Knowledge, Wisdom, & Prudence

Understanding their Relation and Difference

Knowledge is acquired information. A knowledgeable person is good at trivia. Very knowledgeable people can make good money if they get on the gameshow Jeopardy and they can make good money building computer systems and rockets for Space X. They can tell you all kinds of things about history, how to solve a mathematical equation, play the piano, and the proper grammatical construction of a sentence, etc. Knowledge is a very good thing and it is a prerequisite for wisdom, but it is not Wisdom itself.

Wisdom is theoretical. It applies reason to information and derives new conclusions. Wisdom is that which takes the knowledge of the fact that “All men die” and that “I am a man” and goes the extra mile to conclude “therefore I will one day die.” Wisdom makes people think about what they ought to do in light of the information they have acquired and the conclusions which can be drawn from that information. The knowledgable person can talk to you about inertia, force, and other concepts of physics. The wise person tells himself that it would be best, therefore, not to drive excessively fast because physics is a brutal master when two cars collide. Wisdom thinks about what one ought to do, in light of the knowledge they have acquired. Wisdom is a step beyond knowledge, moving in the direction of Prudence, but it is not Prudence itself.

Prudence is the culmination of Knowledge and Wisdom. It is exhibited by acting in accordance with Knowledge and Wisdom so as to make the right decision in the moment of action. It is dependent upon the two prior and lesser virtues to come into fruition, but it alone is rightly called one of the Cardinal virtues because apart from its practice Knowledge and Wisdom are but stillborn children of goodness, they promise us much joy, but leave us with only sorrow. The prudent man, that is the man who not only knows and understands but also acts in accordance with knowledge and wisdom, it is he that will be blessed and a blessing to others.

Many a knowledgeable person, and many a wise person, have failed to be blessed and a blessing because they lacked Prudence.

No one can be Prudent without Wisdom.

No one can be Wise without Knowledge.

Knowledge does not guarantee Wisdom.

Wisdom does not guarantee Prudence.

Behold the Folly of Solomon:

He Knew what he Ought to do,

But he did not do it.

“Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.” -Solomon (Proverbs 13:6)

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” -Jesus (Matthew 7:24-27)

“For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” -Paul (Romans 2:13)

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” - James (James 1:22-24)