This week, we will begin reflections on our school virtues: the seven classical or heavenly virtues, which consist of prudence, fortitude, justice, temperance (the four cardinal or human virtues), and faith, hope, and charity (the three theological virtues).  Perhaps when we finish, we’ll spend a week considering why these virtues, and not others (like patience or humility).  But for now, let’s consider each in turn.

The first human virtue is prudence.  It is generally defined as practical wisdom, and comes from the Latin word, prudentia, meaning “foresight or sagacity.”

But sometimes general definitions like that aren’t terribly helpful to us, and so understanding what something is can at times best be accomplished by thinking first about what the thing is not.  For example, cold can be defined as the lack of heat; illiteracy as the inability to read. 

Proverbs 14 gives us a helpful list of contrasts that declare what it looks like to be imprudent, before explaining what prudence looks like in practice:

¹⁵ The simple believes everything,
    but the prudent gives thought to his steps.
¹⁶ One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil,
    but a fool is reckless and careless.
¹⁷ A man of quick temper acts foolishly,
    and a man of evil devices is hated.
¹⁸ The simple inherit folly,
    but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

So, the prudent man is not: simple, reckless, quick tempered, or ignorant.

Over the remainder of the week, we will consider why being any one of these things is likely to prevent us from exercising the virtue of Prudence, from having practical wisdom.  For now…

Have a wonderful day.