Quotation archive
“Wisdom is defined as the knowledge of how to use knowledge for social good.”
Van Rensselaer Potter · Bioethics: Bridge to the Future
Quote record
Author
Van Rensselaer Potter
Source
Bioethics: Bridge to the Future
Chapter / location
Definition of wisdom reproduced in the linked scholarly history
Tradition
bioethics · medical ethics · healthcare
Source information
From Bioethics: Bridge to the Future, Definition of wisdom reproduced in the linked scholarly history.
Translation
English translation; consult the named source edition for the original wording.
Context
Read the contextual commentary in this archive entry.
Interpretation
A source-led quote guide to potter on bioethics as bridge, explaining its definition, history, competing arguments, clinical implications, and safeguards for.
Knowledge network
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Verified Quotation
“Wisdom is defined as the knowledge of how to use knowledge for social good.” — Van Rensselaer Potter
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, this wording is presented with a named work, a specific location, and a direct source link. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, the page treats Potter On Bioethics As Bridge as a source-reading problem, not as a decorative saying. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, its central issue is bioethics as practical wisdom linking biological knowledge to human survival.
Source and Context
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, the quotation belongs to Van Rensselaer Potter's Bioethics: Bridge to the Future. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, in context, bioethics as practical wisdom linking biological knowledge to human survival is part of a larger argument rather than a complete ethical rule. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, readers should consult the linked source at Definition of wisdom reproduced in the linked scholarly history before relying on the wording in scholarship, teaching, or policy.
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, the surrounding debate matters because a short sentence removes qualifications, examples, and answers to objections. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, for Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, source context determines whether the line states a conclusion, introduces a problem, summarizes an opponent, or marks one stage of an argument. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, that distinction changes responsible interpretation.
What the Passage Claims
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, read narrowly, Potter On Bioethics As Bridge directs attention to bioethics as practical wisdom linking biological knowledge to human survival. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, it does not by itself prove which action is right in every clinical case. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, the useful claim is that decision makers must identify the morally relevant feature named by the passage and explain how it affects their reasons.
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, the passage is therefore best reconstructed as an argument with premises. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, one premise concerns facts about patients, institutions, technologies, or social conditions. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, another assigns moral importance to those facts. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, a conclusion then follows about permission, obligation, restraint, or fair procedure. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, separating those levels prevents a memorable phrase from replacing analysis.
Application to a Case
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, consider a multidisciplinary team facing a contested health decision. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, applying Potter On Bioethics As Bridge requires the team to state the decision, identify who is affected, test the evidence, and ask how bioethics as practical wisdom linking biological knowledge to human survival changes the available options. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, it should record uncertainty and the distribution of benefit, burden, authority, and risk.
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, a defensible application also creates a safeguard. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, depending on the case, that may mean supported consent, independent review, an appeal route, transparent allocation criteria, disability accommodation, privacy protection, or scheduled reassessment. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, the quotation earns practical value only when its reasoning becomes observable in the process.
Limits and Objections
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, one objection to Potter On Bioethics As Bridge is that the highlighted value may be too indeterminate to decide between competing actions. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, another is that the passage may understate conflicts among autonomy, welfare, justice, professional integrity, and public responsibility. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, these objections do not erase the source; they define what additional argument is needed.
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, a second danger is authority by attribution: assuming that a famous author settles the issue. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, ethical credibility depends on reasons and evidence, not reputation. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, the linked text should be compared with serious alternatives, and any historical language should be interpreted without pretending that it directly answers a later technological or institutional problem.
How to Cite and Use It
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, when citing Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, preserve the displayed wording, name Bioethics: Bridge to the Future, give Definition of wisdom reproduced in the linked scholarly history, and link the source. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, do not extend the quotation with remembered words, modernize it silently, or present this page as the original publication. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, if an edition differs, cite the edition actually consulted.
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, for teaching, pair Potter On Bioethics As Bridge with a case that can produce more than one plausible answer. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, ask learners to formulate the strongest supporting interpretation and the strongest objection. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, then require them to identify evidence that could change their conclusion. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, this method turns quotation search into ethical reasoning rather than slogan collection.
Relation to Bioethics
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, within bioethics, Potter On Bioethics As Bridge connects individual decisions to a wider knowledge graph of theories, institutions, practices, and affected communities. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, its emphasis on bioethics as practical wisdom linking biological knowledge to human survival should be read alongside informed consent, harm prevention, benefit, equity, care, and accountability. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, none of those concepts automatically overrides the others.
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, the passage also has an institutional dimension. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, hospitals, research bodies, governments, and technology firms can affirm a value while designing procedures that frustrate it. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, a serious reading therefore asks not only what one professional should do, but what rules, resources, review mechanisms, and measurements make the stated commitment credible.
Editorial Verification Note
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, this entry distinguishes exact quoted words from editorial interpretation. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, the quoted-work source is directly linked in the source list, the location is disclosed, and the analysis does not invent additional language for Van Rensselaer Potter. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, if the linked publisher or archive changes access conditions, readers can still search the named work and location without relying on an unattributed version.
Bottom Line
In the specific case of Potter On Bioethics As Bridge, potter On Bioethics As Bridge is useful when read as a documented passage about bioethics as practical wisdom linking biological knowledge to human survival. It is not a universal answer. For the Potter On Bioethics As Bridge analysis, its responsible use requires source verification, contextual reconstruction, comparison with objections, and a concrete account of how the reasoning changes decisions and safeguards.
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Archive references
Sources
- 01BioethicsBy Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyConsult source
- 02Bioethics: Bridge to the FutureBy Van Rensselaer PotterConsult source
Source and quality checks completed
Quality check completed 2026-08-24