Virtue Series: Prudence

Prudence is one of the cardinal virtues. By saying that it is “cardinal,” we mean that it’s a virtue by which other virtues are derived from or hinge on. Regarding prudence, a simple understanding is that it is the virtue that lets us do the right things at the right time.

What makes this virtue so important in our modern world is the fact that one needs prudence in order to begin building any sort of good habit. Since prudence is doing the right things at the right times and virtue generally deals with the habit of doing good things, prudence is contained in every other virtue and works in them. If someone lacks all prudence, they can’t begin to build virtue. Thus, they won’t be able to grow as a person.

So now you know the importance of prudence. But how should you understand it? Most people today have an incredibly warped view of prudence.

Some use prudence to justify cowardice or fear, thinking that prudence is synonymous with “carefulness.” People will refrain from doing anything at all under the guise of prudence because of a fear of negative consequences. For example, if a bully is beating up someone, many refuse to help out of fear of getting hurt. Others have “analysis paralysis,” being so hyper-focused on doing the right things and afraid of doing the wrong things that they never actually do anything at all. These types are those who often will talk about “picking and choosing” battles while never acting. Unfortunately, most modern conservative movements follow this view.

True prudence requires one to act. To do the right things at the right time, you actually have to do! To know that something is the right thing to do is great, but if you are too scared to act, then you aren’t being careful, you are being cowardly. Many men are guilty of this as fathers, husbands, and leaders. We see things in our kids, our wives, and our communities that we know should change, but we don’t do it.

On the other side of things, many have no problem doing things, but they don’t do the right thing. They use prudence to justify naivety, delusion, or malice. Some people happily do things but for the wrong reasons. They do this because they either don’t know what is right, have deluded themselves to think that evil is good, or they purposefully want to convince others of evil. For example, abortion rights advocates are incredibly active. They are good are organizing, raising money, and supporting their cause. But none of these people are prudent because they are doing something that is wrong. Essentially, people with this warped view of prudence are often the first to call something an “injustice,” despite having no idea of what justice is.

Just like prudence requires action, it also requires an understanding of reality. You can’t do the right thing if you don’t know what’s right.

The world needs more prudent men, willing to act when something needs to be done. This obviously applies to large-scale things (wars, politics, etc.). But it also applies, maybe more so, to more local things— our families, jobs, and communities. We need to strive to act rightly on the little things in life. Only by doing this can we truly become virtuous.