Proposed Sources of Practical Wisdom

<?page nr="69"?>Abstract A misalignment exists between the institutional management of individual student behavior and the stated ethical principles undergirding modern higher education practices in the United States, ultimately creating an ethical failure serving no one. We discuss this misalignment from the site of student affairs, due to its charge to represent both university and student. A technocratic ethical discourse creates the illusion of decision-making autonomy that promises certain outcomes if “common sense” leadership practices are employed. The lens of technical rationality homogenizes and reduces perceived problems to simple either/ors that fail to address the inequitable effects of such ethical logic. We counter “common sense” leadership with a notion of ethical leadership called phronetic leadership, which is informed by an Aristotelian understanding of phronesis (practical wisdom), virtue ethics, and a Foucauldian awareness of governmentality. We argue that phronetic leaders can mend the cleft crippling institutional ethical foundations and practices.

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The Space between Choice and Our Models of It: Practical Wisdom and Normative Economics

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.2458756 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Andrew M. Yuengert

Keyword(s):

Practical Wisdom ◽

Normative Economics

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Practical wisdom: How do personal virtue beliefs and contextual factors interact in adolescents’ moral decision-making?

Journal of Moral Education ◽

10.1080/03057240.2021.1891871 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-19

Author(s):

Claire Briggs ◽

David Lumsdon

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Practical Wisdom ◽

Contextual Factors ◽

Moral Decision ◽

Moral Decision Making ◽

Personal Virtue

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The Practical Wisdom Framework: A Compass for School Leaders

Journal of Education ◽

10.1177/00220574211028828 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002205742110288

Author(s):

Karen Elizabeth Bohlin

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Practical Wisdom ◽

School Leaders ◽

Educational Leaders ◽

Policy Compliance ◽

Special Cases

Educational leaders are required to respond in real time to questions, quandaries, and cases that involve individuals in different contexts. They face an array of possible choices that exist in tension. Justice and fairness must coexist with mercy and compassion; in enforcing policy, compliance must make room for flexibility in special cases. School leaders are called to adjudicate competing goods and teach others to do the same. This article examines what practical wisdom is, why it matters, and introduces a theoretically grounded Practical Wisdom Framework (PWF) to help school leaders deliberate well to create and sustain formative institutions.

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