for wisdom’s central constructs, the mechanisms by which these qualities may be improved are relatively sparse. As noted in the target article, national educational systems rarely formally teach or evaluate wisdom, despite it being a valued educational outcome (Ferrari & Kim, 2019). To move forward, the target paper suggests a focus on training subcomponents of wisdom such as morality and PMC. However, only training for PMC is discussed, with the examples of mindfulness meditation training and illeist (third-person) writing exercises introduced as candidates PMC interventions. Yet the discussion on how to train morality or social engagement is relatively underspecified. The purpose of my commentary is to suggest that the research community actually knows a lot about wisdom cultivation, including the cultivation of social responsibility. Specifically, large research literatures on the cultivation of wisdom can be found in both contemplative traditions (including mindfulness training) and in modern clinical psychology. Inclusion of these literatures is important for addressing gaps in the wisdom model for how to translate PMC into a socially engaged, moral domain.