Andr L.

Holmes
Phil 453
Phronesis: Our Highest Virtue


When looking toward what is the good or happy life one often comes across some
of the same terms and principles. Further exploration of this topic will usually lead you
back toward some of the first discussions of this topic. Aristotles Nicomachean Ethics
outlines the happy life well and gives us some insight on key factors that play a vital role
in this happy life. The idea of phronesis (), or as commonly translated prudence
or practical wisdom, is a common virtue within Aristotelian thought and can be considered
the highest of the virtues. We will look at what is phronesis how it relates back to the good
life and what it is to be a phronemos; this will elevates phronesis to the highest virtue
(arte,) and show us why it deserves this title.

BACKGROUND: VIRTUE OF THE SOUL
Before we can discuss what is phronesis we need to talk of some background
leading to this virtue. , what we say phronesis is, is more akin to an excellence than
what we think of when we say virtue. This excellence is being the best of whatever is at
hand, for example if you have a knife it should be a sharp knife useful for any cutting
purpose you are to put this knife to, though we often do not use in this way. Next
we must discuss the type of virtue that phronesis by breaking it down from the psyche.
The psyche (), loosely the soul, is our base point for our break down. The
further classification of phronesis is found by next putting it in the part of the psyche with
logos (logic or reason). This side of the psyche, the thinking side, deals with two modes;
the eternal and the temporal. We will focus on the temporal since this is where phronesis
is found. We find ourselves now on the temporal thinking side of the soul dealing with
things that can be otherwise. This phronesis comes into play when we again look at its
wording, prudence/ practical wisdom. Since now we know that phronesis is of a temporal
mode and that the temporal are things that can be otherwise we start to form the basis for
what is phronesis, judgment on matters that we deem good and enacting upon them. Now
no one deliberates about things that cannot be otherwise or about things that cannot be
achieved in his action(NE1140a33). Phronesis is a self-understanding that lets a
phronemos govern their actions. This knowledge, as compared to the other type of
temporal logos, techne (), should lead to action, something that should be put into
practice (), while the other, , is usually derived from action and brings about
something, a product ().

THE PHRONEMOS
We now see phronesis as the active force dealing with this good life. This act of
phronesis must be one constantly done, a habitual act that we practice at all times. Just as
one swallow does not make a spring(NE 1098a19), nor does one act of phronesis.
Phronesis is an active condition that must be put into practice usually over many years
similarly, then, we become just by doing just action, temperate by doing termperate
action(NE1103b) we become one of this practical judgement by practicing practical
judgement. Hence why we cannot have children as (phronemos), they do not
have the experience of practicing phronesis and one who does not/ has not practiced
phronesis cannot be a phronemos.
The phronemos then is a practitioner of phronesis one who has actively pursued
and habitually enacted upon the ideas governed by their phronesis. Phronesis deal with the
particulars thus it can be and will be different every time. Bringing into account all of your
past experiences helps the deliberator reach some end which we can find good. These
experiences can and most likely include parts of other virtues
Since all virtues will be present together when the one virtue, practical judgment, is
present. And it is clear that, even if it did not govern action, there would be need of
practical judgment because it is the virtue of a part of the soul, but also that choice
will not be right without practical judgment or without virtue, since the latter makes
one bring the end into action, and the former makes one enact the thing related to the
end. (NE1145a)
As a doctor may know of what it is to be healthy in a certain situation they may not act
upon it. This is the same sort of principle for our virtues. If the doctor knows what is
healthy and is compelled by this to make the healthy choice we may say he is prudent in
his judgment. He deliberates about the task at hand and enacts according to his judgment.
In phronesis we deliberate of such matters and hopefully this deliberation compels us to
act. Paralleling to doctors again one of a young age cannot be a doctor fore they do not
hold the experiences and knowledge that it takes to make these decision on what it is to be
healthy just as a young one cannot have enough experience practicing phronesis to be
called a phronemos.

: PRACTICING PHRONESIS
With this practice and procuring of phronesis we again can start distinguishing it
from the other virtues. Once again with , you learn of a particular which results in a
product. This process can be altered and even forgotten without practice and habituation.
Since we see phronesis as a state rather than an instance we find it harder to forget. There
is a point where you secure what is known and there is nothing further, the grasping of this,
this sort of end, is what part of phronesis is. The phronemos grasp what he is deliberating,
this cannot be taught but experienced and thus stays with you. Now the phronemos has
combined enacting with deliberating with must deal with a larger subject.

: IN GRAND SCHEME
Steve Schwarze on deliberation says Rational calculation involves the negotiation
of three related dialectical pairs; means and ends, particulars and universals, and past
experiences and present situations. We have shown how phronesis deals with past
experiences and present situations, and how its helps the phronemos find a mean to the
end, but not how it takes into account particulars and universals. Situations involve some
type of knowledge other than prudence, most take into account some rules that are more
universally known. Thus we have this stated in reverse by Mr. Schwarze: Right action
demands more than knowledge of a set of rigid rules supposedly applicable to all
situations; it demands keen perception of relevant particulars. (PP pg82) As mentioned
before phronesis needs to deal with not only deliberation but with enacting. Though this
might seem related to where the goal (product) is in mind then we use this particular
type of knowledge to produce this goal, phronesis case is different.
The itself is for its part anticipated in [ is]that which
from the very outset grasps the in such a way that this is (beneath),
in advance of everything, already there. (PS pg107)
Phronesis differs from that of in that phronesis has its as an ultimate end
while is an end goal. You have in mind a design to build so you gather materials and
build it as opposed to you try to determine what the value of a number is in an equation
and in the end you find the value to be 4; the former is the in while the latter
more on the phronesis side.
EXCESS OF VIRTUE
This end goal of phronesis may appear that it can be under thought but the opposite
is true. excess, rather than moderation, can be characteristic of phronesis. (PP pg. 91)
Phronesis requires that one deliberates (rightly) and enacts upon this deliberation. When
one deliberates right, or beautifully, one is practicing phronesis, thus in phronesis you
cannot err. Some other virtues, like , errors can lead to better discoveries and can help
further, but this is not the case in phronesis, you cannot stumble upon deliberating
beautifully. This leads us to having excess. How does one overdo beautiful deliberation?
On one end of this spectrum under doing phronesis would lead to less experience there for
not achieving your role as a phronemos; on the other end overdoing this would just give
you more experiences and better your practice as a phronemos.
CONCLUDE: EXCELLENCE OF PRUDENCE VS UNDERSTANDING (INTELLECT)
A phronemos deals with the particulars, and humans are of the particular. Phronesis
is of the human realm and is why it is the most divine virtue for us (as opposed to techne of
nous). Though a life of pure contemplation would be the most divine, one of nous, this is
out of the grasp for us humans thus it cannot be our most divine. Our arte lies in
something that is human, something that we can perform with mastery. Hence for humans
I feel the most divine trait is phronesis, this is our arte.
Phronesis is the understanding of humans and how we relate to the true
understanding. It takes into account the particulars, things of the human realm and allows
us to deliberate about them and enact upon these deliberations. It is one of the virtues that
cannot be forgotten fore it is a state rather than a instance, it comes from practice ()
rather than produce something (). Since happiness is according to living with the
highest of virtues and though intellect and contemplation appear higher on the scale than
phronesis, nous cannot be sustained by humans and thus cannot be our highest. We need
something suited to us and within our grasp that can let us grasp all else, and for this high
virtue we turn to .
Sources:
1) Nicomachean Ethics (NE)
a. Aristotle, and Joe Sachs. Nicomachean Ethics. Newbury, MA: Focus
Pub./R. Pullins, 2002. Print.
b. Aristotle, and Terence Irwin. Nicomachean Ethics. Indianapolis, IN:
Hackett Pub., 1999. Print.

2) Platos Sophist (PS)
a. Heidegger, Martin. Plato's Sophist. Bloomington, IN: Indiana UP, 1997.
Print.

3) Performing Phronesis (PP)
a. Title: Performing Phronesis: The Case of Isocrates' "Helen"
Author(s): Steve Schwarze
Source: Philosophy & Rhetoric, Vol. 32, No. 1 (1999), pp. 78-95
Publisher(s): Penn State University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40238018: