Here toward the end of Book VI Aristotle looks at several skills and traits that are either constituents of wisdom or similar to wisdom in certain respects: deliberative excellence [euboulia], astuteness [sunesis], thoughtfulness [gnōmē], and sensitivity [sungnōmē].
Deliberative excellence is not conceptual understanding [epistēmē] since it deals with particulars, but neither is it mere opinion [doxa] or guesstimation since the person who deliberates well about what to do can provide an account [logos] for their actions and commitments. Instead, it's a matter of correctly [orthōs] thinking things through [dianoia] about what gets us closer to our goals [ta pros to telos]. Yet there are two kinds of goal: particular goals we might just happen to have, and the overall goal of living well. Deliberative excellence "plain and simple" [haplōs] is closely connected to wisdom [phronēsis], since both are concerned with "the sort of things that are conducive to living well as a whole" (1140a28).
Astuteness [sunesis] is quickness in perceiving situations in which we get stuck or reach an impasse [aporia] and thus cause us to deliberate or take counsel. Although astuteness isn't exactly wisdom, it enables us to more readily and appropriately use the wisdom we already possess.
Thoughtfulness [gnōmē] and sensitivity [sungnōmē] consist in correctly [orthōs] discerning what is humane [epieikos]. In Book V, Aristotle had observed that humaneness "sets things straight" and "speaks correctly" [orthōs], thus honoring the spirit of justice rather than the mere letter.
All of these mental traits - along with insight [nous] - converge on the same point: that doing what's beautifully right [kalos] is not a matter of following abstract rules but of apprehending the particular possibilities inherent in each opportune moment [kairos] we live through. Indeed, because the particulars are the sources [archai] of our insight into why we take action in life, it's important to pay heed to people who have a great deal of experience [empeiria] of life. Such people grasp the truth in significant ways, even if they can't exactly spell out why they do what they do; thus their actions and statements provide valuable material for ethical reflection and the examined life.
In the remaining chapters (12-13) of Book VI, Aristotle will put these various strands together and provide provisional answers about the nature of wisdom and sagacity. Onward and upward!
(Cross-posted at philosopher.coach.)
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