{"id":2027,"date":"2021-04-17T06:40:26","date_gmt":"2021-04-17T11:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/?p=2027"},"modified":"2023-05-06T09:46:46","modified_gmt":"2023-05-06T14:46:46","slug":"aristotles-virtue-theory-and-a-christian-purpose-of-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2021\/04\/17\/aristotles-virtue-theory-and-a-christian-purpose-of-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Aristotle&#8217;s Virtue Theory and a Christian Purpose of Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Up till now in this series I have evaluated Bloom\u2019s taxonomy and mostly used Aristotle\u2019s intellectual virtues as a foil in my critique. And so while I have, to a certain extent, defined and described Aristotle\u2019s five intellectual virtues, alongside offering an outline snapshot of a classical Christian educational paradigm based on them, my explanations have been mostly ad hoc, more to tantalize than to contextualize and fully explain.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Aristotle&#039;s Virtue Theory and a Christian Purpose of Education\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sMnyES04RMU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This has been a deliberate rhetorical and pedagogical move: an attempt to begin with what is near at hand and understood by modern educators, before exposing its weaknesses and proposing a productive solution based in ancient wisdom. Sometimes on Educational Renaissance we begin with what is new before arcing back to what is past; other times it is appropriate to begin with the wisdom of the past before connecting it to modern research. It may sound strange to some, but in this case I think that Bloom provides the perfect entree to Aristotle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article I will begin situating Aristotle\u2019s intellectual virtues as a part of his holistic philosophy of education. And since Aristotle\u2019s viewpoints are not necessarily authoritative, however much we may revere the accomplishments of \u201cthe philosopher,\u201d as Aquinas called him, we will have to lay out how Christians might appropriate his philosophy within a Christian worldview. After all, the early Christian apologist Tertullian\u2019s famous question, \u201cWhat has Athens to do with Jerusalem?\u201d still needs to be answered today, even if centuries of Christian thought have done so adequately in their own cultural moment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"307\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2019\/03\/25\/excellence-comes-by-habit-aristotle-on-moral-virtue\/raphael_detail-aristotle-from-the-school-of-athens\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/raphael_detail-aristotle-from-the-school-of-athens.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1200,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"raphael_detail-aristotle-from-the-school-of-athens\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/raphael_detail-aristotle-from-the-school-of-athens.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/raphael_detail-aristotle-from-the-school-of-athens.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/raphael_detail-aristotle-from-the-school-of-athens.jpg?resize=512%2C512&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Aristotle close-up as famously portrayed by Raphael with arm stretched forward indicating his engagement in the human world of moral excellence, virtue and habits\" class=\"wp-image-307\" width=\"512\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/raphael_detail-aristotle-from-the-school-of-athens.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/raphael_detail-aristotle-from-the-school-of-athens.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/raphael_detail-aristotle-from-the-school-of-athens.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/raphael_detail-aristotle-from-the-school-of-athens.jpg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/raphael_detail-aristotle-from-the-school-of-athens.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>We will thus first delve into Aristotle\u2019s philosophy in the opening book of the Nicomachean Ethics. It is necessary to lay a good foundation in Aristotle\u2019s thought generally, if we are to understand his intellectual virtues specifically. Second, we will see how his intellectual virtues fit within his broader paradigm of human happiness as the proper goals of education. Third, along the way we will make reference to the Bible and Christian theology in order to show how Aristotle\u2019s philosophy might be appropriated within a truly Christian understanding of life and education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Purpose of Education as the Purpose of Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I <a href=\"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2020\/08\/15\/blooms-taxonomy-and-the-purpose-of-education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">opened this series<\/a> by remarking on one of the major themes of the classical education renewal movement: rethinking the purpose of education as much broader and more holistic than modern education has been making it out to be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>It is not merely job training or college preparation, but the formation of flourishing human beings. The cultivation of wisdom and virtue is the purpose of education. There is joy in seeking knowledge for its own sake and as an end in itself.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Each one of these statements can be traced back to Aristotle. Human flourishing is a modern cipher for the good life or the life of <em>eudaimonia<\/em>, the Greek word for happiness or blessedness, which Aristotle proclaims to be the ultimate <em>telos<\/em>, end or goal, of human beings. All other goals are simply the means to this end (see <a href=\"http:\/\/classics.mit.edu\/Aristotle\/nicomachaen.1.i.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Book I, Chapter 2<\/a>). And the master art that aims at this end directly and encompasses all the lesser arts is called by him politics, under which he would lump strategy, economics, rhetoric and even all the sciences. Each in its own way aims at one of the goods that contribute to human happiness collectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is interesting in this connection to compare the conception of Augustine\u2019s <em>City of God <\/em>as a contrast to this <em>polis<\/em> or city of man. Because man is a political animal the appropriate unit of happiness for human beings is not the isolated individual, but the city. After all, who could be happy without friends? Or, for that matter, without the benefits of specialization and civilization?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But given the realities of a functioning city-state with the basic specialization that <a href=\"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2021\/03\/13\/life-in-platos-republic-part-1-is-justice-worth-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Plato had earlier described in his Republic<\/a>, the most secure way for an individual to achieve this happiness is by the cultivation of virtue and wisdom, understood as the moral and intellectual excellences, respectively (see <a href=\"http:\/\/classics.mit.edu\/Aristotle\/nicomachaen.1.i.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chapter 10 and 13<\/a>). Moral excellence, Aristotle says, is attained by the <a href=\"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2019\/03\/25\/excellence-comes-by-habit-aristotle-on-moral-virtue\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cultivation of habits<\/a>, whereas intellectual excellence is born and grown by instruction or teaching, requiring much experience and time (see Book II, chapter 1).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"364\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2019\/08\/10\/the-flow-of-thought-part-1-training-the-attention-for-happiness-sake\/bronze-statue-of-aristotle-with-pen-1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Bronze-statue-of-Aristotle-with-pen-1.jpg?fit=4896%2C3264&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"4896,3264\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;X-T10&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;75.4&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Bronze-statue-of-Aristotle-with-pen-1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Bronze-statue-of-Aristotle-with-pen-1.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Bronze-statue-of-Aristotle-with-pen-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Bronze-statue-of-Aristotle-with-pen-1.jpg?resize=470%2C313&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-364\" width=\"470\" height=\"313\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Bronze-statue-of-Aristotle-with-pen-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Bronze-statue-of-Aristotle-with-pen-1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Bronze-statue-of-Aristotle-with-pen-1.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Bronze-statue-of-Aristotle-with-pen-1.jpg?resize=120%2C80&amp;ssl=1 120w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Bronze-statue-of-Aristotle-with-pen-1.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Bronze-statue-of-Aristotle-with-pen-1.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Since human happiness consists in an active life in accordance with perfect virtue of the soul (see <a href=\"http:\/\/classics.mit.edu\/Aristotle\/nicomachaen.1.i.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Book I, chapter 13<\/a>), education becomes the prime means of attaining happiness through developing habits in accordance with the moral virtues and instructing the mind or rational principal in accordance with the truth. Another way of saying this is that the contemplative life, as opposed to the pursuit of pleasure or honor (see <a href=\"http:\/\/classics.mit.edu\/Aristotle\/nicomachaen.1.i.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chapter 5<\/a>), is the best method of attaining to happiness in this life, even if good fortune still plays some role (see <a href=\"http:\/\/classics.mit.edu\/Aristotle\/nicomachaen.1.i.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the end of chapter 8 and 10-11<\/a>). Aiming either at bodily pleasure or the emotional satisfaction of honor will ultimately fall short, while the cultivation of the mind or rational principle will lead to the proper ordering of the whole human person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In earlier articles on Educational Renaissance, I have already laid out a couple ways of reconciling many of these reflections with a Christian understanding of the purpose of life. In <a href=\"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2018\/10\/05\/aristotle-and-the-growth-mindset\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cAristotle and the Growth Mindset\u201d<\/a> I traced the renaissance arc back to Aristotle starting from Carol Dweck\u2019s popular idea of a growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset. Aristotle theorized that excellence or virtue was the main contributor to happiness\u2014an idea that provides more of a solid philosophical foundation for Dweck\u2019s social scientific study of \u201csuccess\u201d. As human beings, we may not be the masters of our own fate, but to confine human happiness (and therefore virtue as well) simply to chance or fortune does not seem to jive with reality. We have some level of choice and will in our own happiness, just as we can decide to pursue a life of virtue and make deliberate strides toward that end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Moral Virtues and Christian Salvation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>From a Christian perspective, while divine gift and human responsibility may be reconciled in various ways, the participation of human beings in their ultimate good or blessing is a matter of both. True and lasting happiness comes as a result of God\u2019s gracious action in salvation and believers \u201cwork[ing] out [their] own salvation with fear and trembling\u201d (see Philippians 2:12). Christian sanctification and piety have traditionally been thought to involve the cultivation of all the moral virtues. Salvation involves the conversion of the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2019\/03\/25\/excellence-comes-by-habit-aristotle-on-moral-virtue\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cExcellence Comes By Habit: Aristotle on Moral Virtue\u201d<\/a> I referenced the Christian idea of common grace to account for the fact that human beings can exhibit moral virtues even in an unregenerate state. For this reason, it is helpful to distinguish between moral and spiritual virtues. Medievals, in particular, adopted a sevenfold paradigm to sum up the moral virtues of Greek philosophy and the Christian virtues mentioned by Saint Paul at the end of 1st Corinthians 13. The cardinal virtues were justice, temperance, fortitude and prudence (interestingly this last was one of Aristotle\u2019s <em>intellectual<\/em> virtues), and above them were the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. It might be possible for a noble pagan to display the cardinal virtues to some degree, but only a true believer could possess the theological virtues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"424\" data-attachment-id=\"2028\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2021\/04\/17\/aristotles-virtue-theory-and-a-christian-purpose-of-education\/16813474792_c751c5480b_z-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/16813474792_c751c5480b_z.jpg?fit=640%2C424&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"640,424\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Flickr\\\/Badly Drawn Dad&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;David H Edwards&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"16813474792_c751c5480b_z\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/16813474792_c751c5480b_z.jpg?fit=300%2C199&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/16813474792_c751c5480b_z.jpg?fit=640%2C424&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/16813474792_c751c5480b_z.jpg?resize=640%2C424&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2028\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/16813474792_c751c5480b_z.jpg?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/16813474792_c751c5480b_z.jpg?resize=300%2C199&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/16813474792_c751c5480b_z.jpg?resize=120%2C80&amp;ssl=1 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>For Christians, then, true and eternal happiness involved the possession of both the theological and the moral virtues. As the writer of Hebrews said, \u201cWithout holiness, no one will see the Lord\u201d (12:14). The purpose of life, and therefore the ultimate purpose of education as well, consists in the cultivation of moral and spiritual virtues for the enjoyment of eternal happiness. Of course, for Christians this happiness must be God-centered; it is the beatific vision of God himself that wells up in eternal joy for the everlasting life of the believer. Or as the Westminster Catechism has it, \u201cWhat is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy him forever.\u201d And while salvation is in some sense future, the beginning of the happiness associated with eternal life in Christ is available in part to the believer even now through the process of sanctification. Holiness leads to happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Aristotle, on the other hand, <em>eudaimonia<\/em> is attained through the godlike cultivation of excellence in this life alongside good fortune and good friends. Active pursuit of the moral and intellectual virtues, without much emphasis on piety or spiritual virtues, seems for him to sum up the happy life. This life of contemplation, fortune and friends may be god<em>like<\/em> but it does not focus upon God. Aristotle\u2019s conception of happiness by excellence certainly leaves something wanting, but perhaps we can see it as providing a part of which the full Christian revelation is the whole.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where Have All the Intellectual Virtues Gone?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While Aristotle certainly has the greater lack (the centrality of God in human happiness), perhaps I am not going too far out of bounds to suggest that the traditional Chrstian virtue paradigm is missing something. Moral and spiritual virtues have been well accounted for, but what of intellectual virtues? Do they play no part in the Christian\u2019s happy life? Of course, there is a rich Christian theme of relativizing the intellect to the spirit. And in light of Aristotle\u2019s neglect of the spirit, we can easily see why the apostle Paul would say things like, \u201cKnowledge puffs up, but love builds up\u201d (1 Cor 8:1). Or why he would elaborate in detail on the folly of the cross over against the wisdom of the world in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25. On the other hand, Paul does conclude that section by stating that \u201cthe foolishness of God is wiser than men,\u201d and he goes on to claim that he and the other apostles do indeed impart \u201camong the mature\u201d a \u201csecret and hidden wisdom of God\u201d (2:6, 7). So perhaps the Bible finds more of a place for the intellect in the happiness equation than we might think.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, it is worth asking the extent to which the spiritual, intellectual and moral are overlapping and interpenetrating categories for Paul. We might say that, rather than excluding the intellectual virtues from the equation, the introduction of the spiritual reframes the nature of the intellect just as it does the heart. As he explains,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>What we are saying is not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things in spiritual words. But the soulish man [\u201cnatural\u201d ESV, but perhaps we should think of Aristotle\u2019s soul-focused paradigm even in the <em>Nicomachean Ethics<\/em>] does not receive the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually evaluated. But the spiritual person evaluates all things, but he himself is evaluated by no one. For \u201cwho has known the intuition [Greek <em>nous<\/em>] of the Lord, who will teach him?\u201d But we have the intuition of Messiah. (1 Cor 2:13-16, orig. trans.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The spiritual frame provides an entirely new source and measure of evaluation for moral and intellectual categories. While hundreds of years and the introduction of various usages may have obscured the definitions of these words, perhaps it is not without significance that Paul is here using the words for two of Aristotle\u2019s intellectual virtues in Greek, <em>sophia<\/em> or philosophic wisdom, and <em>nous<\/em> or the understanding of first principles that is wisdom\u2019s necessary forerunner. Although more digging might be necessary to determine the extent to which Paul\u2019s use of <em>nous<\/em> conforms to Aristotle\u2019s definition of perceiving first principles, we can at least conclude from this passage that spiritual and intellectual virtues are not, for Paul, in the end contradictory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Divine revelation and the Spirit of God may revolutionize the content of intellectual virtues even from their very starting points in perception of the world and human reasoning, but it is not as if wisdom and understanding are done away with. In fact, we might say that it is at the level of our intuition, the starting point for proper reasoning, that the greatest shifts have taken place. We have the Messiah\u2019s new and spiritual perception of the world and so we reason from different first principles and even from different particulars. We see the world in a cross-centered way, a God-centered way, and not in a man-centered way. The Greek saying, attributed to Protagoras, \u201cMan is the measure of all things,\u201d has been decisively demolished for the Christian as an intellectual stronghold in a way that even Plato\u2019s transcendentalism could not match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the intellectual virtues themselves remain, or more properly are restored. After all, a \u201cworthless intuition\u201d is one of the things that God gave the Gentiles over to in Romans because of their idolatry (1:29). So Christians are \u201cno longer to walk as the Gentiles do in the futility of their intuition\u201d (Eph 4:17), but instead should \u201cbe transformed by the renewal of the intuition\u201d (Rom 12:2). In the New Testament, salvation involves the reclaiming of the mind, as much as the heart. And the Spirit of God is the source of this intellectual restoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Joy-Learning-Finding-Classical-Education\/dp\/B089CWR8W3\/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&amp;keywords=The+Joy+of+Learning&amp;qid=1618659440&amp;sr=8-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1925\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2021\/03\/06\/when-blooms-gets-ugly-cutting-the-heart-out-of-education\/the-joy-of-learning-ad\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/The-Joy-of-Learning-ad.png?fit=1080%2C1080&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1080,1080\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"The-Joy-of-Learning-ad\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/The-Joy-of-Learning-ad.png?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/The-Joy-of-Learning-ad.png?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/The-Joy-of-Learning-ad.png?resize=618%2C618&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1925\" width=\"618\" height=\"618\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/The-Joy-of-Learning-ad.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/The-Joy-of-Learning-ad.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/The-Joy-of-Learning-ad.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/The-Joy-of-Learning-ad.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/The-Joy-of-Learning-ad.png?w=1080&amp;ssl=1 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This is no less than we would expect from the example of the Old Testament. For instance, consider the inspiration of Bezalel in his craftsmanship for constructing the holy articles of the tabernacle:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>The Lord said to Moses, \u201cSee, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. (Exodus 31:1-5 ESV)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The multiplication of intellectual virtue terminology fused with the language of spiritual filling clearly points to a beautiful harmony between the intellect and the Spirit. In this passage we even have Hebrew words that evoke the whole gamut of intellectual virtues. The word translated \u2018ability\u2019 by the ESV is the well-known <em>hokma<\/em> or wisdom made famous by the book of Proverbs, followed by a word for \u2018skill\u2019 or intelligence, knowledge and craftsmanship (think of Aristotle\u2019s <em>techne<\/em>). This biblical support for the role of intellectual virtues could, of course, be multiplied from the book of Proverbs itself, which sees wisdom as a tree of life and more valuable than any earthly good. In a developed Christian view of sanctification, then, we would do well not to neglect the intellectual virtues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Christian, Classical Purpose of Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We can then propose the active cultivation of the moral, intellectual and spiritual virtues as the proper purpose of life. And therefore, education\u2019s grand goal is itself the same as that of Christian discipleship: the preparation for eternity through the cultivation of holiness in all aspects of life. While the biblical conception of holiness may not be confined to the pursuit of moral, intellectual and spiritual virtues, it certainly includes it. After all, Peter himself instructs us to add to our faith virtue, and to virtue add knowledge (see 2 Peter 1:5), perhaps deliberately endorsing the spiritual, moral and intellectual realms.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"2029\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2021\/04\/17\/aristotles-virtue-theory-and-a-christian-purpose-of-education\/opnamedatum-2010-01-04-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comenius.jpeg?fit=625%2C720&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"625,720\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Carola van Wijk&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Opnamedatum: 2010-01-04&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.PO BOX 74888.1070 DN Amsterdam, The Netherlands.+31 206747000.&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Opnamedatum: 2010-01-04&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Opnamedatum: 2010-01-04\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Opnamedatum: 2010-01-04&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comenius.jpeg?fit=260%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comenius.jpeg?fit=625%2C720&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comenius.jpeg?resize=466%2C537&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2029\" width=\"466\" height=\"537\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comenius.jpeg?w=625&amp;ssl=1 625w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Comenius.jpeg?resize=260%2C300&amp;ssl=1 260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>We can compare this trifold purpose of education with that of John Amos Comenius, the great Czech Christian educational reformer of the 17th century. In his <em>Great Didactic<\/em> he argues that this life is but a preparation for eternity, since as we have said, \u201cthe ultimate end of man is eternal happiness with God\u201d (p. 36; trans. by Keatinge). As creatures made in the image of God, human beings are rational creatures, stewards of creation and the image and glory of their creator (p. 36):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>From this it follows that man is naturally required to be: (1) acquainted with all things; (2) endowed with power over all things and over himself; (3) to refer himself and all things to God, the source of all.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Now, if we wish to express these three things by three well-known words, these will be<\/p><p>(i.) Erudition.<\/p><p>(ii.) Virtue or seemly morals.<\/p><p>(iii.) Religion or piety.<\/p><p>Under Erudition we comprehend the knowledge of all things, arts, and tongues, under Virtue, not only of external decorum, but the whole disposition of our movements, internal and external; while by Religion we understand that inner veneration by which the mind of man attaches and binds itself to the supreme Godhead. (pp. 37-38)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Comenius later sums up these three goals of Christian education, which is intended to prepare students both for this life and the life to come, under the titles of learning, virtue and piety. The first would correspond to the cultivation of intellectual virtues, the second to moral virtues, and the last to spiritual virtues. These three areas fulfill man\u2019s nature and fit him for eternal happiness with God.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what of Aristotle\u2019s concern for good fortune and good friends to constitute human happiness in this life? The role of earthly goods is relativized to the point of insignificance by the introduction of God and eternity into the equation. The excellences of the body (being born with good looks or good health&#8230; remember that the intellectual virtues would cover bodily skill and the moral virtues proper care of the body) are excluded as \u201cextrinsic ornaments\u201d and not ultimately necessary to eternal happiness in light of the resurrection. Learning, virtue and piety are the proper goals of Christian, classical education:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>In these three things is situated the whole excellence of man, for they alone are the foundation of the present and of the future life. All other things (health, strength, beauty, riches, honour, friendship, good-fortune, long life) are as nothing, if God grant them to any, but extrinsic ornaments of life, and if a man greedily gape after them, engross himself in their pursuit, occupy and overwhelm himself with them to the neglect of those more important matters, then they become superfluous vanities and harmful obstructions. (pp. 37-38)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Comenius\u2019 reframing of these age-old philosophical questions in Christian terms provides a solid foundation for our restoration of Aristotle\u2019s intellectual virtues as proper goals of education. The intellect is not the entire story, but it should be situated over the heart and under the superior direction of the Spirit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Christian education, the ornaments of life can be relativized in a way that is impossible from the standpoint of mere classical education. Test scores and advancement, money and influence, fame and success are not the proper goals of a truly Christian education, because they are liable to becoming \u201csuperfluous vanities and harmful obstructions\u201d; that said, they may serve as helpful sign-posts and markers along the way, as long as our true goals remain clearly in view: moral, intellectual and spiritual virtue, for the eternal enjoyment of God himself. It is in this context that we can then explore the cultivation of Aristotle\u2019s intellectual virtues as part of the purpose of a truly Christian, classical education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.circeinstitute.org\/store\/books\/classical-guide-narration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"550\" data-attachment-id=\"1882\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2021\/02\/13\/breaking-down-the-bad-of-blooms-the-false-objectivity-of-education-as-a-modern-social-science\/narr_store-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/narr_store.jpg?fit=400%2C550&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"400,550\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"narr_store\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/narr_store.jpg?fit=218%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/narr_store.jpg?fit=400%2C550&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/narr_store.jpg?resize=400%2C550&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1882\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/narr_store.jpg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/narr_store.jpg?resize=218%2C300&amp;ssl=1 218w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Up till now in this series I have evaluated Bloom\u2019s taxonomy and mostly used Aristotle\u2019s intellectual virtues as a foil in my critique. And so while I have, to a certain extent, defined and described Aristotle\u2019s five intellectual virtues, alongside offering an outline snapshot of a classical Christian educational paradigm based on them, my explanations [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":307,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[33],"tags":[2,3,8,122,309,397,443,66,445,444,6,36],"class_list":["post-2027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biblical-worldview","tag-aristotle","tag-growth-mindset","tag-happiness","tag-image-of-god","tag-intellectual-virtues","tag-john-amos-comenius","tag-moral-virtue","tag-purpose-of-education","tag-purpose-of-life","tag-spiritual-virtues","tag-virtue","tag-wisdom"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Aristotle&#039;s Virtue Theory and a Christian Purpose of Education &#8226;<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How would Aristotle&#039;s intellectual virtues fit within a Christian view of the purpose of education? 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Barney","author_link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/author\/jasonmbarney\/"},"uagb_comment_info":2,"uagb_excerpt":"Up till now in this series I have evaluated Bloom\u2019s taxonomy and mostly used Aristotle\u2019s intellectual virtues as a foil in my critique. And so while I have, to a certain extent, defined and described Aristotle\u2019s five intellectual virtues, alongside offering an outline snapshot of a classical Christian educational paradigm based on them, my explanations&hellip;","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa7K1D-wH","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1966,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2021\/03\/27\/what-blooms-left-out-a-comparison-with-aristotles-intellectual-virtues\/","url_meta":{"origin":2027,"position":0},"title":"What Bloom&#8217;s Left Out: A Comparison with Aristotle&#8217;s Intellectual Virtues","author":"Jason Barney","date":"March 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"In the last three articles in this series, I laid out the good, the bad and the ugly of Bloom\u2019s Taxonomy. After the last two posts it is perhaps worth reaffirming the value of Bloom\u2019s project. While I ultimately believe that Bloom and his colleagues may have done more harm\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Classical Tradition&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Classical Tradition","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/category\/classical-tradition\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Untitled-design-2.png?fit=1200%2C783&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Untitled-design-2.png?fit=1200%2C783&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Untitled-design-2.png?fit=1200%2C783&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Untitled-design-2.png?fit=1200%2C783&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Untitled-design-2.png?fit=1200%2C783&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3350,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2022\/10\/22\/the-counsels-of-the-wise-part-2-why-reviving-moral-philosophy-is-not-enough\/","url_meta":{"origin":2027,"position":1},"title":"The Counsels of the Wise, Part 2: Why Reviving Moral Philosophy Is Not Enough","author":"Jason Barney","date":"October 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"In The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Christian Classical Education (Version 2.0, Revised Edition), Kevin Clark and Ravi Jain argue for a recovery of the tradition of moral philosophy against the reductionism of the modern social sciences. Their account of the intellectual history that led to the replacement of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Classical Tradition&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Classical Tradition","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/category\/classical-tradition\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Alexander_and_Aristotle-1.jpg?fit=870%2C696&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Alexander_and_Aristotle-1.jpg?fit=870%2C696&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Alexander_and_Aristotle-1.jpg?fit=870%2C696&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Alexander_and_Aristotle-1.jpg?fit=870%2C696&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1469,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2020\/08\/15\/blooms-taxonomy-and-the-purpose-of-education\/","url_meta":{"origin":2027,"position":2},"title":"Bloom&#8217;s Taxonomy and the Purpose of Education","author":"Jason Barney","date":"August 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the major themes in the classical education renewal movement has been to challenge the utilitarianism of modern education. The purpose of education, the argument has gone, is so much broader and more far-reaching than modern educators are making it out to be. 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But it is impossible to do everything in a single series or book. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Classical Tradition&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Classical Tradition","link":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/category\/classical-tradition\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Untitled-design-5-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Untitled-design-5-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Untitled-design-5-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Untitled-design-5-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/educationalrenaissance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Untitled-design-5-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4077,"url":"https:\/\/educationalrenaissance.com\/2023\/11\/04\/counsels-of-the-wise-part-8-aiming-at-the-intermediate-or-aristotles-moral-virtues\/","url_meta":{"origin":2027,"position":4},"title":"Counsels of the Wise, Part 8: Aiming at the Intermediate or Aristotle&#8217;s Moral Virtues","author":"Jason Barney","date":"November 4, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019ve traveled far in this series on restoring the forgotten goal of prudence or practical wisdom to our educational goals. 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The book\u2019s title? I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve heard of it, at least, as an idea. 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