The New Science of Practical Wisdom: A Critical Appraisal.

This article focuses on the multidisciplinary exploration of practical wisdom—also known as phronesis—in the context of medical education and clinical practice. It highlights philosophical, psychological, and neuroscientific perspectives that seek to define, measure, and apply practical wisdom as a complex trait involving moral perception, deliberation, emotion regulation, and motivation. Contributions emphasize the importance of integrating practical wisdom into medical training to enhance ethical decision-making, professional identity formation, and clinician well-being, while addressing challenges such as balancing objective standards with individual moral agency. The collection advocates for a nuanced approach that combines insights from the humanities and sciences without reducing practical wisdom to purely biological explanations, aiming to foster compassionate, context-sensitive care in healthcare professionals.