Tea at Trianon: The Art of Practical Wisdom

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, March 7, 2019

The Art of Practical Wisdom

From Faith and Culture:

In Austen’s novels, it is frequently the case that one or several of the characters are well formed in virtue, despite the situation of the family. In Anne Elliot, we indeed find the most virtuous of all these virtuous characters. Of all the virtues she exhibits, she perhaps best exemplifies the Aristotelian virtue of practical wisdom, or prudence, which, as Aristotle explains, “must be a true state involving reason, concerned with human goods, and practical.”[6] Practical wisdom is the virtue that allows discernment concerning practical human affairs in particular situations; it is not only concerned with universals, but more specifically, with particulars. An individual who possesses practical wisdom is able to apply general principles to a specific situation; in a way, he or she is able to grasp the universal in order to see the need of a particular situation.

In contrast to her family, and in many cases, her friends, Anne clearly possesses this virtue. When everyone around her is in a state of chaos, she is able to calmly assess the situation and give practical advice. For example, in response to her father’s financial situation, Anne could see that the best option would be to pay the debt as quickly as possible, as this would fulfill the demands of justice. Moreover, after Louisa Musgrove fell and was lying unconscious when Anne and her party of friends were in Lyme, Anne was the only one with sufficient sense to assess the situation and send someone for the doctor. Captain Wentworth will later praise her for her “presence of mind”[7] to send Captain Benwick for a surgeon; Benwick would eventually fall in love with and be engaged to Louisa because of the attachment developed in assisting her during her recovery. We see in Anne, then, the ability to perceive the appropriate action depending on the individual circumstance. (Read more.)