Phronesis

\{\{short description|Ancient Greek word for a type of wisdom or intelligence}} \{\{About||the academic journal|Phronesis (journal)|the band|Phronesis (band)|the album by Monuments|Phronesis (album)}} \{\{italic title}} In ancient Greek philosophy, \{\{transliteration|grc|phronesis}} (\{\{langx|grc|φρόνησις|phrónēsis}}) refers to the type of wisdom or intelligence concerned with practical action. It implies good judgment and excellence of character and habits. In Aristotelian ethics, the concept is distinguished from other words for wisdom and intellectual virtues (such as \{\{transliteration|grc|episteme}} and \{\{transliteration|grc|sophia}}) because of its practical character.

Ancient Greek philosophy

Socrates

In some of Socrates's dialogues, he proposes that \{\{transliteration|grc|phronēsis}} is a necessary condition for all virtue, and that to be good is to be an intelligent or reasonable person with intelligent and reasonable thoughts. In Plato's Meno, Socrates writes that \{\{transliteration|grc|phronēsis}} is the most important attribute to learn, although it cannot be taught and is instead gained through the understanding of one's own self.

Aristotle

In Aristotle's work, \{\{transliteration|grc|phronesis}} is the intellectual virtue that helps turn one's moral instincts into practical action.\{\{r|NE}} He writes that moral virtues help any person to achieve the end, and that \{\{transliteration|grc|phronesis}} is what it takes to discover the means to gain that end.\{\{r|NE}} Without moral virtues, \{\{transliteration|grc|phronesis}} degenerates into an inability to make practical actions in regards to genuine goods for man.

In the sixth book of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, he distinguished the concepts of \{\{transliteration|grc|sophia}} (wisdom) and \{\{transliteration|grc|phronesis}}, and described the relationship between them and other intellectual virtues.\{\{rp|VI}} He writes that \{\{transliteration|grc|Sophia}} is a combination of \{\{transliteration|grc|nous}}, the ability to discern reality, and \{\{transliteration|grc|epistēmē}}, things that "could not be otherwise". He then writes that \{\{transliteration|grc|Phronesis}} involves not only the ability to decide how to reach a certain end, but the ability to reflect upon and determine "good ends" as well.\{\{r|NE|at=VI 1140a, 1141b, 1142b}}

Aristotle also writes that although \{\{transliteration|grc|sophia}} is higher and more serious than \{\{transliteration|grc|phronesis}}, the pursuit of wisdom and happiness requires both, as \{\{transliteration|grc|phronesis}} facilitates \{\{transliteration|grc|sophia}}.\{\{r|NE|at=VI.8 1142}} According to Aristotle's theory of rhetoric, \{\{transliteration|grc|phronesis}} is one of the three types of appeals to character (\{\{transliteration|grc|ethos}}).

Aristotle claims that gaining phronesis requires gaining experience, as he writes:\{\{quote|...although the young may be experts in geometry and mathematics and similar branches of knowledge [sophoi], we do not consider that a young man can have Prudence [phronimos]. The reason is that Prudence [phronesis] includes a knowledge of particular facts, and this is derived from experience, which a young man does not possess; for experience is the fruit of years. }}

Modern philosophy

According to philosophers Kristjánsson, Fowers, Darnell and Pollard, phronesis means making decisions in regards to moral events or circumstances. This four-component philosophical account became known as the Aristotelian Phronesis Model, or APM. There is recent\{\{Anachronism inline|reason=avoid "recent" as it is vague and risks going out of date as the article ages|date=August 2023}} work to return the virtue of practical judgement to overcome disagreements and conflicts in the form of Aristotle's phronesis.

In social sciences

In Alasdair MacIntyre's book After Virtue, he called for a phronetic social science. He writes that for every prediction made by social scientific theory there are usually counter-examples, meaning that the unpredictability of human beings and human life requires focus on practical experiences.

In psychologist Heiner Rindermann's book Cognitive Capitalism, he uses the term \{\{transliteration|grc|phronesis}} to describe a rational approach to thinking and acting, "a circumspect and thoughtful way of life in a rational manner".

Critiques of the APM's empirical limitations led to McLoughlin, Thoma, and Kristjánsson developing the neo-Aristotelian Phronesis Model (neo-APM), which refines the construct using contemporary psychometric techniques. This updated model empirically identified ten distinct components and employed network analysis to highlight the interconnectedness and centrality of key elements, such as aspired moral identity and moral deliberation. The neo-APM thus provides a more nuanced and empirically valid framework for understanding practical wisdom in psychological and educational contexts.

See also

• \{\{annotated link|Casuistry}}
• \{\{annotated link|Common sense}}
• \{\{annotated link|Dianoia}}
• \{\{annotated link|Doctrine of the Mean}}
• \{\{annotated link|Élan vital}}
• \{\{annotated link|Judgement}}
• \{\{annotated link|Rhetorical reason}}
• \{\{annotated link|Nepsis}}
• Metanoia (disambiguation)

References

\{\{Reflist|30em}}

Sources and further reading

• \{\{cite journal|author-link=Roberto Andorno|first=Roberto|last=Andorno|url=https://www.academia.edu/1488903%7Curl-access=subscription%7Ctitle=Do our moral judgements need to be guided by principles?|journal=Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics|year=2012|volume=21|number=4|pages=457–465|doi=10.1017/S0963180112000230 |pmid=22828040 |s2cid=29078995 }}
• \{\{cite journal|author-link=Robert Bernasconi|first=Robert|last=Bernasconi|title=Heidegger's Destruction of Phronesis|journal=Southern Journal of Philosophy|volume=28 supp.|year=1989|pages=127–147}}
• \{\{cite journal|first=Clifford|last=Geertz|url=http://www.iwp.uni-linz.ac.at/lxe/sektktf/gg/GeertzTexts/Empowering_Aristotle.htm%7Ctitle=Empowering Aristotle|journal=Science|volume=293|year=2001|issue=5527 |page=53|doi=10.1126/science.1062054 |s2cid=144219739 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531195118/http://www.iwp.uni-linz.ac.at/lxe/sektktf/gg/GeertzTexts/Empowering_Aristotle.htm |archive-date=2011-05-31 |url-access=subscription}}
• \{\{cite book|author-link=Martin Heidegger|first=Martin|last=Heidegger|title=Plato's Sophist|location=Bloomington|publisher=Indiana University Press|year=1997}}
• \{\{cite book | last=Hughes | first=Gerard J. | title=Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Aristotle on Ethics | publisher=Psychology Press | publication-place=London | year=2001 | isbn=0-415-22187-0}}
• \{\{cite journal|author-link=Bruce Krajewski|first=Bruce|last=Krajewski|url=https://revista.classica.org.br/classica/article/view/166%7Curl-access=%7Ctitle=The dark side of phrónēsis: revisiting the political incompetence of philosophy|journal=Classica|year=2011|volume=24|number=1/2|pages=7–21|doi=10.14195/2176-6436_24_1 |doi-access=free}}
• \{\{cite book | author-link=Alasdair MacIntyre|last=MacIntyre | first=Alasdair C. | title=After virtue: a study in moral theory | publisher=Duckworth | publication-place=London | year=2000 | isbn=0-7156-1663-3}}
• \{\{cite book|author-link=William McNeill (philosopher)|first=William|last=McNeill|title=The Glance of the Eye: Heidegger, Aristotle, and the Ends of Theory|location=Albany|publisher=State University of New York Press|year=1999}}
• \{\{cite book|first1=Ikujiro|last1=Nonaka|first2=Ryoko|last2=Toyama|first3=Toru|last3=Hirata|title=Managing Flow: A Process Theory of the Knowledge-Based Firm|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=New York|year=2008}}
• \{\{cite book | editor-link=Amélie Oksenberg Rorty|editor-last=Rorty | editor-first=Amélie | title=Essays on Aristotle's Ethics | publisher=Univ. of California Press | year=1980 | isbn=0-520-04041-4}}
• \{\{cite journal|author-link=Richard Sorabji|first=Richard|last=Sorabji|title=Aristotle on the Role of Intellect in Virtue|journal=Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society|volume=74|year=1973–1974|pages=107–129|doi=10.1093/aristotelian/74.1.107 |postscript=. Reprinted in Rorty.}}
• \{\{cite journal|author-link=David Wiggins|first=David|last=Wiggins|title=Deliberation and Practical Reason|journal=Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society|volume=76|year=1975–1976|pages=29–51|doi=10.1093/aristotelian/76.1.29 |postscript=. Reprinted in Rorty.}}

External links

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\{\{Ancient Greek philosophical concepts}} \{\{Aristotelianism}} \{\{Philosophy topics}} \{\{Positivism}} \{\{Virtues}}