ABSTRACT
In the discussion on the roles and responsibilities of practitioners and institutions, the author wrote that in order to become a good enabler, which he assumed to be our ambition in development work, you have to become a prudent provider. Hugo Slim, in his paper on practical wisdom, explores the virtues and the origins of prudence and offers a definition derived from Aristotle in his book. Aristotle identifies three varieties of prudence. The first he describes as 'deliberative excellence', the second he describes as 'understanding' and third, he talks of 'consideration' or 'judgement'. Deliberative excellence, understanding and judgement are all essential in the practice of development. Deliberative excellence, understanding and judgement are also fundamental to the resilience of development practitioners, individually and collectively. Outsiders who step inside, defensive of their outside domains or big purpose, deny the opportunity for change and discovery.
