Ways of Aristotle

The Author: Olav Eikeland is a philosopher who has been working in Norway as an action researcher and organisational researcher at the Work Research Institute (WRI) since the mid-1980s. He holds a Ph.D. in ancient philosophy. His special interests are the connections between ancient dialogical philosophy, current action research, and organisational learning.

• Contents: Phrónêsis and Action Research – Different Kinds of General Theory – Earlier Attempts at Appropriating Phrónêsis – The Ethical and Intellectual Virtues – Different Ways of Knowing – Phrónêsis and Rhetoric – Means and Ends – General and Particular Knowledge – Developing Virtue (Excellence) – The Significance and Insufficiency of Habit / Habitus – Defining Virtue – On Dialogue and Experience – Deliberation or Definition – Theoretical Wisdom as the Highest Practical Good – Different Kinds of Theory, Different Kinds of Practice – Methodological Guidelines for Autonomous Practitioners – The Wisdom of the Commons – Common Wisdom – Theor-ethics and the Way of Theorethics – Aristotelian Politics – Neo-epistemic, Dialogical Action Research – Transformations of Modern Work Life – Aristotle Suspended.

«The book by Olav Eikeland is almost revolutionary (...) because it presents an extremely erudite and systematic investigation on how Aristotle creates the foundation for a critical and normative dialogue, incorporating logic and dialectics, and reducing the "performative", persuasive and manipulative strategies which are obvious as direct or indirect agendas in management and social research. Through this it contributes with an analytical apparatus which, in my opinion, is able far beyond modern theories of communication in casting light on the complexity and problems of this crucial phenomenon. [...] Eikeland's work must be greeted as a sovereign attempt to reestablish the critical and liberating content of the extremely forceful Greek, conceptual framework underlying all thinking not exclusively devoted to an idiosyncratic "scientific" research.» (Ole Fogh Kirkeby, International Journal of Action Research)«Interest in ‘phrónêsis’ and its relations to ‘epistêmê’ and ‘tékhnê’ in Aristotle and in social research has burgeoned recently. Eikeland’s ‘tour de force’, based on his mastery of Aristotle’s corpus and his long experience in action research, complicates and enriches our understanding of what is at stake and challenges us to build philosophical and methodological foundations of action research in more robust and meaningful ways.» (Davydd J. Greenwood, Goldwin Smith Professor of Anthropology and Director, Institute for European Studies, Cornell University, U.S.A.)«What is distinctive about the book is (...) that it provides valuable exegetical material for the kind of interpretation that makes Aristotle’s significance for action research stand out most convincingely. [I]t is possible, with the aid of Eikeland’s book, to defend the relevance of Aristotle to present-day educational concerns in hitherto unexplored but henceforth fresh and fertile ways.» (Marianna Papastephanou, Journal of Philosophy of Education)«There are many unique aspects of Eikeland's work, but his interrogation of so much of Aristotle's canon (...) represents an 'exegesis' of a unique kind.» (Donna Ladkin, Action Research)