Phronesis (φρόνησις) — “Prudence” or “practical wisdom.” For Aristotle, phronesis is the intellectual virtue that enables correct deliberation about the human good in particular situations. It differs from sophia (theoretical wisdom, concerned with the necessary and eternal): phronesis operates in the domain of the contingent and changeable. It is the virtue of the good politician and good citizen. Gadamer reclaims it as central to hermeneutics — the contextual application of what is understood.
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