Cowardice Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Foot argues that there are certain things that all human beings - perhaps all rational agents - need. This gives a sense in which certain values and disvalues can be called 'objective'. I suggest that, with certain relatively minor... more

The book offers the first comprehensive account of the debate on true courage as it was raging in ancient Greece, from the times when the immensely influential Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, were composed, to the writings of... more

The book offers the first comprehensive account of the debate on true courage as it was raging in ancient Greece, from the times when the immensely influential Homeric epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, were composed, to the writings of the equally influential philosopher, Aristotle. The many voices that contribute to this debate will include poets, authors of ancient dramas and comedies, historians and philosophers. The book traces the origin of the earliest ideal of a courageous hero in the writings of Homer (8th century BCE), and faithfully records its transformations in later authors, ranging from a complete denial of the Homeric standard of courage (as, for instance, in comedies of Aristophanes and Dialogues of Plato) to the strong revisionist tendencies of Aristotle, who seeks to restore true courage to its traditional place as an exclusively martial, male virtue.

Risk aversion, courage and sacrifice during the "war" against coronavirus Courage, cowardice and cowering? Honouring the risk takers? Misrepresentation of the scope of the crisis? Collateral damage and tolerable fatalities in warfare --... more

Risk aversion, courage and sacrifice during the "war" against coronavirus
Courage, cowardice and cowering?
Honouring the risk takers?
Misrepresentation of the scope of the crisis?
Collateral damage and tolerable fatalities in warfare -- from the perspective of authorities

Among the experiences of otherness that unsettled the imperial trope of the warrior hero, this paper focuses on the representation of the coward in three autobiographical responses to the Great War. By following the traces of the... more

Among the experiences of otherness that unsettled the imperial trope of the warrior hero, this paper focuses on the representation of the coward in three autobiographical responses to the Great War. By following the traces of the malingerer, the deserter and the psychologically injured soldier in Herbert's The Secret Battle (1919), Aldington's Death of a Hero (1929) and Manning's Her Privates We (1930), the hero-other distinction induced by Victorian standards will be explored as a popular theme that becomes problematic on the Western front, as the figure of the (heroic) self and of the (antiheroic) other start to move away from the rigidity of the binary system. While Herbert, Aldington and Manning keep a strong component of their own class and patriotic identity both in their novels and in their lives, the Great War experience suggests the possibility of removing the association traditionally maintained between heroism and the Victorian notions of manliness. Such openness not only challenges the norm, but paves the way for the elaboration of a new sense of heroic selfhood. Particular attention is given to the representation of the shell-shocked soldier as a site of struggle and negotiation between the trope of cowardice and its reality.

Realism, Heroism, Bravery, Boldness or Cowardice in historical context

For many generations British historians have decried the conduct of the Dutch troops at the battle of Waterloo as cowardly, an accusation which Dutch and Belgian historians, in their turn, have tried time and again to refute. This... more

For many generations British historians have decried the conduct of the Dutch troops at the battle of Waterloo as cowardly, an accusation which Dutch and Belgian historians, in their turn, have tried time and again to refute. This accusation of cowardice results from the exclusive and uncritical use a chauvinistic British historiography made of compatriotic eyewitness accounts. The slighting assessments of the Dutch military they contain, in most cases, derive from misinterpretation: the smoke and noise, the chaos and danger of battle precluded an objective appraisal of each other’s combat performance. Miscommunication further enhanced this negative opinion. Since the occasional allies of Waterloo were not allowed time to get to know and appreciate one another, they were unfamiliar with each other’s language, uniforms, and command structure. Nonetheless, the British were certainly acquainted with fighting side by side with foreign troops, and they were more than willing, if applicable, to appraise their professionalism. As this common battle experience was lacking at Waterloo, historical prejudices could easily prevail.

The Book of Dedem Korkut, which forms a whole together with twelve tribes, each of which is independent in itself, is not only a literary example of its kind but also a masterpiece for Turkish culture. In addition to being a literary... more

The Book of Dedem Korkut, which forms a whole together with twelve tribes, each of which is independent in itself, is not only a literary example of its kind but also a masterpiece for Turkish culture.
In addition to being a literary work, the Book of Dedem Korkut carries an encyclopedia feature detailing all the lives of Oghuz from birth to death. In the book, from childlessness to wedding traditions; the state protocol of the spouses against each other; dozens of topics from children's education to the status of poets in society. There are also some social norms that are formed within the framework of traditions, religions and manners. The violation of some of these norms has been dealt with within the framework of the concept of shame in the book of Dedem Korkut.
The attitudes and behaviors of the individual who are contrary to the social rules adopted by the society and lead to their condemnation by the other members of the society are considered as shameful. While a behavior considered as a shame is a violation of the social principles believed to be beneficial and beneficial to society, this person, who does not have a legal sanction, is faced with religious and social sanctions and feels a feeling of shame and regret. A person experiencing this kind of experience feels obliged to correct himself according to the expectations of the society.
The attitudes and behaviors that are accepted as a shame in the Dedem Korkut Book and the behaviors and attitudes accepted by the Oghuz community as a shame are the subject of this paper.

A short account of the Indonesia-East Timor Project (IETP), founded in 1983 by Julia Milton and Derek. The Board of Advisors for IETP were University of Toronto physics Professor Eric Fawcett, Noam Chomsky (MIT) and Frances Moore Lappe... more

A short account of the Indonesia-East Timor Project (IETP), founded in 1983 by Julia Milton and Derek. The Board of Advisors for IETP were University of Toronto physics Professor Eric Fawcett, Noam Chomsky (MIT) and Frances Moore Lappe (author of Diet for a Small Planet).
East Timor activism in Canada was carried on and energized by the East Timor Action Network and the hard work of Maggie Helwig, Ross Shotton, Elaine Briere, and David Webster (and others).
A shortened version of the recollection below (minus the poem) was published under the title above (chosen by the Globe and Mail) Sept. 18, 1999, after Indonesian-backed paramilitaries set fires in Dili, East Timor, and killed 1400 Timorese in an effort to overturn election results favouring independence.

Resumo: O comprometimento com o lema "vencer ou morrer" é uma das bases da ideia de que a vida espartana era militarizada. Contudo, a desonra que teria motivado tal comprometimento não funcionava em episódios coletivos de covardia, o que... more

Resumo: O comprometimento com o lema "vencer ou morrer" é uma das bases da ideia de que a vida espartana era militarizada. Contudo, a desonra que teria motivado tal comprometimento não funcionava em episódios coletivos de covardia, o que nos permite questionar se a guerra era realmente o principal motor da vida espartana.

Mackie’s claim that in general courage benefits its possessor seems inconsistent with his ‘error theory’ of value. But how plausible is it in itself? I suggest that his arguments for the claim fail in the same way as the arguments of... more

Mackie’s claim that in general courage benefits its possessor seems inconsistent with his ‘error theory’ of value. But how plausible is it in itself? I suggest that his arguments for the claim fail in the same way as the arguments of those who more explicitly embrace ‘virtue ethics’ fail. We do not know any way of objectively weighing risks against other considerations, of deciding whether something is ‘worth the risk’. Since I have no PROOF that there could not be a way, I prefer to speak of ‘ignorance’ rather than ‘error’ here.

I argue that Mackie's thesis about courage and self-interest is neither consistent with his 'error theory' of value nor convincing in itself. The question of the objectivity of value needs to be distinguished from that of whether one... more

I argue that Mackie's thesis about courage and self-interest is neither consistent with his 'error theory' of value nor convincing in itself. The question of the objectivity of value needs to be distinguished from that of whether one value can objectively outweigh or outrank another. This is so even when the only values under consideration are self-interested ones.

Could a Nazi soldier or terrorist be courageous? The Courage Problem asks us to answer this sort of question, and then to explain why people are reluctant to give this answer. The present paper sheds new light on the Courage Problem by... more

Could a Nazi soldier or terrorist be courageous? The Courage Problem asks us to answer this sort of question, and then to explain why people are reluctant to give this answer. The present paper sheds new light on the Courage Problem by examining a controversy sparked by Bill Maher, who claimed that the 9/11 terrorists' acts were 'not cowardly.' It is shown that Maher's controversy is fundamentally related to the Courage Problem. Then, a unified solution to both problems is provided. This solution entails that gutsy people who lack good ends are not courageous.

Being both fearful and forgetful makes us an easily ruled people. Easily aroused to panic, yet amnesic once the news shifts to a new threat – so that we never learn from experience. What a pitiful state for a once-great people. But we... more

Being both fearful and forgetful makes us an easily ruled people. Easily aroused to panic, yet amnesic once the news shifts to a new threat – so that we never learn from experience. What a pitiful state for a once-great people. But we can regain our courage. It takes only the will to do so. Cowardice is a choice.