Phronesis: Practical Wisdom
In Book 6 of the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle distinguishes between two types of intellectual virtue: sophia, which involves the reasoned search for universal truths (i.e., science), and phronesis,
which combines the capacity for rational thinking with consideration of
how to achieve humanistic ends associated with living well. In
Aristotle’s formulation, the pursuit of wisdom and happiness requires
both sophia and phronesis. It’s not easy for academics to find a
comfortable balance between these two intellectual strains. Academics in
the social and behavioral sciences have been pushed by post-war
scholarly convention to emulate the natural sciences and follow the
cannons and conventions of empirical research in a search for universal
truths and predictability. This approach, philosophically known as
positivism, traces its modern roots to the philosopher Auguste Comte in
the early 19th century.
The unpredictability of human beings and human life, however, made
Ronald Fox, government professor at California State University
Sacramento, and Charles Snow, management professor at Penn State
University, uncomfortable with the idea that the only useful knowledge
comes from research conducted in the positivist tradition. We see
virtue in practical wisdom that is based on scientific evidence,
rational thinking, reflective experience, and importantly, a desire to
improve the human condition. Our blog is dedicated to sharing this type
of wisdom.
