It's possible to be wise and dumb, because wisdom comes from experience whereas the opposite of dumb is smart, which means they're independent mental phenomena.

However, no matter how smart you are, you can't know what it's like to have wisdom until you've experienced it, because wisdom comes from experience.

What it means is that it's possible to be dumb yet have enough wisdom to be able to realize that compared to various metrics you are dumb, i.e. most Downs Syndrome people are perfectly aware of the fact that they're not as "bright" as the normals, but wise Downs Syndrome folk have no problem dealing with that...

But no matter how smart you are, you cannot know what you're lacking unless you've experienced it, and wisdom has to be experienced in order to know what it is. It's like... unless you've had color vision and then lost it, you can't know as an eagle able to see a mouse from a mile away but in black-and-white what it's like to perceive color.

Which means, the question's a bit meaningless, because of the two options, the only one that's possible is that of being wise and knowing you're dumb. The other one... being smart enough to know that you lack true wisdom, is a phenomenological impossibility, so what you're asking is: What's better... something that *can* be, or something that *cannot* be?

Maybe on some level with about the same level of sense as how there can be a number 'i' that is the square root of negative one it would be "better" to be smart enough to know that you lack true wisdom, if it could happen as a valid mental state, but it can't, so what's the point of asking?

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I would have to say that being smart enough to know you lack true wisdom could best lead to a more meaningful life.

"Smart" and "dumb" are indicators of intelligence, which after a certain point in life is not going to change much. A person who is able to ponder the difference between (and the relative worth of) intelligence and wisdom has obviously got enough intelligence to function in society quite nicely, and more to the point, they are able to live a meaningful life.

Wisdom, unlike intelligence is something that you can accumulate. Your IQ may remain relatively stable, but your Wisdom Quotient (although I'm not familiar with similar testing) can continue to grow throughout your life. Hang out with wise individuals and absorb what they say and do. Read books by wise authors and incorporate their teachings into your daily decision making. Study whatever religion or philosophy you chose. Live a thoughtful and considered life. I believe these activities alone, the very act of pursuing wisdom, will make your life more meaningful.

Pursuing intelligence will get you nowhere. You may increase your collection of facts, the knowlege base upon which intelligence operates, but you will not increase your ability to interpret those facts in any meaningful way. There will always be the same intellectual walls through which you cannot break.

With all your getting, get wisdom and understanding.

In my humble opinion, it is only when we know that we do not know that wisdom comes and life takes on more meaning.
When we will be able to know our own limitations and more accepting of ourselves, we become more humble and open to new possibilities.
We become open and more accepting of our own humanity and vulnerability that will help us enter into a more meaningful and rewarding relationship. That deep and intimate relationship with the other or others in our life is what makes life beautiful!
I have searched for the meaning of life. I have found it when i give myself in love to others and allow those others to touch the very core of my being.
When I become an instrument of healing to other people in my relationship with them, my life takes on a deeper meaning... Yes, as I become more my real self in relationship with those significant others in my life, life becomes more beautiful and meaningful!
Thank you for that question. It helps me reflect about my life.

I think it is being smart enough to know that you lack true wisdom. The more we learn the more we realize there is to learn.We do not suddenly reach the great plateau of wisdom over everything. We only reach the next step up.

I do not believe in the term expert because of that. We can be knowledgeable, well versed, well read, but wisdom comes by learning and at the same time realizing you should never stop learning.

A college education gives you exposure to your chosen field of learning and knowledge but it does not make you the ultimate authority in that field.

Wisdom is knowing you can never know it all and making the best use of what you learn along the way in the most constructive ways.

It's late at night, so forgive me if I'm missing something, but to me they seem to mean the same thing. It's wise to know that you don't know everything. Isn't that the bottom line?

One of the lessons that I wished I'd learned earlier in life is that 'asking for help' isn't a sign of failure on my part. I don't have to have the solution to everything.

So I'd definitely want to be smart enough to know you lack true wisdom? providing that I could learn from the person that did have the wisdom that I was lacking...