Violence is taking place in our streets as citizens protest the actions of masked government agents. We tend to quickly take sides. Some support the agents; some support the protesters. Positions harden. We feel justified becoming more conservative or more liberal. We no longer seek facts and truth. We just know we’re right. The agents or protesters are thugs … the agents or protesters are right. Let’s step back and consider.
Prudence is a moral feel for a situation and can lead us to sense what is right or wrong. It results in caution and good judgment. It’s something akin to what a quarterback has for the field as a play develops. It makes us wonder what could have led up to and caused what we see. It is not the definitive answer but it guides us towards that.
Jurisprudence is the theory of law. Justice is blind, or so we say, but the reality is, facts are blind. The who, what, when, where and how of a situation are cold, hard facts determined by unbiased investigations. They are blind to interpretation. They are what they are. But the ‘why’ of any situation is where justice intersects prudence. Without prudence it might be factually accurate that an individual broke into a neighbor’s home, but with prudence we ask why, only to find out the “burglar” saw a fire within and was concerned about his neighbor’s safety. Justice without prudence leads to false outcomes.
Wisdom goes beyond a sense of a situation. It is the ability to survey the entire circumstance, applying years of experience to agreed upon facts to discern intent. Without wisdom even the most prudent judgment could be short-sighted, inadequate or even wrong. Without wisdom justice might indeed be blind. Judges inject wisdom into jurisprudence to arrive at decisions. Without wisdom we have no need for judges, just rule books.
Situation assessments, therefore, are based on prudence, justice and wisdom. Our assessment of any given situation must be fair, starting with an investigation unburdened by preconceived notions. Once that investigation is concluded, prudence will guide judges who then make wise decisions.
We must ask ourselves if that is happening in our country right now. Someday any one of us might be forced to make a split-second decision. Then we will expect our actions to be judged based on prudence, justice and wisdom rather than social media posts.
Well said and what we all need to use in our assessment of difficult situations.
To me, practical wisdom is the virtue that guides all the others. Even good intentions need good judgment to result in good actions. We must calculate the risk or cost of what we are about to do or the position we are about to take. One must also be willing to adjust one’s position when new information becomes available. Are rights natural, granted by governments, or socially constructed? Jurisprudence considers the rule and asks whether it is fair. If not, how can it be lawfully changed?