How can I make good decisions? - Philosophy Session 4
Summary of philosophy Session 4
How can i make good decisions?
Prudence is the art of good decision making. It leads to emotional well-being and the experience of the good life.
Why is good decision making so important – you might say it is where the rubber hits the road.
Prudence helps us to align our values with our lives and the kind of person I want to be – it helps us to dovetail theory and practise. You may know the good but if you do not act according to the good (virtue living) – you are not flourishing – you are not attaining your human purpose. The average person makes an eye-popping 35,000 choices per day. So we need a lot of prudence in our day! (Although Not all decisions need the same amount!)
Aristotle called Prudence “mother of virtues”. Why? Because we need the capacity to judge well, weigh things up objectively and clearly, and make timely decisions. How do I know the best decision for me in a given situation? Being prudent helps us to identify the “mean”, the virtuous choice i.e. to identify the difference between acting cowardly or rashly which is acting courageously in a specific set of circumstances. Because of this prudence more than any other virtue helps us to achieve our goal, our end – the good - to be fulfilled and happy. The objective of every human act is the good – prudence aims for that across the board.
Prudence reminds us of the end but unlike other virtues doesn’t tell us the end - but gives us the means to sift through things. This phrase 'The prudent heart shall possess knowledge'. It’s a bit like a maths exam, where a lot of the marks are for the workings out not simply getting the right answer, that’s prudence for life. Prudence is not just what a person does but how one does it.
Plato described the human capacity to make decisions much like that of a chariot rider. In the Phaedrus, Plato has the figure of the Charioteer who represents man’s Reason, the dark horse his appetites, and the white horse his thumos. Another way to label the three elements of soul are as the lover of wisdom (charioteer), the lover of gain (dark horse), and the lover of victory (white horse). The charioteer, the man is reason who seeks truth and knowledge, the appetites (black horse) seek food, drink, sex, and material wealth, and white horse seeks glory, honour, and recognition. Plato believed reason’s job, with the help of the white horse (thumos), is to discern the best aims to pursue, and then train his “horses” to work together towards those aims. As the charioteer, he must have vision and purpose – he must know where he is going — and he must understand the nature and desires of his two horses if he wishes to properly harness their energies. Achieving this harmony of soul, Plato argues, is a precursor to tackling any other endeavour of life. That is what prudence looks like – harmony – time taken to deliberate, weigh things up, not being impulsive. What is the impact of prudence in a person’s life – according to Plato such a person that makes this pursuit his aim, and allows it to guide all his thoughts and actions, “will gladly take part in and enjoy those which he thinks will make him a better man, but in public and private life he will shun those that may overthrow the established habit of his soul.”
The elements of a good decision - How to make good judgments?
Prudence comes into play in decision which are not scientific or repeatable in their subject matter such as the law of gravity or certain moral wrongs such as murder. But there are situations which are grey or murky (including moral ones). This does not mean that there is no truth in these decisions that are contentious or unclear or upon which we disagree. These decisions are not up for grabs necessarily or relative. For example, slavery was hotly contested even the most popular thing at a particular time in history if we accepted that there were no universal principles surrounding slavery it would never have been abolished. The fact we disagree on important things means a special virtue is needed so that we can see and make our way through these morally murky waters. This is the virtue of prudence. Prudence is the application of universal principles to particular situations. So one needs to know these universal moral principles. In addition, since prudence deals with specific situations certain qualities are needed. They are like having a house which has a roof and walls. Without these qualities you don't have a house, one cannot practise prudence.
FIRST PRINCIPLES
There is a certain good we look for or tend towards or ultimate end – why am I here? Then there are proximate goods – little goods along the way. These little goods are motivating points along our journey – such as buying something new or getting a new job. Each of these “goods” contribute to our overall wellbeing and flourishing. They contribute towards preservation of life, knowledge of things and contemplating beauty, socialising, need for religious expressing (we did not self-create and we are dependant), marriage, procreation, personal integration. Secondary principles emerge from the universal ones – justice (give to each their due), honouring your parents, right to religious expression, not harming ourselves or others.
QUALITIES NEEDED FOR PRUDENCE
Experience is an important quality to exercise prudence – the experience of life or our memories of life. This is our openness to reality around us and our ability to learn from it. That is why knowing history is so important. If we do not know history, we are condemned to make the same mistakes. The more we reflect on life, learn from our mistakes and those of others, the more one gets better at decision making (if we work at it).
Purpose of prudence is to enable us to better read reality and to respond wisely. This is reflected in our choices. In a context of well governed emotions prudence transforms knowledge of truth into decisions. Realism is knowing and presenting things as they are – a prudent person will know what ground they stand on – what is certain, what is unclear, what is doubtful. This is the opposite to living in fantasy world or seeking novelty and change and in ffect practise avoidance. We need to embrace our life choices, relationships and commitments in our decision making process to decide well. This is prudence and this gives a person peace. Shrewdness is the quality needed to read reality well and adapt – but some people would rather not see – as finding out might upset them or mean they need to act. Shrewdness is not suspicion either.
3 acts of prudence.
Take counsel. No one person has all the answers. Prudence is acceptance of our own limitations. We need knowledge to make the right decision. One needs to look for clarity. You maybe you feel very strongly about something that emotional response often clouds our capacity to decide well (feelings are not knowledge nor is intuition or a hunch). So a prudent person will seek advice one they have done the first assessment themselves. Most regrets come from often not having taken right advice and weighed it up. We need to seek advice from the right kind of person – upright – lives a moral life, someone who makes good decisions themselves. Someone who has core values and is not afraid to suffer for them. We need people who can give sound and disinterested advice, impartial without being cold or empathetic or emotional.
Reflection - Our decisions have an impact on the lives of others in a very real way. To judge well we need to create spaces of reflection before we make decisions. It is important to try to keep calm and peaceful, even if only so as to act intelligently, since the person who remains calm is able to think, to study the pros and cons, to examine judiciously the outcome of the actions she is about to undertake. She then plays her part calmly and decisively” Some people find it harder to judge than others – but is part of the rational capacity of humans – developing a critical mind – if 2 people disagree about something fundamental they both cannot be right.
Judge: It is not part of prudence to be always delaying. Judging should come quickly, as quickly as possible once the correct decision is clear (this is not the same as a perfect decision– but when all factors have been considered). We may have heard the adage that “important matters should wait and very urgent matters should always wait”. Prudence is to know in each case what course to take, and then to set about it without hesitation”. At times it would be very imprudent not to carry out a decision immediately once it is clear what needs to be done. Fear of failure or being unpopular is never a good reason not to decide.
Reach a decision: We would have a mistaken idea of prudence if we thought a prudent person was faint hearted or lacking in daring. Prudence expresses itself as a habit which inclines us to act well, by shedding light on the end and by helping us to seek the most suitable means of achieving it. There is a false prudence that is a cunning, manipulative approach – Machiavellian – weigh things up to get out on top. So prudence is not hedging my beats, duplicity, or avoiding the discomfort of doing the right thing. Where there is a will there is a way.
Decision: Aristotle tells us that “as a person is a person sees” – if one does not know the universal principles or chooses to disregard or remain uneducated about first principles or universal principles then their perspective on situations will be skewed and they will not make good decisions. A person’s intellect needs to be fed on sound principles (a lot of reading of good books) this helps us discern good from evil. This feeds the human need for knowledge and truth. The person needs a just will and well educated appetites to decide well (Platos chariot). Ssomeone who strives for the good on all levels will strive for that which although more demanding is the right thing – whereas someone who lacks self-mastery and strives after what is vain and silly will seek what fulfils at a more sense level, non-rational animal level.
It is important that a person educates themselves on first principles found in the great religions and philosophy.
Vices against prudence: Impulsiveness (teenager who copies in an exam – ST etc.), thoughtlessness (failure to read circumstances or fear of failure), inconstancy (pleasure) and negligence .
What does prudence look like?
Prudence is to look for what is best it sees the past, circumstances of present, look to future. It is both Incisive (gets to the nub of something doesn’t get caught in the bushes) and decisive (once the correct path is clear there is no delay). It combines transcendent approach (future-proofing), seeing beyond physical reality of things, problems, stresses and limitations to REAL reality and team work depending on our work when we rely on experience and opinion of the others. A prudent person makes mistakes like everyone but corrects her mistakes and does not let herself be overcome by his mistakes. As we go through life we find ourselves coming across people who are objective and know how to weigh things up, who don't get heated or try to tip the balance towards that which favours them. Almost instinctively, we find ourselves trusting such people, because, unassumingly and quietly, they always act in a good and upright manner. Prudence is an open-hearted virtue – it does not shy away from suffering or being misunderstood.