In the most recent installment of our walk with Aristotle, we puzzled through the beginnings of his analysis of wisdom [phronēsis]. In Book VI.6-8 he climbs further up this steep section of the trail to discuss not only wisdom but also sagacity [sophia].
In the single paragraph of VI.6, Aristotle says that when we truly have understanding [epistēmē] of something, we can reliably engage in spelling out [apodeixis] why it is the way it is. Yet not everything can be spelled out: at some point in the chain of explanation we come to aspects of reality that can only be seen, albeit not perceptually but intellectually. He calls these the sources [archai] of things and says that the mental trait or practice [hexis] involved is insight [nous].
According to Aristotle, we need both understanding [epistēmē] and insight [nous] to have precise and reliable "truthing" [alētheuein] of the most important [timiōtatos] and serious [spoudaiotatos] aspects of reality and human experience, which are unchanging. He identifies this combination as sophia, which I render as "sagacity". By contrast, wisdom [phronēsis] concerns things we can deliberate about and change through our actions.
It's a common misconception, I think, that on Aristotle's account sagacity is limited to truths about mathematics, astronomy, theology, and the like - and that it doesn't apply to the sublunary realm of living things and human beings. Yet according to Aristotle animal species are eternal and unchanging (a topic for another time) and we can't decide to be other than we are; thus disciplines such as biology, psychology, and ethics are just as much objects of sagacity as the more rarified sciences.
Indeed, Aristotle claims that even action-guiding wisdom [phronēsis] needs to grasp not only the particulars of specific situations but also the universals of human nature and the human good. This might even imply that you can't be consistently good in your actions unless you have some measure of sagacity in your thoughts. Nevertheless, the primary focus of action and decision remains with the particulars, which is why it's necessary to have experience [empeiria] of life in order to be wise. In a field like mathematics, experience isn't required and young people can succeed admirably, whereas in ethics and action young people are full of theoretical talk (1142a21, cf. 1105b13) but haven't yet integrated the lessons of experience into their practice of life.
In the chapters that follow (VI.9-11), Aristotle will further analyze the constituent faculties and activities of action-guiding wisdom. We'll look at those next time.
(Cross-posted at philosopher.coach.)
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