So I go into Starbucks today to get some coffee....

[JamesT]

OK. Im in on this now. Here's what I think.

Practical wisdom, or phronesis, is also aimed at truth, but truth in the service of action. It is concerned with what can be otherwise, with things that change. What changes might be thought to cover everything from the generation of peat bogs to the number of hairs on our heads (sadly always changing downwards both numerically and gravitationally). What Aristotle seems to be concerned with, in his analysis of practical wisdom, is things that change and are related to how humans live their lives among other humans. If we take a contemporary example, whether to drop the first atomic bomb or not, clearly there are questions of a technical nature about how to build the bomb and the nature of atomic decay. This is knowledge about things that change, but are not really what Aristotle has in mind when he talks about practical wisdom. Whilst an understanding of the technical feasibility of an atomic bomb is needed, the practically wise person would focus upon understanding the historical, political, military and human situation, determining what should be accomplished in this situation, and deciding what the best way of accomplishing these objectives is. Aristotle claims that only the person who is morally virtuous will be able to be practically wise, because only the morally virtuous person will perceive what really matters in the situation, and be motivated to carry out the appropriate action. Because practical wisdom is in the service of action, about things that change, and because human beings have to choose some actions rather than others, they need to be able to deliberate well about what actions are needed to bring about what is rightly desired; someone who is both morally virtuous and has practical wisdom will perceive and deliberate well, and hence, choose well.