Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

The lay faithful should act according to the dictates of prudence, the virtue that makes it possible to discern the true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means for achieving it. Thanks to this virtue, moral principles are applied correctly to particular cases. We can identify three distinct moments as prudence is exercised to clarify and evaluate situations, to inspire decisions and to prompt action. The first moment is seen in the reflection and consultation by which the question is studied and the necessary opinions sought. The second moment is that of evaluation, as the reality is analyzed and judged in the light of God's plan. The third moment, that of decision, is based on the preceding steps and makes it possible to choose between the different actions that may be taken.

Prudence makes it possible to make decisions that are consistent, and to make them with realism and a sense of responsibility for the consequences of one's action. The rather widespread opinion that equates prudence with shrewdness, with utilitarian calculations, with diffidence or with timidity or indecision, is far from the correct understanding of this virtue. It is a characteristic of practical reason and offers assistance in deciding with wisdom and courage the course of action that should be followed, becoming the measure of the other virtues. Prudence affirms the good as a duty and shows in what manner the person should accomplish it^{1146Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1806.}. In the final analysis, it is a virtue that requires the mature exercise of thought and responsibility in an objective understanding of a specific situation and in making decisions according to a correct will^{1147The exercise of prudence calls for a progressive formation in order to acquire the necessary qualities: “memory” as the capacity to remember one's own past experience with objectivity, without falsification (cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 49, a. 1: Ed. Leon. 8, 367); “docilitas” (docility) that allows one to learn from others and to profit from their experience on the basis of an authentic love for truth (cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 49, a. 3: Ed. Leon. 8, 368- 369); “solertia” (diligence), that is, the ability to face the unexpected with objectivity in order to turn every situation to the service of good, overcoming the temptation of intemperance, injustice, and cowardice (cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 49, a. 4: Ed. Leon. 8, 369-370). These cognitive dispositions permit the development of the necessary conditions for the moment of decision: “providencia” (foresight), which is the capacity of weighing the efficacy of a given conduct for the attainment of a moral end (cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 49, a. 6: Ed. Leon. 8, 371) and “circumspectio” (circumspection), or the capacity of weighing the circumstances that contribute to the creation of the situation in which a given action will be carried out (cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 49, a. 7: Ed. Leon. 8, 372). In the social context, prudence can be specified under two particular forms: “regnative” prudence, that is, the capacity to order all things for the greatest good of society (cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 50, a. 1: Ed. Leon. 8, 374), and “political” prudence, which leads citizens to obey, carrying out the indications of authority (cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 50, a. 2: Ed. Leon. 8, 375), without compromising their dignity as a human person (cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae, II-II, qq. 47-56: Ed. Leon. 8, 348-406).}.