PRUDENCE

Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas

TELOS – final goal
EUDAIMONIA - happiness

Intellectual and Moral virtues

VIRTUE

 A habit that disposes man to

reason well.
 Good qualities of mind whereby we
live righteously
PRUDENCE TEMPERANCE

FOUR
CARDINAL
VIRTUES

COURAGE JUSTICE
PRUDENCE TEMPERANCE

FOUR
CARDINAL SELF
VIRTUES

COURAGE JUSTICE
RELATION
WITH OTHERS
TEMPERANCE - moderation of physical pleasures, especially those associated
with eating, drinking, and sex; restrained desire for physical gratification.

(chastity, sobriety and abstinence, humility, meekness, clemency, studiousness)

COURAGE – restrains fears that makes man refuse to endure the pain or
discomfort required for achieving proper human good.

(endurance, confidence, magnificence, patience, perseverance)

JUSTICE - a sustained or constant willingness to extend to each person what he

or she deserves

(truthfulness, gratitude, revenge, liberality, friendship)

PRUDENCE

 “wisdom concerning human affairs”

 right reason with respect to action

 good decisions will always be responsive

to what our situation requires
One may be brilliant and learned without being
morally good…

…But it is not possible to be prudent and not

morally good

A prudent man is one who does the good, as

opposed to one who merely knows the good
 Three Aspects of Prudence: to achieve telos

COUNSEL JUDGMENT COMMAND

(discovery) determine the applying the
An act of proper means judgment
inquiry about for achieving
the available the end
means of
achieving the
end
Prudence: Defects in Counsel
1. IMPULSE - when a person gives little
thought to a decision and runs with his initial
reaction

2. PASSION - being carried away by emotions

3. STUBBORNNESS - deliberately refusing to

gather information or take time to weigh a
decision
 Memory
Caution Intelligence

Circumspection
PRUDENCE Shrewdness

Foresight Docility
Reason
PRUDENCE

Being prudent helps the person to

become rational in his/her manner
of choosing between opposing
options.
 Mercy is an effect of charity (love)
Love moves to acts of Prudence…
visito, poto, cibo, redimo, tego,
colligo, condo
 to visit the sick,
 to give drink to the thirsty,
 to feed the hungry,
 to ransom the captive,
 to clothe the naked,
 to harbor the harborless,
 to bury the dead
consule, castiga, solare, remitte,
fer, ora
 to counsel the doubtful (which
includes "to instruct the
ignorant"),
 to reprove the sinner,
 to comfort the sorrowful,
 to forgive injuries,
 to bear with those who trouble
and annoy us,
 and to pray for all
Role-Play. Show prudence when faced
with the following situations.
a. getting scolded by parents
b. bullied by classmates
c. encouraged by peers to drink alcohol
d. You saw a classmate cheat during an exam
e. your boyfriend/girlfriend asks you to have sex