Filosofia pratica e phrónesis

• Main Author: Enrico Berti
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidad Panamericana 2013-11-01
• Series: Tópicos
• Subjects: Aristóteles; Gadamer; conocimiento científico; virtud; método.
• Online Access: http://topicosojs.up.edu.mx/ojs/index.php/topicos/article/view/30

In his book Truth and Method, H.-G. Gadamer promoted the renaissance of Aristotle’s practical philosophy. In his interpretation, however, practical philosophy tends to be identified with phrónesis, i.e. with practical wisdom. For Aristotle practical philosophy is a scientific knowledge (epistéme), although less rigorous than theoretical philosophy, and uses demonstrations, though its demonstrations are valid in most cases, but not always. Practical philosophy, moreover, employs a dialectical method, consisting in the discussion of different opinions (phainómena) in the light of the most reputed premises (éndoxa). Phrónesis, on the other hand, is a virtue, i.e. an excellence of reason, consisting in the capacity of good deliberation, i.e. of choosing the means which are the most apt to attain a right goal. Consequently, for Aristotle, the phrónimos (wise man) does not need to be a philosopher, whilst a philosopher, if he wants to attain the sophía (theoretical wisdom), must be a phrónimos.