Phronesis

Ancient Greek Philosophy

Socrates

In some of Socrates's dialogues, he proposes that grc is a necessary condition for all virtue,{{multiref2

Aristotle

In Aristotle's work, grc is the intellectual virtue that helps turn one's moral instincts into practical action. He writes that moral virtues help any person to achieve the end, and that grc is what it takes to discover the means to gain that end. Without moral virtues, grc 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 grc (wisdom) and grc, and described the relationship between them and other intellectual virtues. He writes that grc is a combination of grc, the ability to discern reality, and grc, things that "could not be otherwise". He then writes that grc 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.

Aristotle also writes that although grc is higher and more serious than grc, the pursuit of wisdom and happiness requires both, as grc facilitates grc. According to Aristotle's theory of rhetoric, grc is one of the three types of appeals to character (grc).

Aristotle claims that gaining phronesis requires gaining experience, as he writes:

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 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 grc 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.

References

References

1. Long, Christopher P.. (2004). "The Ethics of Ontology: Rethinking an Aristotelian Legacy". State University of New York Press.
2. Gallagher, Shaun. (1992). "Hermeneutics and Education". State University of New York Press.
3. (2015). "Phronesis as an ideal in professional medical ethics: some preliminary positionings and problematics". Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics.
4. (1981). "After Virtue". University of Notre Dame Press.
5. [[Aristotle]]. "[[Nicomachean Ethics]]".
6. Parry, Richard. (2021). "Episteme and Techne". Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University.
7. [[Aristotle]]. "[[Rhetoric (Aristotle)".
8. [[Aristotle]]. "The Nicomachean Ethics".
9. (2021). "Phronesis (Practical Wisdom) as a Type of Contextual Integrative Thinking". Review of General Psychology.
10. (1996). "Can phronesis save the life of medical ethics?". Theoretical Medicine.
11. Rindermann, Heiner. (2018). "Cognitive Capitalism: Human Capital and the Wellbeing of Nations". Cambridge University Press.
12. McLoughlin, Shane. (2025-01-22). "Was Aristotle right about moral decision-making? Building a new empirical model of practical wisdom". PLoS One.