Catholic Treasury Network
Part IIa IIaePrudenceQuestion 48

The Parts of Prudence

  1. The parts of prudence are certain faculties,perfections, or qualities that belong to prudence, or are somehowassociated with it. Among these things, some seem to be almost anelement of prudence itself; these are called itsquasi-integral parts. There are eight of thesequasi-integral parts of prudence: memory, understanding, docility,shrewdness, reason, foresight, circumspection, caution. Other partsof prudence are called its subjective parts; these are itsspecies or kinds of varieties, as, for example, domestic prudence,reigning prudence,military prudence, political prudence, etc.Still other parts of prudence are called its potentialparts; these are virtues connected with prudence, or subordinate toprudence, which produce what can be called its secondary effects;these are: good counsel, which throws a kind of headlight; synesis,which guides judgment in ordinary matters; and gnome, which guidesjudgment in exceptional matters.
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Full Summa Text · II-II, Q. 48
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