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As we have already pointed out, virtues are internal dispositions that guide thinking, feelings, and behavior (MacIntyre 2007). In other words, acting virtuously is the result not only of virtuous thoughts and motivations but also of virtuous emotions. Phronesis also helps in this regard, by overseeing the emotions that are at play in the particular situation and modulating the agent's emotional response most appropriate to the context. This process should be understood as infusing emotion with reason, instead of reason controlling or suppressing emotions (Kristjánsson et al. 2021). Although emotions have been largely neglected in moral education (Carr 2005), moral education is vital for finding “psychosocial equilibrium” (Kristjánsson et al. 2021, p. 11), in the sense of harmoniously aligning the reasons and emotions that lead us to a wise decision.

It is important to note that a wise decision does not mean a perfect decision, as it would always involve some kind of loss, struggle, and even sacrifice in the sense of giving up something or making an effort for the right end. Interestingly, while the other three components of practical wisdom (especially, the constitutive and integrative functions) help the agent to understand how other people see the world, the emotional regulatory function helps us to elucidate the most appropriate way(s) to see the world in a specific situation (Kristjánsson et al. 2021). Here it is also relevant to introduce otherness into the equation, since emotional regulation involves understanding not only one's own emotions, but also those of others. For Upton (2017) the relevance of the emotional regulatory function is evident, for example, in the cultivation of the virtue of helpfulness, in which the subject needs to be aware of their affective state, develop ways to regulate those affective states, and practice mental states that connect the subject to others (e.g. compassion, generosity).

That said, among the different pedagogies that can serve to cultivate this function, meditation seems also to be very appropriate. Upton (2017, p. 469) advocates for the cultivation of virtues through meditation, “which can help us to identify and regulate our emotions and moods. Further, meditation enables us to develop the attentional focus, emotional intelligence, and sense of social connection that ground (many of) the virtues and, thus, our virtuous behavior.”

Leaving aside the goodness of meditation practices for the self, which we have also mentioned in the blueprinting function, we suggest that the use of art, such as music, painting, dance, literature, and film, also deserves special attention in terms of transforming emotions into a virtuous disposition (e.g. Cain 2005; Carr 2005, 2006a, b; Winston 2006). As Sanderse (2012, p. 137) notes: “Because music and other arts are believed to have the power to influence people's emotions, Aristotle believed that they can also be used to change those emotions for the better.” This reminds us of Plato's connection between the “good,” the “beautiful” and the “true,” recently rescued by some authors (for instance, Winston 2006; Diessner et al. 2006; Sanderse 2012; Waddock 2010).

The use of art forms in class can be an effective method for students' emotional growth by allowing self‐distancing from one's own judgments, providing new space for the moral, political, and spiritual aspects of the self, as well as facilitating reevaluation of one's own emotional responses (Carr 2005; Sanderse 2012). Furthermore, through art, students can gain relevant moral insight into themselves and society by inviting them to identify and reflect on their moral biases and normative perspectives, and by understanding that wrong ends can result not only from serious character flaws, but also from disordered desires and passions (Carr 2005). Finally, art can be a valuable tool to help students develop the virtue of compassion through understanding human diversity and vulnerability, as well as to connect emotionally with other people's aspirations, challenges, and struggles (Sanderse 2012).

As an example of how art can be included in the classroom to address these moral issues, an activity based on documentary pedagogies is suggested. First, the professor can choose a couple of film documentaries that they think students can feel emotionally and rationally engaged with and that are related to current sustainability problems, e.g. “Cowspiracy” or “Seaspiracy” to address issues of human and non‐human animals relationships; “Miss Representation” and “The Mask You Live In” to reflect on gender differences in our society; or “Minimalism” to think on the excess of personal consumption. Second, the professor can ask them to write an individual essay in which they reflect on the moral issues raised in the documentaries and the different moral positions of the people involved in them, as well as their moral stances and emotions while performing the whole activity. As a last step, it is recommended to open a collective dialogue on their most relevant impressions about the documentaries; special emphasis should be placed on how they have regulated their emotions, and on their understanding of how their emotions affect their moral self and behavior. During the activity, the teacher should remind students that the classroom is a safe space in which to share experiences or ideas in a climate of trust that allows active and empathetic listening.