While wisdom and critical thinking share many similarities, they are still distinct.

Wisdom is developed through experience, offering long-term insights, unlike critical thinking.

Critical thinking skills can lead to wisdom development over time.

It seems that discussions of wisdom have become something of a trend on this blog. Following two previous pieces I wrote on the topic here (Are You Wise? And What Actually Is Wisdom? and 5 Traits of Wisdom), an eagle-eyed reader got in touch and made the point that the way I, personally, conceptualized wisdom didn’t seem particularly distinct from critical thinking (CT). I say eagle-eyed, because I think there’s a lot to be said for their point. In my previous post, I conceptualized wisdom as:

“…a domain-general, metacognitive process; with epistemological understanding at its foundation; that develops over time with quality learning; and values and prioritizes the application of critical thinking when needed. The wise recognize their strengths, limitations, and place in the universe, making sure not to sweat the small stuff.”

“…a domain-general, metacognitive process; with epistemological understanding at its foundation; that develops over time with quality learning; and values and prioritizes the application of critical thinking when needed. The wise recognize their strengths, limitations, and place in the universe, making sure not to sweat the small stuff.”

The same can be said for CT (Dwyer, 2025). It is domain-general and metacognitive. Epistemological understanding is also at its foundation. In addition, CT develops over time with quality learning. Critical thinkers also recognize their strengths and limitations and make sure not to “sweat the small stuff.” So, what’s........

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