Aristotle’s concept of practical wisdom

Like Schopenhauer would do twenty-four centuries later, Aristotle regarded practical wisdom (“phronesis” in Greek) as a crucial ingredient of a happy life. In his “Nicomachean Ethics,” Aristotle defined “phronesis” as a skill that enables us to choose the correct course of action and for the correct reasons. In other words, “phronesis” is the daily implementation of general moral principles. How do you develop practical wisdom? Through experience and rational reflection, answered Aristotle. It is not something that you can learn by heart. It does not consist of a series of rules that can be memorised and implemented blindly. To cultivate phronesis, you need to exercise judgement on a case-by-case basis, draw lessons from each experience, and adapt those lessons to the context of each situation. Practical wisdom, according to Aristotle, will not only help you attain your own happiness, but also contribute to the common good. It will guide you to a flourishing, thriving life, which will surely impact the community positively. Aristotle emphasised the role played by virtues in practical wisdom. Virtues such as courage, temperance and justice will guide you in each case, as general principles, so that you can make wise decisions and achieve happiness (“eudaimonia” in Greek). Although Aristotle linked practical wisdom to the pursuit of the golden mean, I strongly recommend you to ignore his ideas about the golden mean. They don’t make any sense and cannot be implemented consistently. The golden-mean principle consists, according to Aristotle, in finding the mid-point between extremes. For instance, if you take the virtue of courage, the mid-point should lie somewhere between cowardice and recklessness. Thus, Aristotle’s advice is that your actions should be neither excessive nor deficient. If you accept the golden-mean theory, practical wisdom will take a different shape in each situation. Virtue will be context-dependent and constantly variable. It will be driven by the ups and downs of life and your ability to cope with them. Aristotle didn’t view practical wisdom as purely intellectual because it is linked to one’s character and moral values. Since life prompts us to make quick decisions once and again, one needs strong ethics in order to find the right answers. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/aristotles-concept-of-practical-wisdom/