Prudence is a prerequisite to virtue. Aristotle defines prudence as the ability to “deliberate finely […] about what sorts of things promote living well in general.” In other words, discerning the mean in a given circumstance requires prudence.
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Prudence Term Timeline in Nicomachean Ethics
The timeline below shows where the term Prudence appears in Nicomachean Ethics. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 1
...the difference between virtues. Some virtues are called virtues of thought (like wisdom, comprehension, and prudence), and some virtues are called virtues of character (like generosity and temperance).
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Book 6
...Aristotle identifies five states in which the soul grasps the truth: scientific knowledge, craft knowledge, prudence, wisdom, and understanding. Both understanding and scientific knowledge are concerned with learnable principles that don’t...
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...to reach (which is a base one); whereas good deliberation must accord with what’s beneficial. Prudence is important because virtue is a state in accord with correct reason, and prudence is...
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Book 7
Book 7, Chapter 10. Aristotle adds that an incontinent person cannot be prudent at the same time, because prudent people act on their knowledge, but incontinent people don’t;...
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