For over 2300 years, Aristotle’s concept of phronesis-practical wisdom-has been at the centre of moral philosophy, guiding discussions on virtue, character, and ethical decision-making. According to Aristotle, phronesis is the intellectual meta-virtue that directs moral actions, ensuring that virtues such as courage, generosity, and honesty are applied appropriately in different situations so that flourishing can occur.
When first coined, Aristotle did not have the analytical tools of modern social science to provide more than a theoretical account, and empirical investigations of phronesis have been few and far between ever since. This large-scale study involving approximately 4000 participants, conducted by Shane McLoughlin (Jubilee Centre; University of Birmingham), Stephen Thoma (University of Alabama), and Kristján Kristjánsson (Jubilee Centre; University of Birmingham), applied a range of quantitative methods to gain the most comprehensive empirical understanding of phronesis to date. Using nationally representative samples from the UK and the US, it examined whether Aristotle’s theoretical model aligns with a theoretically impartial psychometric analysis of the components of phronesis, and how those components relate to flourishing and a host of other key variables.
The study’s findings contribute to ongoing research in moral psychology, ethics, and character education, refining previous theoretical models and providing a new psychometric measure for assessing phronesis.
Introducing the Short Phronesis Measure
“This is by far the most comprehensive, detailed, and accurate measure of phronesis that has yet been developed. If researchers want accurately to measure phronesis, this is the instrument they should use.” —Nancy E. Snow, University of Kansas
One of the challenges in researching phronesis for many years now has been the lack of a reliable measurement tool, with most existing research being theoretical. This study introduces the SPM, a validated psychometric scale designed to assess practical wisdom, freely available for other researchers to use (see the Appendix in the open access paper linked above).
This paper approached the development of the SPM aiming to be as impartial and faithful to wherever the data may lead as possible. Rather than assuming Aristotle’s ‘standard’ model was correct, the researchers first inductively analysed the data to see how phronesis-related items naturally grouped together, thereby forming a new theoretical model. Only after that did they test whether the structure of this model held up. While Aristotle’s ideas helped shape the questions, the final model came from what the data showed, rather than from theory alone. The result was a short, well-validated, and practical tool that researchers, educators, and organisations can now use.
What Makes the SPM Useful?
✅ Developed using large-scale data analysis, ensuring robust and generalisable conclusions.
✅ Cross-culturally tested, with validation across representative UK and US populations.
✅ Efficient and practical, taking only 15–20 minutes to complete.
The SPM provides a structured way to assess practical wisdom, making it useful for studying ethical decision-making, character development, and moral reasoning.
“There is a growing concern these days that just being smart is not enough to solve complex world problems, where humans often face radically uncertain situations without clear right-or-wrong answers. We need wisdom. But how to assess wisdom-related characteristics? A major challenge, with hardly any robust psychometric work on this topic. Wisdom is deeply contextual and without context, measuring wisdom appears foolish. At the same time, measuring each context calling for wisdom may not be feasible for scholars and practitioners. McLoughlin and colleagues represent one of the few labs today, which aim to tackle this almost impossible task. Building on recent conceptual and methodological innovations and measurement advances, they take a pragmatic approach to practical wisdom, suggesting a short metric that captures a number of wisdom-critical contexts. Measures like this are a testament to the maturing and robust development of the nascent empirical field with a millennia-old intellectual history”. —Igor Grossmann, University of Waterloo
Refining Aristotle’s ‘Standard’ Model: The Neo-Aristotelian Phronesis Model
The study builds upon Aristotle’s classical model by examining its psychometric structure, benefitting from analytic tools that were unavailable to him. While traditionally phronesis has been considered to encompass a four-component process, the data suggest a more complex and multidimensional structure than previously articulated.
This has led to the refinement of the Neo-Aristotelian Phronesis Model (neo-APM), which conceptualises phronesis as comprising ten distinct but interrelated components, with network psychometric analyses revealing that some of these components are to be considered more “central” nodes in the network.
This refined model provides a clearer empirical basis for understanding how practical wisdom relates to other variables of interest, offering applications in:
- Moral Psychology – providing researchers with a structured way to study this key aspect of moral reasoning.
- Education and Character Development – informing approaches to cultivating practical wisdom, leveraging its most central components.
- Leadership and Organisational Ethics – offering a framework for evaluating practical wisdom in professional contexts.
Contributions
This study contributes to ongoing research in virtue ethics, moral psychology, and character education by offering empirical insights into the structure and role of phronesis in relation to a wide range of other variables, including flourishing, personality traits, dark personality traits, Moral Foundations, and the propensity to morally disengage.
Key Takeaways
The most comprehensive empirical study of Phronesis to date:
- Large samples, matched to census data (based on age, sex, and ethnicity) from two countries.
- Diverse contemporary methods employed, including correlation, regression, classical psychometrics, and network psychometrics
- Contextualises phronesis in relation to a host of other relevant variables, including flourishing, personality, and moral variables
Phronesis can be measured: The SPM provides a validated, fast, and scalable method for assessing practical wisdom. Phronesis predicts expected outcomes: High phronesis scores correlate with flourishing, moral engagement, and personality in expected directions. Phronesis is a better predictor of key outcomes than Moral Foundation Theory: The study shows the unique value of measuring practical wisdom over and above the best available measure of Moral Foundations. A refined understanding of Phronesis: The neo-APM offers a refined conceptual model of practical wisdom with empirical analyses revealing complexities not previously addressed.
While no study can claim to have the final word on phronesis, this one provides a significant empirical contribution that invites further discussion and refinement. We do hope that the SPM will enable a substantial interdisciplinary empirical research programme on phronesis in the coming years.
Interested in Custom Phronesis Reports? Get in Touch!
We are exploring ways to make custom SPM reports available online, allowing individuals, researchers, and organisations to assess and interpret their practical wisdom scores.
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