Wisdom might well be called the quality of qualities—the quintessential quality—yet defining it further is strangely difficult. Is it another word for rationality? Or is it a form of common sense? What kind of thing is it? What principles inform it? In what is wisdom grounded? To what end does it point? And, in particular, why is it so neglected at this present time?

From the author of "Art, Love and Truth" comes this fascinating, entertaining and uncompromising exploration of the mysteries of wisdom, undertaken in the hope that if we could understand its nature better, it might help us grow wiser ourselves. Referring to numerous fairy tales as well as to the work of William Blake, Marie-Louise von Franz and Thomas Sowell among others, "The Pearl of Wisdom" illuminates its subject in new ways, while at the same time showing how the quest for this elusive quality has been obstructed by a different project altogether.