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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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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Patterson-White, Sarah. "Nicomachean Ethics Term: Prudence." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 14 Jun 2019. Web. 6 May 2025.