Perspicacity (also called perspicaciousness) is a penetrating discernment (from the Latin , meaning throughsightedness, discrimination)—a clarity of

vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

intellect Intellect is a faculty of the human mind that enables reasoning, abstraction, conceptualization, and judgment. It enables the discernment of truth and falsehood, as well as higher-order thinking beyond immediate perception. Intellect is dis ...

which provides a deep understanding and insight. It extends the concept of wisdom by denoting a keenness of sense and intelligence applied to insight. It has been described as a deeper level of internalization. Another definition refers to it as the "ability to recognize subtle differences between similar objects or ideas". The artist

René Magritte René François Ghislain Magritte (; 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgium, Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature ...

illustrated the quality in his 1936 painting ''La Clairvoyance'', which is sometimes referred to in the English speaking world as ''Perspicacity''. The picture shows an artist at work who studies his subject intently: it is an egg. But the painting he is creating is not of an egg; it is an adult bird in flight. The word "perspicacity" also indicates practical wisdom in the areas of politics and finance. Being perspicacious about other people, rather than having false illusions, is a sign of good mental health. The quality is needed in

psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...

s who engage in person-to-person dialogue and counseling of the mentally ill. Perspicacity is different from ''acuity'', which also describes a keen insight. While having closely related meanings, ''acuity'' emphasises sharpness, and its definition encompasses physical abilities such as sight or hearing; ''perspicacity'' conveys senses of meaning more related to clarity and penetration. In 1966, the journal ''Science'' discussed

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

scientist-astronaut program recruitment efforts:

Concept

In 17th-century Europe,

René Descartes René Descartes ( , ; ; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and Modern science, science. Mathematics was paramou ...

devised systematic rules for clear thinking in his work '' Regulæ ad directionem ingenii'' (Rules for the direction of natural intelligence). In Descartes' scheme, intelligence consisted of two faculties: perspicacity, which provided an understanding or intuition of distinct detail; and sagacity, which enabled reasoning about the details in order to make deductions. Rule 9 was ''De Perspicacitate Intuitionis'' (On the Perspicacity of Intuition). He summarised the rule as In his study of the elements of

wisdom Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and good judgment to navigate life’s complexities. It is often associated with insight, discernment, and ethics in decision-making. Throughout history, wisdom ha ...

, the modern psychometrician Robert Sternberg identified perspicacity as one of its six components or dimensions; the other five being

reasoning Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...

, sagacity,

learning Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, value (personal and cultural), values, Attitude (psychology), attitudes, and preferences. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, non-human animals, and ...

judgement Judgement (or judgment) is the evaluation of given circumstances to make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. In an informal context, a judgement is opinion expressed as fact. In the context of a legal tria ...

, and the expeditious use of

information Information is an Abstraction, abstract concept that refers to something which has the power Communication, to inform. At the most fundamental level, it pertains to the Interpretation (philosophy), interpretation (perhaps Interpretation (log ...

. In his analysis, the perspicacious individual is someone who

References

Concepts in epistemology Intellectualism Virtue {{psychology-stub

Concept

See also

References