Phronèsis et prudence : esquisse de la science pratique dans les textes de la tradition classique
This thesis traces back the history of the concept of prudence from Antiquity to the XVIIth century. It underlines the link between “ways of being” and art in Greek thought and during early modernity. Phronèsis first defined itself in contrast to other “ways of doing” of which techne takes part. This distinction, common to both Plato and Aristotle, is not present in the writings of early modern thinkers which assimilate the two “ways of doing”. We can also see, in the way language is used to describe prudence, a reflection of that virtue. An example of prudence is therefore at work both in the style and the object it describes. This virtue, which is the first of the cardinal virtues, is hence fundamental to understanding the relation between art and ethics during early modernity. It is also a precursor to early modern aesthetics, in that it gives rules to arrive at one’s ends concerning any type of “ways of doing”.
Phronèsis Praxis Prudence Art Techne Antiquity Early modernity Ethos Ethics