Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics › The Intellectual Virtues: Practical Wisdom

::: {.callout-note title="Phronesis (Practical Wisdom)"} The intellectual virtue that enables a person to deliberate well about what leads to the good life. Phronesis involves both perceiving the morally relevant features of situations and knowing how to act on that perception. ::: Aristotle distinguishes between moral virtues (courage, temperance, justice) and intellectual virtues (concerning the excellent functioning of reason). Among the intellectual virtues, one is especially crucial for ethics: _phronesis_, usually translated as "practical wisdom" or "prudence." Practical wisdom is the capacity to deliberate well about what to do. Technical skill concerns making things. Practical wisdom concerns living well. The practically wise person perceives what the situation requires and responds appropriately. They understand what really matters, what is worth pursuing and what is worth avoiding. They navigate moral complexity, balance competing goods, and find the right action in novel circumstances. This virtue cannot be reduced to following rules. Rules are too general to capture the variety of life situations. The same action might be courageous in one context and reckless in another. Only someone with practical wisdom can discern the difference. This is why Aristotle says that ethics can never be a precise science. It always requires judgment. Practical wisdom also involves self-knowledge. The practically wise person understands their own strengths and weaknesses, their characteristic temptations, their biases. They can correct for these distortions when deliberating. They also understand others well enough to give good advice and to work effectively with different personalities.