Ethik, Weisheit und Handeln bei Paul Ricoeur

Paul Ricoeur rehabilitated the Aristotelian concept of 'Phronesis' by translating it as practical wisdom and dialectically connecting it with the central concepts of Kant's and Hegel's philosophy. Practical wisdom corresponds to the later branch of ethics that participates in the dynamics of practice, which in turn pays tribute to an earlier ethics rooted in life and desire. More than a system, this creates a significant hermeneutical bridge between a teleological morality and a deontological matrix. Practical wisdom engages with the tragedy of human action, where it is often necessary to choose the lesser evil, and realizes the potential assumed in the anthropological category of the capable human being. As with Aristotle, rooted in the notions of justice and fairness, practical wisdom is not understood as a case-by-case judgment but takes into account experience and connects a teleological and deontological perspective.