Fundamentally, to live life well means to make the right choices. When we make wise choices, we obtain outcomes that sometimes far exceed what we anticipated or could have predicted. It is as though we have an inner guardian angel guiding our decisions. This uncanny nature of wisdom is the result of the complex nature of wisdom.

Wisdom is the result of an integration of numerous human capacities. Factual and procedural knowledge are combined with contextualism, perspectivism, and tolerance for uncertainty in order to make intelligent, informed and wise decisions. This process is not one of oscillating between various perspectives and states of mind, but is an integration of these various functions of mind.

Wisdom is a distinct function of mind analogous to the essence of intuition. It is a state of mind that combines both thinking and feeling, resulting in a sense of acceptance. This mental state can utilize the diverse and disparate aspects of our motivations, desires, and values when making decisions. These aspects of our nature are not always coherent and in agreement, derailing and compromising our decision making ability. In wisdom, these conflicting aspects of our nature take on a coherence that is relevant to the contingencies at hand. We are aware of the context of our situation. We can apprehend our thoughts and feelings in relation to our character, ability, motivation, and values, acting in a way that leads to flourishing.