Dare!
The Third Installment in the "How to Live" Series
Courage, What It Is
In my early days as a philosophy professor, I assigned what I called an “Immersive Experience Essay” in my Introduction to Philosophy course. After teaching Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, students were asked to develop either the virtue of temperance or courage over several weeks. They submitted an essay describing their chosen virtue and three of the actions that they performed to cultivate it. In light of their experience, they needed to weigh in on whether they found Aristotle’s method of habituation a worthy idea for acquiring strength of character and, ultimately, for being happy.
Over the years, I heard many tales of courage, some real and some surely cooked up the night the assignment was due. Some students described overcoming classic fears, like public speaking, while others related more specific acts of courage, such as driving in Miami, and yet others chose to confront more idiosyncratic sources of terror, including birds and lizards.
Courage, Aristotle says, consists in confronting one’s fears. It means striking a balance between letting fears hold oneself back (cowardice) and being overly confident in the face of fearful things (rashness). It does not entail a specific set of actions, such as standing one’s ground when attacked or rushing into a burning building. For those rash enough to speed around Miami highways, no courage is needed to hop into one’s (sports) car. But for those of us who need to contend with their driving habits, bravery is necessary.
Courage, and Why It Matters
Why does courage matter?
