By Elena Irrera Abstract: In 'Politics' III, 4.1277a15-16 Aristotle presents 'phronesis' as the characteristic excellence of the good ruler. Difficulties arise when we consider that, on his view, a good ruler should 'always' be loyal to his constitution ('Politics' V,...

By George Bragues This article attempts to uncover the relevance of Cicero’s thought to present-day management through an analysis of his last philosophical study, On Duties. Applying a methodology grounded in Socratic skepticism, Cicero synthesizes the Stoics and Aristotle to create his own moral theory...

The article, written by Defining Wisdom grantee Deborah Coen , reviews several books on the history of weather, including "Hurricanes and Society in the British Greater Caribbean, 1624-1783," by Matthew Mulcahy, "British Weather and the Climate of Enlightenment," by Jan Golinski,...

The focus on complexity as a problem of the financial meltdown of 2008–2009 suggests that crisis is in part epistemological: we now know enough about financial and economic systems to be threatened by their complexity, but not enough to relieve our fears and anxieties about them. What marks the current...

Emilio J. Castillo Science and scientific production have been widely promoted as powerful tools for advancing national economic and social development. While much progress has been made in determining whether this is the case, less understood are the underlying factors influencing national scientific...

Karola Stotz Recent years have seen the development of an approach both to general philosophy and philosophy of science often referred to as ‘experimental philosophy’ or just ‘X-Phi’. Philosophers often make or presuppose empirical claims about how people would react to hypothetical cases, but their...

Jonathan M. Weinberg and Stephen Crowley Experimental philosophy is often regarded as a category mistake. Even those who reject that view typically see it as irrelevant to standard philosophical projects. We argue that neither of these claims can be sustained and illustrate our view with a sketch of...

Assessments of science are important for many different reasons. For individuals early in their careers, metrics of scientific work can provide valuable feedback about where they stand and the progress they have made. For faculty seeking to hire another member of their department, such metrics can simplify...

This book uses the story of an important intellectual family, the Exners, to shed light on the science, politics, intellectual thought, and culture of fin-de-siècle (end of century) Vienna. Coen focuses on the family’s value of uncertainty, contradicting the general assumption that certainty was considered...

At a time when poor choices are being made by notably intelligent and powerful individuals, this book analyzes a form of reasoning and decision-making that is not only productive and prudent, but serves as well a beneficial purpose for society. A Handbook of Wisdom includes contributions from some of...