The article by Paul B. Baltes and Ursula M. Staudinger presents a comprehensive overview of wisdom research within the Berlin wisdom paradigm. Wisdom, defined as an expert knowledge system concerning the fundamental pragmatics of life, encompasses knowledge and judgment about life's meaning and conduct, aiming to orchestrate human development toward excellence while considering both personal and collective well-being. The authors develop a series of criteria to evaluate wisdom, including rich factual and procedural knowledge, lifespan contextualism, relativism of values and life priorities, and recognition and management of uncertainty. They argue that wisdom is a cognitive and motivational metaheuristic that organizes and orchestrates knowledge toward human excellence in mind and virtue. The article reviews the historical and cultural context of wisdom, noting its significance in philosophy, religion, and psychology. It highlights the multidisciplinary nature of wisdom research and the distinction between implicit and explicit theories of wisdom. Implicit theories are based on folk-psychological or common-sense approaches, while explicit theories focus on behavioral manifestations and empirical inquiry. The Berlin Wisdom Paradigm is introduced as a framework for studying wisdom, emphasizing its role as an expert system in the fundamental pragmatics of life. The paradigm includes five criteria for assessing wisdom-related performance: rich factual and procedural knowledge, lifespan contextualism, relativism of values and life priorities, recognition and management of uncertainty, and a motivational-emotional orientation toward the well-being of oneself and others. Empirical findings from various studies are discussed, including the role of chronological age, professional experience, the interplay of intelligence, cognitive style, and personality, and the interactive-minds aspect of wisdom. The study of proverbs is also explored as a way to access wisdom-related knowledge. The authors conclude by suggesting that wisdom can be understood as a cognitive and motivational-heuristic (pragmatic) that organizes and orchestrates knowledge toward human excellence in mind and virtue.The article by Paul B. Baltes and Ursula M. Staudinger presents a comprehensive overview of wisdom research within the Berlin wisdom paradigm. Wisdom, defined as an expert knowledge system concerning the fundamental pragmatics of life, encompasses knowledge and judgment about life's meaning and conduct, aiming to orchestrate human development toward excellence while considering both personal and collective well-being. The authors develop a series of criteria to evaluate wisdom, including rich factual and procedural knowledge, lifespan contextualism, relativism of values and life priorities, and recognition and management of uncertainty. They argue that wisdom is a cognitive and motivational metaheuristic that organizes and orchestrates knowledge toward human excellence in mind and virtue. The article reviews the historical and cultural context of wisdom, noting its significance in philosophy, religion, and psychology. It highlights the multidisciplinary nature of wisdom research and the distinction between implicit and explicit theories of wisdom. Implicit theories are based on folk-psychological or common-sense approaches, while explicit theories focus on behavioral manifestations and empirical inquiry. The Berlin Wisdom Paradigm is introduced as a framework for studying wisdom, emphasizing its role as an expert system in the fundamental pragmatics of life. The paradigm includes five criteria for assessing wisdom-related performance: rich factual and procedural knowledge, lifespan contextualism, relativism of values and life priorities, recognition and management of uncertainty, and a motivational-emotional orientation toward the well-being of oneself and others. Empirical findings from various studies are discussed, including the role of chronological age, professional experience, the interplay of intelligence, cognitive style, and personality, and the interactive-minds aspect of wisdom. The study of proverbs is also explored as a way to access wisdom-related knowledge. The authors conclude by suggesting that wisdom can be understood as a cognitive and motivational-heuristic (pragmatic) that organizes and orchestrates knowledge toward human excellence in mind and virtue.