Prudence: A Biblical, Philosophical and Theological Inquiry

This articles explores the virtue of prudence from biblical, theological and philosophical perspectives. For Aristotle and Aquinas, the virtue of prudence is of central importance. They hold that only the prudent person is fully virtuous, and “full virtue cannot be acquired without prudence.” For them prudence is an intellectual virtue of the practical application of right reason. Although prudence is based on a naturally virtuous character, full virtue only develops when the person reasons for himself/herself that he/she will be temperate, courageous, just, etc. Prudence, then, is a form of wisdom about practical matters and actions, rather than a more general wisdom. A prudent person knows the right thing to do in each situation and acts upon that knowledge. True and perfect prudence guides us to attain, at least to understand the eternal truth