display all the ideas for this combination of texts
5 ideas
| 78 | Wisdom is scientific and intuitive knowledge of what is by nature most precious [Aristotle] |
| Full Idea: Wisdom is scientific and intuitive knowledge of what is by nature most precious. | |
| From: Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics [c.334 BCE], 1141b03) | |
| A reaction: Precious for what? Theoretical or practical? Note the implied rational and empirical routes to wisdom. |
| 5248 | Wisdom does not study happiness, because it is not concerned with processes [Aristotle] |
| Full Idea: Wisdom studies none of the things that go to make a man happy, because it is not concerned with any kind of process. | |
| From: Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics [c.334 BCE], 1143b20) | |
| A reaction: This seems to be a very Platonic view, and not really consistent with Aristotle's overall metaphysics. It strikes me as simply wrong. Maybe all of reality is a process, and wisdom is then a maximum understanding of that process. |
| 19693 | There is practical wisdom (for action), and theoretical wisdom (for deep understanding) [Aristotle, by Whitcomb] |
| Full Idea: Aristotle takes wisdom to come in two forms, the practical and the theoretical, the former of which is good judgement about how to act, and the latter of which is deep knowledge or understanding. | |
| From: report of Aristotle (works [c.330 BCE]) by Dennis Whitcomb - Wisdom Intro | |
| A reaction: The interesting question is then whether the two are connected. One might be thoroughly 'sensible' about action, without counting as 'wise', which seems to require a broader view of what is being done. Whitcomb endorses Aristotle on this idea. |
| 2682 | Aristotle thinks human life is not important enough to spend a whole life on it [Nagel on Aristotle] |
| Full Idea: Aristotle believes, in short, that human life is not important enough for humans to spend their lives on. | |
| From: comment on Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics [c.334 BCE]) by Thomas Nagel - Aristotle on Eudaimonia p.12 | |
| A reaction: The explanation of why Aristotle values contemplation more highly than the moral virtues. |
| 103 | Wise people can contemplate alone, though co-operation helps [Aristotle] |
| Full Idea: The wise man can practise contemplation by himself (though no doubt he does it better with fellow-workers). | |
| From: Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics [c.334 BCE], 1177a32) | |
| A reaction: It is hard to argue with this balanced view of the individual versus team concept of philosophy. |