1. Aristotle on practical wisdom
Michael Lacewing

2. What is practical wisdom?
Practical wisdom (phronesis) is an intellectual virtue of practical reasoning
Theoretical reason investigates what we can’t change and aims at the truth.
Practical reason investigates what we can change and aims at making good choices.
Reasoning about what we can change is deliberation, so practical reason is expressed in deliberation.

3. What is practical wisdom?
To make good choices, not only must our reasoning be correct, but we must also have the right desires
Practical wisdom is ‘a true and reasoned state or capacity to act with regard to the things that are good or bad for man’
It is not merely theoretical knowledge of what is good or bad, but also the capacity to act on such knowledge.

4. Features of practical wisdom
a general conception of what is good or bad, related to the conditions for human flourishing;
the ability to perceive, in light of that general conception, what is required in terms of feeling, choice, and action in a particular situation;
the ability to deliberate well; and
the ability to act on that deliberation.

5. Failures of deliberation
We can deliberate with the wrong end: wrong starting point  wrong choice.
Our general knowledge of the good is faulty.
We don’t understand the right means to the end
If we achieve the right end, this is accidental or lucky
Either our knowledge of the particular circumstances or our reasoning is faulty.
We can fail to deliberate when we should or take too long.

6. Contextualism
There are no rules for applying general knowledge of the good life to an individual situation.
There are no true generalizations about right/wrong
So practical wisdom is a form of intuitive reason
But ethics is not subjective; it is ‘context-sensitive’.
Practical wisdom cannot be taught, but must be acquired through experience.
As with perception, argument may not convince – you need to ‘see’

7. Practical wisdom and virtue
Virtues set our ends – we aim at the good life
But practical wisdom is needed to choose what is good in this situation
The virtuous person feels and chooses ‘at the right times, with reference to the right objects, towards the right people, with the right motive, and in the right way’
Acting in accordance with virtue isn’t fully virtuous action
You must also know what you are doing and choose it for its own sake
‘Natural’ virtue is not ‘full’ virtue

8. Practical wisdom and virtue
Practical wisdom also depends on virtue
Good choices require the right desires
A bad man can be very clever, but does not make good choices