Abstract
The article is devoted to the importance of the virtue of prudence and attempts to adapt it in the contemporary discourse on innovation and sustainable development. The authors come from ancient roots, recalling the positions of Socrates, Plato and, above all, Aristotle. They point to the renewed interest of contemporary researchers in the ethics of virtues and point to the important roles of prudence, prudence and responsibility in the approach to innovation. Innovations are captured as an instrumental value and a tool to shape better living conditions, work, study, rest, all forms of human activity and environmental protection. Therefore, their positive character has been exposed, although the authors also pay attention to the risk and possibility of negative effects if the virtues of nature, such as prudence, caution and responsibility are not well-formed. The authors point out that this is particularly important in the education of engineers who shape the innovative landscape of the present, and prove that this applies to mechatronics or robotics specialists, as well as production engineering specialists, because the ethical approach allows for the appropriate design of the entire team of activities from recognizing the need to satisfy it through an efficient, well-prepared, organized and properly managed production process, taking into account the basic principles of sustainable development.