Phronesis as moral decathlon: contesting the redundancy thesis about phronesis

Phronesis or practical wisdom – Aristotle’s intellectual meta-virtue of discernment, deliberation, and arbitration is undergoing a revival. Yet phronesis enthusiasts have recently been experiencing blowback both from philosophers psychologists who think that has given an inflated role in recent theorizing the functions it meant to perform can more readily parsimoniously be accorded less complex better researched psycho-moral constructs. We refer this as “the redundancy thesis” about phronesis, drawing upon two incarnations it, by philosopher (Miller) psychologist (Lapsley). The aim article contest thesis phronesis. In Section 2, we delineate neo-Aristotelian concept under scrutiny. 3 analyses thesis, especially formulated Lapsley. 4 then offers unusual twist, turning attention nature particular Olympic sport: decathlon. elicit various analogies between development decathlon composite, yet integral, athletic event (presumed) integral capacity. 5 finally teases out some possible implications those for thesis.