Traditions of Practical Wisdom in Business and Management

This book deals with the development of key traditions of practical wisdom, particularly in Aristotelian virtue ethics, but also extending to other traditions such as Confucianism and Islam. It includes historical perspectives in philosophy, and offers views on the core concept of phronesis or practical wisdom and associated themes such as the idea of ‘good’ in good judgment, decision making in particular contexts, uncertainty, the acquisition of wisdom, and deliberation. It also includes an exploration of more contentious themes, such as reciprocity in the virtues, techne vs praxis, and standards.

​Barry Schwartz is an emeritus professor of psychology at Swarthmore College and a visiting professor at the Haas School of Business at Berkeley. He has spent forty years thinking and writing about the interaction between economics and morality.  He has written several books that address aspects of this interaction, including The Battle for Human Nature, The Costs of Living, The Paradox of Choice, Practical Wisdom, and most recently, Why We Work. The Paradox of Choice was named one of the top business books of the year by both Business Week and Forbes Magazine, and has been translated into twenty-five languages. Schwartz has written for sources as diverse as The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Slate, Scientific American, The New Republic, the Harvard Business Review, and the Guardian.  He has appeared on dozens of radio shows, including NPR’s Morning Edition, and Talk of the Nation, and has been interviewed on Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN), the PBS News Hour, The Colbert Report, and CBS Sunday Morning. Schwartz has spoken three times at the TED conference, and his TED talks have been viewed by more than 16 million people.