In Book VI of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses the properties of practical wisdom. I will discuss his line of reasoning throughout this chapter beginning with the definition and characterization of practical wisdom, how it differs from cleverness, a functioning example, and the distinction between natural and real virtue. After summarizing PW, I argue that our current society cannot accommodate the eduamonic lifestyle because one would have to devote themselves fully to the training of practical wisdom which will necessarily come into conflict with existing social norms.
Aristotle begins by discussing how we rationally choose the mean as a point between excess and deficiency. He identifies that the virtue of a thing can be known through understanding what it’s characteristic activity is. For thought, its characteristic activity is truth whereas rational choice is characteristically shown through desire and goal-directed reasoning. The characteristic activity of a practically wise person is one who deliberates nobly about what is beneficial to oneself and what is good in terms of living well in general. Being practically wise means that you can calculate accurately good ends. The practically wise person is one who demonstrates living well and deliberating about true and practical states of what is good and bad for a human. Practically wise people can see what is good for themselves and others.
Aristotle identifies practical wisdom as ‘phronesis;’ a trained ability of intellectual virtue and excellence. Intellectual virtue is characterized by deliberating well about both universal and particular knowledge. Good deliberation is essential and characteristic to the practically wise person. Aristotle says,
“one should act quickly on the result of one’s deliberation, but deliberate slowly.” (Crisp, 112) (Aristotle, 1147b)
He says that readiness of mind is like good guesswork but it is not to be confused with deliberation. Excellent deliberation, or ‘euboulia,’ is shown through correct reasoning and thought to be beneficial for the right things, in the right way, at the right time etc. Good deliberation is being correct in regards to what is useful towards true ends of practical wisdom.
For one to be practically wise some fundamental conditions are necessary like household management, legislative and political science. Practical wisdom is about knowing what one’s interests are and being concerned about them. The practically wise person is focused on the ends of action through their proficiency of the mean in the right degree, time, place, manner, etc. The development of practical wisdom is learning the details in the application of the mean in every relative to that situation and virtue.
Every person has the natural endowments of discernment or ‘gnome’, judgment, and intellect. These attributes are capacities a practically wise person uses in arbitrating the mean of virtues towards good ends. Practically wise people use discernment to determine the means to noble goals and determine which goals are worth pursuing. Aristotle states,
“Practical wisdom gives commands, since its end is what should or should not be done, while judgment only judges.” (Crisp, 114) (Aristotle, 1152a)
The reasoning of a practically wise person functions as follows:
Major Premise: All borrowed money should be repaid in full.
Minor Premise: Jim has borrowed 200$ from Bill
Conclusion: Jim should pay Bill back 200$.
The practically wise person develops the ability to apply the universal principle of justice to particular situations by discerning equibility.
Aristotle discusses that having ‘nous’ or a form of perceptible insight of what is correct in a particular situation, the practically wise person will evoke the virtue of justice correctly. The practically wise person has ‘sunesis;’ a good understanding of the context/ situation in terms of relations between people and their testimonies. The practically wise person takes deliberative time to develop ‘sunesis’ so that they can make a correct decision. Being correct relates to the mean resulting in a good end. He says that no person is wise naturally even though all people have these attributes. Practical wisdom is a process of coming into being about the things that make an individual happy through just, noble and good acts. Practical wisdom is useful for becoming good.
Aristotle determines that virtue is what makes the rational choice correct whereas cleverness is doing an action towards a goal and achieving it. If one has a noble aim then cleverness is praiseworthy. If someone has a bad aim then that person is seen as a villain. Both the practically wise and villainous are clever. The distinguishing factor between them is virtuous action via the mean towards good goals. The first principle of action is the end being a chief good, determining the goodness or wickedness of an agent's reasoning. Therefore, it is necessary to be good to be practically wise.
Aristotle distinguishes natural virtue to real virtue. He understands that we all possess characteristics of virtue by nature like temperance and courage. A real good person is different from someone who acts virtuously through luck or natural inclination. The real virtuous person cannot come to be without the training, development and experience of practical wisdom. Aristotle states,
“Virtue is involved in this eye of the soul reaching its developed state.” (Crisp, 117) (Aristotle, 1144a)
For rational choice to be correct, virtue sets what the end will be and practical wisdom is the means towards that end.
Aristotle’s view of practical wisdom and moral virtue has implications for who can attain eudaimonia. Only through conscious attention to the understanding of first principles and the ends that practical wisdom is applied to through the mean of right time, place, manner, degree etc., implies that only certain people would have access to an eudaimonic life. This limitation is due to the fact that to fully develop the virtues one has to be in situations where they can train and practice the application of the universal principle to specific situations to develop real virtue.
The limitation on practice means that not everyone will be able to fully develop their practical wisdom in exercising the mean for the virtues through training in discernment and deliberation. If a person seeks eudaimonia, having mastered practical wisdom and developed real virtue, one would have to make this pursuit their main priority in life. All decisions would have to align with real virtue via exposing oneself to situations where one can practice applying the mean. This is a problem for most people in our civilization for society and the economy are not built to support this lifestyle pursuit.
If a situation occurs where one would have to apply social courage, people are known to lose their jobs being a whistleblower. Being reprimanded and fired for virtuous behaviour can lead one unemployed. Society would need to adapt to make room for eudaimonia so that people can have the freedom to develop virtues. It is not that Aristotle’s ideas are problematic. It is more that our society is out of touch with Aristotelian Virtue ethics. Not only does someone in pursuit of the eudaimonic lifestyle have the challenge of becoming really virtuous but will also conflict with contemporary social norms. What is a philosopher to do?
Biblography
Aristotle. ‘Nicomachean Ethics.’ Ed. Crisp, Roger. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, 2000.
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