The Guiding Hand: Prudence as the Architect of Temperance

Summary: True temperance, far from being mere self-control or rigid abstinence, is a nuanced virtue that requires the astute guidance of prudence. This article explores how prudence, as practical wisdom, discerns the appropriate measure and context for our desires and pleasures, transforming temperance from a simple act of will into a cultivated disposition of character. Without prudence, temperance risks becoming either a blind asceticism or an ineffective struggle, failing to navigate the complex landscape of virtue and vice with genuine insight.

Unpacking Temperance: More Than Just Saying "No"

When we speak of temperance, our minds often conjure images of abstinence, self-denial, or a stern refusal of pleasure. While these elements can certainly be part of temperance, they do not capture its full philosophical depth. For the ancients, particularly Aristotle in his Nicomachean Ethics, sophrosyne (temperance) was a cardinal virtue concerned with the appropriate regulation of our appetites and desires, especially those related to bodily pleasures like food, drink, and sex.

It is not about eradicating desires, which would be impossible and perhaps even undesirable for human flourishing, but about ordering them rightly. The intemperate individual is enslaved by their desires, while the temperate person masters them, allowing reason to guide their choices. But how does one know what "rightly ordered" truly means in the myriad situations of life? This is where prudence steps in.

Prudence: The Navigator of Our Moral Compass

Prudence, or phronesis in Greek, is often translated as "practical wisdom." It is the intellectual virtue that enables us to deliberate well about what is good and advantageous for us, not in some universal sense, but here and now, in specific circumstances. As Thomas Aquinas, building on Aristotle, articulated, prudence is "right reason in action." It is the capacity to discern the appropriate means to a virtuous end.

Consider the complexity of human life:

  • Context: What is temperate for one person might be intemperate for another, or even for the same person at a different time or in a different situation.
  • Goals: Our actions are always directed towards some end, and prudence helps us choose the best path to reach a truly good end.
  • Consequences: Prudence allows us to foresee, as best we can, the likely outcomes of our choices.

Without prudence, even the best intentions can lead to misguided actions, or what appears to be temperance might actually be a form of rigidity or even a vice of insensibility.

The Symbiotic Dance: Prudence and Temperance

The relationship between prudence and temperance is not one of master and servant, but rather a profound partnership. Prudence is the eyes and the mind, while temperance is the disciplined will and the rightly ordered appetite.

Aspect Temperance Without Prudence Temperance With Prudence
Nature of Action Rigid, rule-bound, potentially extreme, or ineffective. Flexible, adaptable, discerning of the "golden mean."
Understanding Based on a simplistic "good/bad" dichotomy. Based on a deep understanding of context, self, and moral ends.
Outcome May lead to frustration, self-deprivation, or hypocrisy. Leads to genuine inner harmony, flourishing, and sustainable virtue.
Relationship to Vice Can inadvertently lean into the vice of insensibility (deficiency) or be too lax. Actively avoids both excess (intemperance) and deficiency (insensibility).

Imagine a person attempting to be temperate with their diet. Without prudence, they might adopt an extreme, restrictive diet that is unsustainable, detrimental to their health, or isolates them socially. This is temperance without wisdom. With prudence, they would assess their individual needs, health conditions, social obligations, and long-term goals. Prudence helps them determine what to eat, how much, when, and why, ensuring that their choices genuinely contribute to their well-being and flourishing.

(Image: A classical Greek marble statue of a seated woman, draped in flowing robes, holding a small, balanced scale in one hand and pointing towards a scroll with the other, symbolizing the careful deliberation and measurement of practical wisdom guiding moral choice.)

The path of virtue is famously described by Aristotle as the "golden mean" between two extremes of vice – excess and deficiency. For temperance, the vices are intemperance (excessive indulgence) and insensibility (a lack of appreciation for legitimate pleasures, often leading to a joyless existence).

  • Intemperance: Giving in to every desire, leading to physical harm, moral degradation, and loss of self-mastery.
  • Insensibility: Denying oneself legitimate pleasures to the point of asceticism that harms health or human connection.

It is prudence that acts as the compass, guiding us to find this mean. It considers all factors – our natural inclinations, our physical constitution, our social environment, our duties – to determine what constitutes the right amount, at the right time, with the right intention. This is the essence of wisdom applied to our daily lives.

Ultimately, temperance is not merely about control; it is about self-mastery guided by intelligence. It is the disciplined will, informed by practical reason, that allows us to live a life of moderation and balance, free from the tyranny of unbridled desires and the barrenness of false asceticism. To cultivate temperance, then, we must first cultivate prudence, for it is the discerning eye that sees the true path to human flourishing.

YouTube: "Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics Temperance Prudence"
YouTube: "Aquinas Cardinal Virtues Prudence Temperance"

Video by: The School of Life

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