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Practical wisdom

Remember the definition of phronesis?

Phronesis, or practical wisdom, can be described as the virtue that can help govern other virtues when they come into conflict or competition.

As a virtue, it allows us to decide how, when, why and in what quantity to use other virtues.

Example

A student comes to you to seek your approval for a piece of work. As you look at it, you quickly recognise that it does not meet the desired standard...

Honesty

Should you be honest?

Compassion

Should you be compassionate?

In this example, the virtues of honesty and compassion may come into conflict. The conflict may also vary depending on the student or your own professional standards.

So how do you decide which virtue is more appropriate to utilise in a given scenario? 

That's right, phronesis! Practical wisdom.

You will have been using practical wisdom through your life, but to explicitly identify it and think about how you develop and use it may be new to you.

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