Prudence: The Unsexy Virtue
By Emma Restuccia
The artwork in room nine of Florence’s Uffizi Gallery could easily be overlooked. Understandably so. The following rooms hold the famous massive masterpieces of Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli’s “Primavera” and “The Birth of Venus,” which visitors are most eager to see.
But room nine holds a series of seven paintings that depict the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, and the four cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, personified as women. The first panel, Fortitude, was painted by Boticelli, but the six others were created by his contemporary, Pietro Pollaiolo. The large paintings are wonderfully framed together and were originally hung in the commercial court of Florence.
The last painting is the focus of the mediation today, though. It depicts the virtue of prudence, personified as a regal young woman. Seated and clothed in pale blue, she holds a mirror in one hand while a serpent entwines the other. These images are common attributes used to depict prudence in art.
My father-in-law calls the virtue of prudence the “unsexy” virtue. He says this not to mock the virtue itself, but to describe, I believe, how our prudent-deficient culture sees it: unnattractive, strange, and prudish. This misconstrued virtue is so often perceived as one of the “thou shalt nots,” or confused with timidity or indecision, that it is seen as a needless characteristic that hinders and denies the aggressive pleasures of the times. Nevertheless, prudence is the misunderstood virtue our world desperately needs to relearn and regain.
Prudence is one of the four cardinal virtues, along with justice, fortitude, and temperance. These virtues were identified by classical pagan philosophers as natural virtues and were later adopted by Church Fathers and Doctors as vital for the flourishing Christian life. With the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, these virtues make up the seven which combat the seven deadly sins and lead to human happiness.
The cardinal virtues “play a pivotal role and accordingly are called ‘cardinal;’ all the others are grouped around them,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church notes in paragraph 1805. They are cardinal––a word that comes from the Latin root cardo meaning “hinge”––because they are the pivot on which the others depend.
Prudence, the Catechism states in paragraph 1806, is named auriga virtutum, the charioteer of the virtues, because she directs and steers the others “by setting rule and measure.” The moderating virtue, she dictates how the other virtues should be used and acted on. Prudence entails the use of rightly-ordered reason to discern the good and act to achieve it. St. Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa Theologica, echoes Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics when he says prudence is “Right reason applied to action” (II-II, 47, 2).
Back to Pollaiolo’s painting. Prudence holds a mirror that reflects her own face. This symbolizes not vanity, but the clarity, understanding, and wise insight that this virtue entails and cultivates. Prudence enables one to see rightly and truly, but it also allows one to discern and know oneself properly––hence the reflection of Lady Prudence’s own countenance.
The snake that Prudence holds in her other hand is an image that comes from the passage in the Gospel of Matthew: “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matt 10:16). These are Christ’s words to his disciples as he sends them out, “as sheep in the midst of wolves” (10:16) to spread the Gospel, preach with authority, and drive out evil spirits. In the world, and in evangelization, one must be innocent and pure; but one also must be clever, canny, and wise to do the work of the Father. The virtue of prudence provides the right balance of dovish and serpentine––it is the moderating weapon for living a virtuous life in these times.
By its nature, prudence is concerned with the seeking and attainment of wisdom and truth, both in specific scenarios and at large. “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion,” the Book of Proverbs notes (8:12). Prudence and wisdom go hand and hand, and each is intimately related to the other. If indeed truth will set us free and make us happy, prudence is the necessary first virtue needed to seek and find it out. Through steps of deliberation, judgement, and execution, prudence guides to the best course of action on the journey to truth. Prudence leads the way to freedom of heart and mind, and enables discerned decision making along the way.
In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis uses his usual everyday and simple language to help the Christian to understand a bit more of the sensible aspects of prudence:
Prudence means practical common sense, taking the trouble to think out what you are doing and what is likely to come of it. Nowadays most people hardly think of Prudence as one of the ‘virtues’. In fact, because Christ said we could only get into His world by being like children, many Christians have the idea that, provided you are ‘good’, it does not matter being a fool. But that is a misunderstanding…He told us to be not only ‘as harmless as doves’, but also ‘as wise as serpents’. He wants a child’s heart, but a grown-up’s head. He wants us to be simple, single-minded, affectionate, and teachable, as good children are; but He also wants every bit of intelligence we have to be alert at its job, and in first-class fighting trim.
Prudence, as Lewis notes, helps the Christian to ”enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born,” so to speak (Jn 3:4), while also guiding the soul on to maturation of life in Christ. When practiced fully, prudence is seen by her fruits: the fruit of a rightly formed conscience and wise actions.
Prudence, though perhaps seen as unsexy by the insatiate eyes of the world, is truly a virtue most needed to charioteer souls though times of distress. Reeducation in all the virtues, but notably now of prudence, might enable the world to live more fully, and to act more wisely and discerningly when tackling the pressing issues of the times––and that seems pretty desirable to me.
