Wisdom’s Guiding Compass: Lady Prudence as a Pedagogical Model

Abstract

Many educators desire to cultivate wisdom in their students but feel this goal is too vague to be clearly articulated and encouraged. One possible way around this problem is to learn from classical and medieval depictions of wisdom and particular virtues, which were often personified. I will examine one highly illustrative artistic depiction of Prudence, which gives wisdom a face and form and thus provides students with an imaginative entryway into better understanding and practicing this virtue in the classroom. After providing a brief overview of the role of images and the imagination in learning, I explain how personifications of the virtues—and of Prudence, in particular—may be a useful pedagogical guide in helping students cultivate those virtues.