This chapter outlines how Aristotle's concept of phronesis has gained traction as an analytical concept for research in recent years, particularly in areas of social policy most concerned with the professions of social work, education and medicine. Firstly, the chapter will outline Aristotle’s conception of the intellectual virtue he called ‘phronesis’, referred to in contemporary parlance as ‘practical wisdom’. Explicated in the Nicomachean Ethics, phronesis brings together Aristotle's thought on virtue and eudaimonia within a social framework.

Following this, the chapter will turn to why research in the sociology of organisational life has found fruitful ground in the application of the concept of phronesis. The focus on organisational studies is twofold: firstly, because this is a field that has traditionally been rooted in modernist assumptions of progress, empiricism and the quest for universal rules or truths of organisational life. Thus, a turn to a more context-bound exploration of the practice of work marks a significant shift. Secondly, the collision of the so-called ‘practice-turn’ in sociology with a series of shocks and challenges to public sector organisations and their professionals will be explored as background for a neo-Aristotelian revival. Finally, the chapter uses the policy of personalisation as a lens through which to view phronesis within the context of social work practice where practical wisdom as a category for analysis can be identified as arising from the interactions of social workers implementing this policy. To explore phronesis as a cultural and professional decisionmaking asset, a vignette from a recent study into social work and personalisation is explored.

Aristotle's phronesis

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle (1999) outlines three classes of intellectual virtue: episteme, techne and phronesis. Episteme (scientific knowledge) can be likened to the concept of ethics based on rules and principles of how to act, most readily associated with the philosophical field of deontology. Techne (craft knowledge) is concerned with the skills and know-how of craft and production. Techne is concerned with knowledge that meets designated ends – so, the knowledge to create a table, for example, or the ways software is used to create a presentation. Phronesis is different from these first two intellectual virtues. Aristotle identifies phronesis as a form of knowledge that is capable, in the face of ambiguous or uncertain circumstances, to guide actions that will be good for others.