Virtue Theory and Abortion + Aristotle VI

What distinguishes prudence/practical wisdom/ phronesis from the other intellectual virtues? Provide examples from your own experience where someone has displayed practical wisdom/ prudence/ phronesis.
All of these virtues involve a deep understanding of the natural world and what is going on around you. It also involves the understanding of eternal truths of the universe. These virtues also benefit the entire community, they do not just benefit the person practicing it. These virtues are also held up on a higher level. It is a goal for most people to reach these intellectual virtues because they are prestigious.
Prudence – good for the entire community- My father does the landscaping at my church. This is not be benefit him, he gets nothing from the grass being green, but all of the members of the church appreciate the beautiful lawn.
Practical Wisdom – Combo of intuition and scientific knowledge – My grandpa can get a fire started anytime, anywhere. Growing up on a farm he gained a lot of knowledge about how to build a fire, and over time he has used this knowledge to determine what techniques are the best in specific weather conditions.
Phronesis – general scense of knowing proper behavior in different situations – My grandma always knows how to greet people, or knows which fork to eat with first. She knows just what to wear and knows when to start and end conversations. She is always very in tune with her surroundings.

How is Hursthouse’s discussion of abortion making use of Aristotle’s virtue theory – not just the particular virtues but his larger conception of virtue?
Hursthouse believes that abortion should not just be looked at through standards of rights or by morality. He wants to make the argument more objective by centering it around Aristotle’s virtue theory. He points out that a right to a woman’s happiness should not be the ultimate goal. He says people should center around the questions “Is her life a good one? And is she living well?” He defines the greatness of living through family, friends, and emotional development. He speaks about children as being intrinsically worthwhile. He does not center his argument around scientific facts of the fetus. He says that all abortions (or rather death of the fetus) is serious and is not something to be taken lightly.



Interesting and puzzling (and why) from each article.
Interesting (A. Book VI p.179) “On the subject of wisdom, we may get what we need once we have considered who it is that we call ‘wise’. Well, it is thought characteristic of a wise person to be able to deliberate well about the things that are good and advantageous to himself, not in specific contexts, e.g. what sorts of things conduce to health, or to physical strength, but what sorts of things conduce to the good in general.”
I thought that this was one of the passages that was clear. Most people think of wise people and not necessarily being book smart, or extremely intelligent in one field, but rather having a grand general knowledge of everyday life.
Puzzling (A. Book VI p.183) “For some people look for what is good for themselves, and thing this is what they should do. It is this view, then, that has given rise to the idea that this sort of person is wise; and yet presumably one’s own well-being is inseparable from managing a household, and from political organization. Again, how one should govern one’s affairs is unclear, and something that needs investigation. “
Maybe I just don’t understand the sentence, but I feel like Aristotle just contradicted himself by saying how one should govern one’s affairs is unclear. Isn’t this what his book is all about? Isn’t he telling people how to do this?
Interesting (H. p.237) “These facts make it obvious that pregnancy is not just one among many other physical conditions; and hence that anyone who genuinely believes that an abortion is comparable to a haircut is or an appendectomy is mistaken.”
I find this very interesting. I think that current debates of abortion rarely stop to think about the seriousness of the situation. They just spit out facts and stats. A lot of people also take pregnancy for granted and do not realize the importance of it. I find that true when people get pregnant in high school. They do not understand the responsibility.
Puzzling (H. p.236) “that the status of the fetus – that issue over which so much ink has been spilled – that is according to virtue theory simply not relevant to the rightness or wrongness of abortion (within ,that is, a secular morality).”
I found this difficult to follow Hursthouse’s reasoning to not include the status of the fetus. I could not find why he thought it was not relevant. I would imagine that the status of the fetus would change the seriousness of the abortion. For example, if the fetus were about to die would the abortion be as “bad” as if the fetus were perfectly healthy?