Prudence
By John L. Cooper III, PGM
John L. Cooper III served as Grand Master of the Masonic Grand Lodge of California in 2013–2014. He had previously served as Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge for seventeen years, retiring in 2008. He is author of The Questing Mind is a Salient Characteristic of a Freemason (2015).
Prudence is one of the Four Cardinal Virtues presented to the newly initiated Entered Apprentice Mason in the lecture of that degree. The wording in the California ritual, from the Monitor, is this:
Prudence teaches us to regulate our lives and actions agreeably to the dictates of reason, and is that faculty by which we wisely judge and prudentially determine on all things relative to our present, as well as our future happiness. This virtue should be your peculiar characteristic, not only for the government of your conduct while in the Lodge, but also when abroad in the world.
The original of this is to be found in Illustrations of Masonry, by William Preston, and is thus:
By Prudence, we are instructed to regulate our conduct by the dictates of reason, and to judge and determine with propriety in the execution of everything that tends to promote either our present or future well-being. On this virtue, all others depend; it is, therefore, the chief jewel that can adorn the human frame. (1772)
The version found in our current ritual has two essential parts — a definition of “Prudence,” and the consequences for making it a cardinal virtue in our lives as Masons. The term “cardinal” comes from the Latin word for “hinge” (cardo), and one implication is that Prudence is a virtue that can open the door of knowledge.
The Four Cardinal Virtues themselves may be traced back to Plato. In Book IV of The Republic, Socrates is exploring with Glaucon the essential characteristics required for a successful state. In his dialogue with Glaucon, Socrates states, “First among virtues found in the State, wisdom comes into view …” The Greek word for “wisdom” is sophia, and it is this word that is translated as “wisdom” in The Republic. Socrates considers “wisdom” as a sub-set of “knowledge,” and its use in government of the state is identified with “good counsel.”
It is somewhat ironic that the Greek term for “wisdom,” sophia is also associated with fallacious logic and intentional deception. The word “sophistry,” far from meaning “prudence” as described in our lecture, actually means deceptive and fallacious arguments! The Merriam-Webster online dictionary has this to say:
The original Sophists were ancient Greek teachers of rhetoric and philosophy prominent in the 5th century B.C. In their heyday, these philosophers were considered adroit in their reasoning, but later philosophers (particularly Plato) described them as sham philosophers, out for money and willing to say anything to win an argument. Thus sophist (which comes from Greek sophistēs, meaning “wise man” or “expert”) earned a negative connotation as “a captious or fallacious reasoner.” Sophistry is reasoning that seems plausible on a superficial level but is actually unsound, or reasoning that is used to deceive.
So which is it? What is the difference between Prudence and Sophistry? The key may be another symbol presented to the Entered Apprentice Mason — that of the Checkered Pavement.
The Checkered Pavement is, or ought to be, at the center of the lodge. The California ritual describes it thus:
The Mosaic Pavement is a representation of the ground floor of King Solomon’s Temple, and is emblematic of human life, checkered with good and evil.
The Checkered Pavement — called the Mosaic Pavement in our ritual, can be an emblem of the good and evil that we are faced with as human beings. But it can also be an emblem of the use and abuse of Prudence. The ancient Greeks were aware of that fact that “wisdom,” meaning the use of “right reasoning” can lead us and others astray. When it is not tempered with empathy for the needs of others, Prudence can slip into selfishness or solipsism. I think it is significant that in the same lecture where we tout the value of Prudence, we also explain the need for the other three virtues: Temperance, Fortitude and Justice. And in the same lecture we learn that “By the exercise of Brotherly Love we are to regard the whole human species as one family, the high and the low, the rich and the poor, who, as created by one Almighty Parent and inhabitants of the same planet, are to aid, support and protect each other.”
As Masons we are expected to use “right reasoning” rather than fostering ignorance and obscurantism. But we are not to use it to the damage of others — the wisdom that becomes sophistry. As in all things, Freemasonry teaches us to value balance in our lives, and that is never more important than when applying the symbols of Freemasonry in our lives daily.
To read more about PRUDENCE download the July 2020 Fraternal Review issue at www.TheResearchLodge.Com for $5.
