Aristotle's Definition Of Courage Analysis

In Book III of The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle begins his lengthy discussion on courage. Aristotelian courage is defined much differently than the way modern Western society understands courage. Currently, law enforcement officers, military servicemen, people suffering from certain diseases, or people living in poverty are held up indiscriminately as courageous. In the case of soldiers or law enforcement officers, culture sees courage in their willingness to face danger, in some cases even death, for the greater good. For people suffering from an illness, their courage is usually found in the peace of mind or graciousness they are able show in the midst of a harrowing condition, and for individuals living in poverty, courage is identified in their ability to adapt to dangerous or difficult situations and still come out successful against seemingly impossible odds. Although it is not necessarily wrong to hold any of these people up as courageous, the Aristotelian view of courage differs significantly from our modern understanding due to the many qualifications Aristotle puts on his definition and the inherent individualistic nature of virtue ethics as a whole.
A common …show more content…
Brady goes on to explain, “Aristotle’s definition would mean that the courageous feel no desire to avoid death, in the particular circumstances of a noble battle .” It isn’t a requirement for a person to be completely without a desire to preserve their life. If that were the case, it could not even be considered virtuous, since they were not doing anything exceptional if they didn’t value their life to begin with. Instead, a courageous person must have that desire to preserve their life but decide that a noble cause is worth more to them than the protecting