Revisiting the virtue of courage in Aristotle

Abstract

Aristotle views the courageous man as someone who endures and fears the right things, for the right motive, in the right manner, and at the right time, given that a courageous man feels and acts according to the merits of each case and as reason directs him. Aristotle is guided to some degree by distinctions inherent in ordinary terms but his methodology allows him to recognize states of courage for which no names exist. This paper also deals with Aristotle’s unique emphasis on courage as linked to the battlefield for he considers the concept of courage as one of those many terms that are ambiguous. His insistence that the mean is a “relative mean” and not an objectively calculated mathematical mean, indicates his inclination towards practicality and empiricism. Developing the virtue, courage, in his view remains the shared responsibility of all citizens.