Prudence

Virtue:

Prudence

Definitions:

Making and implementing good decisions.

Figuring out the right thing to do and the way to do it.

“The virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it.” (CCC 1806)

A "cognitive orientation to the personal future, a form of practical reasoning and self-management that helps to achieve the individual's long-term goals effectively." (CSV)

Advice:

Produce "Completed Staff Work": research the landscape, develop options, make a recommendation (Yoest)

Empirical Research:

A study by John and Srivastava (1999) found that conscientiousness or prudence was linked to high levels of agreeableness, extroversion and intelligence, and to low levels of neuroticism, implying a connection to cooperativeness, sociability and imaginativeness.

Case examples:

Gifts of the Spirit:

Counsel. "Counsel makes us amenable to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as we carry out the various cognitive operations associated with prudence from the perspective of a supernatural outlook. Thus with the gift of counsel we receive direction from God in the way that we receive the advice of others in reaching the determinations of prudence. (Note that the role of the gift of counsel might be to single out some advice we get from another as embodying God's will in this particular situation. Presumably, this is in part what lies behind the practice of spiritual direction.) Interestingly, St. Thomas associates the gift of counsel with the beatitude that promises mercy to the merciful. His claim is that counsel directs mercy in the proper way. (If you've ever run across cases of misguided mercy or compassion, you will perhaps have a greater appreciation of this claim.)" (Freddoso)

Further reading:

Yoest, John W. Jr., The Memo

Vices opposed:

Imprudence, the "lack of that prudence which a man can and ought to have" (II-II Q. 53, A. 1)