Phronesis
In ancient Greek philosophy, () refers to the type of wisdom or intelligence concerned with practical action. It implies good judgment and excellence of character and habits. In Aristotelian ethics, the concept is distinguished from other words for wisdom and intellectual virtues (such as and ) because of its practical character. Ancient Greek Philosophy Socrates In some of Socrates' dialogues, he proposes that is a necessary condition for all virtue, and that to be good is to be an intelligent or reasonable person with intelligent and reasonable thoughts. In Plato's '' Meno'', Socrates writes that is the most important attribute to learn, although it cannot be taught and is instead gained through the understanding of one's own self. Aristotle In Aristotle's work, is the intellectual virtue that helps turn one's moral instincts into practical action. He writes that moral virtues help any person to achieve the end, and that is what it takes to discover the means to gain tha ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Nicomachean Ethics
The ''Nicomachean Ethics'' (; , ) is Aristotle's best-known work on ethics: the science of the good for human life, that which is the goal or end at which all our actions aim. () It consists of ten sections, referred to as books, and is closely related to Aristotle's '' Eudemian Ethics''. The work is essential for the interpretation of Aristotelian ethics. The text centers upon the question of how to best live, a theme previously explored in the works of Plato, Aristotle's friend and teacher. In Aristotle's ''Metaphysics'', he describes how Socrates, the friend and teacher of Plato, turned philosophy to human questions, whereas pre-Socratic philosophy had only been theoretical, and concerned with natural science. Ethics, Aristotle claimed, is ''practical'' rather than '' theoretical'', in the Aristotelian senses of these terms. It is not merely an investigation about what good consists of, but it aims to be of practical help in achieving the good. It is connected to another o ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Wisdom
Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and good judgment to navigate life’s complexities. It is often associated with insight, discernment, and ethics in decision-making. Throughout history, wisdom has been regarded as a key virtue in philosophy, religion, and psychology, representing the ability to understand and respond to reality in a balanced and thoughtful manner. Unlike intelligence, which primarily concerns problem-solving and reasoning, wisdom involves a deeper comprehension of human nature, Morality, moral principles, and the long-term consequences of actions. Philosophically, wisdom has been explored by thinkers from Ancient Greece to modern times. Socrates famously equated wisdom with recognizing one’s own ignorance, while Aristotle saw it as practical reasoning (''phronesis'') and deep contemplation (''sophia (wisdom), sophia''). Eastern traditions, such as Confucianism and Buddhism, emphasize wisdom as a form of enlighte ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Rhetorical Reason
Rhetorical reason is the faculty of discovering the crux of the matter. It is a characteristic of rhetorical invention (''inventio'') and it precedes argumentation. Aristotle's definition Aristotle's definition of rhetoric, "the faculty of observing, in any given case, the available means of persuasion", presupposes a distinction between an art (τέχνη, '' techne'') of speech–making and a cognitively prior faculty of discovery. That is so because, before one argues a case, one must discover what is at issue. How, for example, does one discover available means of persuasion? One does not simply frolic through fertile fields of τόποι ('' topoi''), randomly gathering materials with which to build lines of argument. There is a method endemic to rhetoric which guides the search for those lines of argument that speak most directly to the issue at stake. George A. Kennedy explains the distinction when he writes that the work of rhetoric, in Aristotle's view, is ''Inventio' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Aristotle
Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, and the arts. As the founder of the Peripatetic school of philosophy in the Lyceum (classical), Lyceum in Athens, he began the wider Aristotelianism, Aristotelian tradition that followed, which set the groundwork for the development of modern science. Little is known about Aristotle's life. He was born in the city of Stagira (ancient city), Stagira in northern Greece during the Classical Greece, Classical period. His father, Nicomachus (father of Aristotle), Nicomachus, died when Aristotle was a child, and he was brought up by a guardian. At around eighteen years old, he joined Plato's Platonic Academy, Academy in Athens and remained there until the age of thirty seven (). Shortly after Plato died, Aristotle left Athens and, at the request ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Aristotelian Ethics
Aristotle first used the term ''ethics'' to name a field of study developed by his predecessors Socrates and Plato which is devoted to the attempt to provide a rational response to the question of how humans should best live. Aristotle regarded ethics and politics as two related but separate fields of study, since ethics examines the good of the individual, while politics examines the good of the city-state, which he considered to be the best type of community. Aristotle's writings have been read more or less continuously since ancient times, and his ethical treatises in particular continue to influence philosophers working today. Aristotle emphasized the practical importance of developing excellence (virtue) of character (Greek ''ēthikē aretē''), as the way to achieve what is finally more important, excellent conduct (Greek '' praxis''). As Aristotle argues in Book II of the '' Nicomachean Ethics'', the man who possesses character excellence will tend to do the right thing, a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Episteme
In philosophy, (; ) is knowledge or understanding. The term ''epistemology'' (the branch of philosophy concerning knowledge) is derived from . History Plato Plato, following Xenophanes, contrasts with : common belief or opinion. The term is also distinguished from : a craft or applied practice. In the '' Protagoras'', Plato's Socrates notes that and are prerequisites for prudence (). Aristotle Aristotle distinguished between five virtues of thought: , , , , and , with translating as "craft" or "art" and as "knowledge". A full account of is given in '' Posterior Analytics'', where Aristotle argues that knowledge of necessary, rather than contingent, truths regarding causation is foundational for . To emphasize the necessity, he uses geometry. Notably, Aristotle uses the notion of cause () in a broader sense than contemporary thought. For example, understanding how geometrical axioms lead to a theorem about properties of triangles counts as understanding the ''c ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Social Science
Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of society", established in the 18th century. It now encompasses a wide array of additional academic disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, linguistics, management, communication studies, psychology, culturology, and political science. The majority of positivist social scientists use methods resembling those used in the natural sciences as tools for understanding societies, and so define science in its stricter modern sense. Speculative social scientists, otherwise known as interpretivist scientists, by contrast, may use social critique or symbolic interpretation rather than constructing empirically falsifiable theories, and thus treat science in its ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Rhetoric (Aristotle)
Aristotle's ''Rhetoric'' (; ) is an ancient Greek treatise on the art of persuasion, dating from . The English title varies: typically it is ''Rhetoric'', the ''Art of Rhetoric'', ''On Rhetoric'', or a ''Treatise on Rhetoric''. Background Aristotle is credited with developing the basics of a system of rhetoric that "thereafter served as hetouchstone" of the discipline, influencing the development of rhetorical theory from ancient through modern times. The ''Rhetoric'' is regarded by most rhetoricians as "the most important single work on persuasion ever written." Alan G. Gross and Arthur Walzer concur, indicating that, just as Alfred North Whitehead considered all Western philosophy a footnote to Plato, "all subsequent rhetorical theory is but a series of responses to issues raised" by Aristotle's ''Rhetoric''. This is largely a reflection of disciplinary divisions, dating back to Peter Ramus' attacks on Aristotelian rhetoric in the late 16th century and continuing to the pre ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Nous
''Nous'' (, ), from , is a concept from classical philosophy, sometimes equated to intellect or intelligence, for the cognitive skill, faculty of the human mind necessary for understanding what is truth, true or reality, real. Alternative English terms used in philosophy include "understanding" and "mind"; or sometimes "thought" or "reason" (in the sense of that which reasons, not the activity of reasoning). It is also often described as something equivalent to perception except that it works within the mind ("the mind's eye"). It has been suggested that the basic meaning is something like "awareness". In colloquial British English, ''nous'' also denotes "good sense", which is close to one everyday meaning it had in Ancient Greece. The ''nous'' performed a role comparable to the modern concept of intuition (philosophy), intuition. In Aristotle's philosophy, which was influential on later conceptions of the category, ''nous'' was carefully distinguished from sense perception, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Ethos
''Ethos'' is a Greek word meaning 'character' that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology; and the balance between caution and passion. The Greeks also used this word to refer to the power of music to influence emotions, behaviors, and even morals. Early Greek stories of Orpheus exhibit this idea in a compelling way. The word's use in rhetoric is closely based on the Greek terminology used by Aristotle in his concept of the three artistic proofs or modes of persuasion alongside pathos and logos. It gives credit to the speaker, or the speaker is taking credit. Etymology and origin ''Ethos'' (, ; ''plurals:'' ''ethe'', ; ''ethea'', ) is a Greek word originally meaning "accustomed place" (as in "the habitats of horses/", ''Iliad'' 6.511, 15.268), "custom, habit", equivalent to Latin ''mores''. ''Ethos'' forms the root of ''ethikos'' (), meaning "morality, showing moral character". As an adjective in the neuter pl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Sophia (wisdom)
Sophia, or Sofia (, —"wisdom") is a central idea in Hellenistic philosophy and Hellenistic religion, religion, Platonism, Sophia (Gnosticism), Gnosticism and Christian theology. Originally carrying a meaning of "cleverness, skill", the later meaning of the term, close to the meaning of ("wisdom, intelligence"), was significantly shaped by the term ("love of wisdom") as used by Plato. Sophia is a member of the Charites. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, the feminine wisdom (personification), personification of divine wisdom as Holy Wisdom (; ) can refer either to Jesus, Jesus Christ the Logos (Christianity), Word of God (as in the dedication of the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople) or to the Holy Spirit. References to in Koine Greek translations of the Hebrew Bible are translated from the Biblical Hebrew, Hebrew term . Greek and Hellenistic tradition The Ancient Greek word () is the abstract noun of (), which variously transl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |