the philosophy
of knowledge

epistēmē

Aristotle distinguished between five virtues of thought: technê, epistēmē, phrónēsis,
sophía, and nous (mind),
with epistēmē translating as "knowledge."In philosophy, epistēmē is a term that refers to a principle system of understanding,
such as scientific knowledge
or practical knowledge.The term epistemology (the branch of philosophy concerning knowledge)
is derived from epistēmē.Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other the major subfields
such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics.A full account of epistēmē is given in
Posterior Analytics, where Aristotle
argues that knowledge of necessary truths,
rather than contingent truths,
regarding causation is
foundational for epistēmē.

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Aristotle

Plato

the philosophy
of practical knowledge

téchnē

In philosophy, téchnē is a term that refers
to making or doing. As an activity,
téchnē is concrete, variable,
and context-dependent.

The relation between epistēmē and téchnē in
classical philosophy offers an interesting contrast with our own notions about
theory (pure knowledge)
and (experience-based) practice.The Greek word téchnē, usually translated as "art," but also as "craft," "skill," "expertise,"
"technical knowledge," and even "science,"
has been decisive in shaping
our shared technological culture.David Roochnik, in his Of Art and Wisdom:
Plato's Understanding of Téchnē (1998),
writes that Plato views téchnē as
"a stable body of reliable knowledge able to tell us
in fixed terms readily teachable to others,
how we ought to live."

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the philosophy
of practical wisdom

phrónēsis

In philosophy, phrónēsis is a term that means prudence, practical virtue
and practical wisdom; colloquially,
sense (as in "good sense", "horse sense").
It is an ancient Greek word for a type of wisdom or intelligence relevant to practical action.

Phrónēsis signifies both good judgment
and excellence of character & habits.Plato writes in his dialogues, that Socrates proposes that phrónēsis is a necessary condition for all virtue.
Being good, is to be an intelligent or reasonable person
with intelligent and reasonable thoughts.Phrónēsis allows for a person
to have moral or ethical strength.Phrónēsis is the groundwork of your business culture, ethics, and values for the good of humanity.

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Socrates

Seneca

the philosophy
of the art of life

sophía

In philosophy, sophía is the
ancient greek word for wisdom.The Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote
a series of 124 letters at the end of his life.
The letters often begin with an observation on daily life,
and then proceed to an issue or principle
abstracted from that observation.The result is like a diary, or handbook
of philosophical meditations and sophía.Sophía is the ability to discern the difference
between what is good, what isn’t good,
and what is neither.This is an essential tool as it allows
you to act deliberately.Otherwise, how can you know what the highest good is and how to achieve it?

“If one does not know to which port one is sailing,
no wind is favorable.” – Seneca

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the philosophy
of beauty

aesthetics

Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste.In aesthetics, the sublime is the quality of greatness, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, spiritual, or artistic.The classical notion of the sublime was conceived by Immanuel Kant in his work Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime (1764).The term especially refers to a greatness beyond all possibility of calculation, measurement, or imitation.Applied aesthetics is the application to cultural constructs. In a variety of fields, artifacts (whether physical or abstract) are created that have both practical functionality and aesthetic affectation.In some cases, aesthetics is primary, and in others, functionality is primary. At best, the two needs are synergistic, in which "beauty" makes an artifact work better, or in which more functional artifacts are appreciated as aesthetically pleasing.This achievement of form and function, of art and science, of beauty and usefulness, is the primary goal of design, in all of its domains.

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Immanuel Kant