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Blaise Pascal wrote, “All people seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every person, even of those who hang themselves.” Since perfect happiness ever eludes us here below, a more attainable end is to be happier. One aspect of being happier, within reach of us all, is to grow in love. But to grow in love we need practical wisdom.
What is practical wisdom? In the Summa theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas defined practical wisdom as “right reason applied to action.” The person of practical wisdom thinks well and acts well because this person knows how to love. Having a good goal in mind—to love—is not enough. How, exactly here and now, can I manifest love? The virtue of practical wisdom is the habit that allows us to determine what act manifests love in the everyday and concrete circumstances of our lives.
Practical wisdom is also necessary for the exercise of the other virtues. If we are to find the virtuous middle between extremes, we need practical wisdom to discover what the golden mean is. A courageous person is not a coward but also isn’t foolhardy. So when danger threatens, if we have practical wisdom, we know what to do in order to avoid both cowardice and foolhardiness. Temperance is the virtue that seeks the golden mean in bodily pleasures, including eating and drinking. The temperate person eats the right amount: neither too much nor too little. Practical wisdom is needed to know what falls between these extremes. If you are an Olympic athlete vigorously training for hours every day, you need to eat more than a sedentary librarian whose greatest exertion is reshelving the Oxford English Dictionary.
We need practical wisdom to choose well in our most important decisions. Should I move to Florida? Should I switch jobs? Should we have another baby?
Continued below.
www.wordonfire.org
What is practical wisdom? In the Summa theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas defined practical wisdom as “right reason applied to action.” The person of practical wisdom thinks well and acts well because this person knows how to love. Having a good goal in mind—to love—is not enough. How, exactly here and now, can I manifest love? The virtue of practical wisdom is the habit that allows us to determine what act manifests love in the everyday and concrete circumstances of our lives.
Practical wisdom is also necessary for the exercise of the other virtues. If we are to find the virtuous middle between extremes, we need practical wisdom to discover what the golden mean is. A courageous person is not a coward but also isn’t foolhardy. So when danger threatens, if we have practical wisdom, we know what to do in order to avoid both cowardice and foolhardiness. Temperance is the virtue that seeks the golden mean in bodily pleasures, including eating and drinking. The temperate person eats the right amount: neither too much nor too little. Practical wisdom is needed to know what falls between these extremes. If you are an Olympic athlete vigorously training for hours every day, you need to eat more than a sedentary librarian whose greatest exertion is reshelving the Oxford English Dictionary.
We need practical wisdom to choose well in our most important decisions. Should I move to Florida? Should I switch jobs? Should we have another baby?
Continued below.
Practical Wisdom for a Happier Life - Word on Fire
The virtue of practical wisdom is the habit allowing us to determine what act manifests love in everyday, concrete circumstances of our lives.
www.wordonfire.org
