Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom
- The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Foundations of Wisdom
- Part II Conceptions of Wisdom
- 5 Wisdom of the Crowd
- 6 Wisdom As Self-Transcendence
- 7 Wisdom As a Personality Type
- 8 Why People Often Prefer Wise Guys to Guys Who Are Wise
- 9 The Distinction between Personal and General Wisdom
- 10 Wise Reasoning
- 11 Practical Wisdom
- 12 Wisdom As State versus Trait
- Part III Measures of Wisdom
- Part IV The Development of Wisdom
- Part V Cultural Perspectives on Wisdom
- Part VI Wisdom and Other Psychological Constructs
- Part VII Wisdom in Action
- Part VIII Conclusions
- Index
- References
11 - Practical Wisdom
What Aristotle Might Add to Psychology
from Part II - Conceptions of Wisdom
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2019
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom
- The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Foundations of Wisdom
- Part II Conceptions of Wisdom
- 5 Wisdom of the Crowd
- 6 Wisdom As Self-Transcendence
- 7 Wisdom As a Personality Type
- 8 Why People Often Prefer Wise Guys to Guys Who Are Wise
- 9 The Distinction between Personal and General Wisdom
- 10 Wise Reasoning
- 11 Practical Wisdom
- 12 Wisdom As State versus Trait
- Part III Measures of Wisdom
- Part IV The Development of Wisdom
- Part V Cultural Perspectives on Wisdom
- Part VI Wisdom and Other Psychological Constructs
- Part VII Wisdom in Action
- Part VIII Conclusions
- Index
- References
Summary
Psychology has learned a good deal about the skills required for wisdom, but in the course of studying the cognitive and affective components of wise judgment, it has largely neglected the moral dimensions of wisdom. In his classic work on “practical wisdom,” Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle places moral will at the center of his discussion, and points out how skill divorced from will – divorced from virtue and character – can create knavish individuals who will mold institutions that corrupt human character. In this chapter, we discuss the central role that moral will must play in a complete discussion of wisdom. Understanding moral will requires understanding the proper telos of human activities and practices, as well as the virtues of character that people need to remain true to the telos of those practices. We discuss examples of central human practices that go wrong when the telos is neglected but can go right when the telos is embraced and pursued.
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- The Cambridge Handbook of Wisdom , pp. 226 - 248Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019
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