Presented at the 2024 CiRCE National Conference: A Contemplation of Prudence.

When crafting a list of the most essential heroic qualities, perhaps not many people would rank prudence at the top. But the hall of fame of the world’s greatest heroes does. The most courageous and skilled men of action in the literary tradition are also reflective and wise, raising important queries about educating young people in a zeitgeist devoid of a meaningful understanding of true masculinity. In this talk, Heidi White presents examples of prudent heroes from literature and the classics, arguing that prudence is a primary and defining virtue of manhood. Along the way we will discuss how and why a robust understanding of heroic prudence has been lost, and what to do to recover it in our families and classrooms.