Phronēsis and Contemplation

Abstract

An appealing interpretation of Aristotle's moral psychology argues that character virtue sets the goal of the good life. On that view, practical wisdom or phronēsis supplies only the means toward the end that is grasped by the character virtues. Yet, this view has trouble accounting for the supremacy of the contemplative life, which is clearly the best life in the paradigmatic or strict sense for Aristotle. In this paper, I argue that the intellect plays a role for Aristotle in realizing the priority of the contemplative life and integrating it into our practical lives as a whole.