音频·阅读 | 为人父母,审慎处之( 三 )

4. round up:(对牲口的)赶拢,驱集;euthanize:使(动物)安乐死;fatal: 致命的,重大的

Any reasonable person would think this suggestion obviously ridiculous, but why? Put simply, it would be imprudent

5

. We don’t kill every dog that could maul a baby, not because we don’t value babies, but because there are competing goods, such as the life of the animal itself and the delight his companionship brings to other people, which balance the miniscule threat a Cocker Spaniel poses to an infant.

6

 

Prudence is traditionally considered the fundamental virtue by which we use the intellect to apply moral laws to everyday life.

7

A great deal of prudence consists not just of choosing good over evil, but rather of balancing competing goods, carefully weighing them so as not to allow one to overwhelm and exclude others.