Moral: Aristotle 3. practical wisdom Flashcards
(17 cards)
What is a virtue?
A trait that enables someone to fulfill some good purpose, such as living a good life
Virtue allows us to perform our characteristic activity well, making it essential for eudaimonia.
What is moral virtue?
A state of character that is a disposition to feel, desire, and choose well
It falls between a vice of excess (too much) and a vice of deficiency (too little).
What does a fully virtuous person do?
They do the right thing, for the right reason, and in the right way
They act with the right intention, whole-heartedly, and with proper understanding of the actions and its value.
What is eudaimonia?
The good for a human life, often defined as ‘living well and faring well’ or flourishing
Aristotle argues that eudaimonia consists in living in accordance with reason.
What are moral virtues?
Traits that belong to the irrational part of the soul but are responsive to reason
Examples include courage, temperance, justice, generosity, proper pride, truthfulness, wit, modesty, good-temperedness.
What are intellectual virtues?
Traits that belong to the rational part of the soul
They include intellect (nous), theoretical wisdom (sophia), scientific knowledge (episteme), art/skill (techne), and practical wisdom (phronesis).
What is practical wisdom?
An intellectual virtue of practical reasoning that allows us to make good moral choices
It involves not just reasoning logically but also having the right goals and desires.
What is the difference between practical reasoning and theoretical reasoning?
Practical reasoning investigates what we can change and aims at making good choices, while theoretical reasoning investigates what we can’t change and aims at the truth.
What are the four roles of practical wisdom?
- Understanding what is good or bad
- Perceiving what is required in a particular situation
- Deliberating about possible courses of action
- Acting on that deliberation.
What might go wrong if we don’t deliberate well?
- Wrong starting point leads to wrong choice
- Faulty general knowledge of the good
- Incorrect means to the end
- Faulty knowledge of circumstances or reasoning
- Failing to deliberate when needed or taking too long.
How does practical wisdom relate to moral virtues?
Practical wisdom supports and completes moral virtues, directing us towards the right goals and regulating our desires.
Why isn’t moral virtue enough without practical wisdom?
Moral virtues alone do not ensure we aim for the right goals; practical wisdom is needed to judge what is good in specific situations.
Why isn’t practical wisdom enough without moral virtue?
Practical wisdom is incomplete without the right desires and goals that moral virtues provide.
What is required for full virtue?
To have full virtue, one must know what they are doing and choose it for its own sake.
What is the nature of practical wisdom according to Aristotle?
It is a form of intuitive reason that cannot be taught but must be acquired through experience.
What does Aristotle argue about applying general knowledge of the good?
There are no reliable rules to apply general knowledge of the good to individual situations.
What is the relationship between practical wisdom and eudaimonia?
Together with moral virtues, practical wisdom enables us to achieve eudaimonia, which is rational activity in accordance with virtue.
