Jacques M. Chevalier

The Ethics of Courage (eBook, PDF)

Volume 1: From Greek Antiquity to the Middle Ages

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

This two-volume work examines far-reaching debates on the concept of courage from Greek antiquity to the Christian and mediaeval periods, as well as the modern era. Volume 1 begins with Homeric poetry and the politics of fearless demi-gods thriving on war. The tales of lion-hearted Heracles, Achilles, and Ulysses, and their tragic fall at the hands of fate, eventually give way to classical views of courage based on competing theories of rational wisdom and truth. Fears of the enemy and anxieties about suffering and death are addressed through the lenses and teachings of medicine, geography, military history, moral philosophy, and metaphysics.

For early Christian thinkers, the ethics of fear, fate, and fealty to the Almighty supplant the voice of reason and the wisdom of virtue. Much of Christian doctrine's history is a long journey towards bridging the gap between Greek philosophy and devotion to God and spirits in heaven. Some Church Fathers attempt to dispel the fear of suffering through a joyful craving for martyrdom and the eternal blessings that follow. Others show openness to one or more of the following principles: the abstractions of moral philosophy, the metaphysics of Gnostic enlightenment, the gift of free will and intentionality, the growth of church authority and hegemony, and the intrinsic worth of life on Earth. Augustine, Ambrose, Cassian, and Chrysostom play a central role in revisiting the foundations of Christian fortitude along some or all of these lines. They lay the groundwork for the scholastic adaptations of faith-based rationalism proposed by Peter Lombard, Philip the Chancellor, Albert the Great, and Thomas of Aquinas.

The mediaeval period ends with church dissidents and Protestant Reform leaders condemning Rome's corruption and calling for a return to early Christian faith and the courage of godly fear, submission, suffering, and fate.

Jacques M. Chevalier is Chancellor's Professor Emeritus at CarletonUniversity, Canada.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Springer International Publishing
• Seitenzahl: 378
• Erscheinungstermin: 20. November 2023
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9783031327391
• Artikelnr.: 69493457

Autorenporträt

Jacques M. Chevalier is Chancellor's Professor Emeritus at Carleton University, Canada.

Inhaltsangabe

Chapter 1 Truth, power, and life.- Chapter 2 The body and the body politic.- Chapter 3 Self-interest and the sovereign.- Chapter 4 Justice, the laws of nature, and God.- Chapter 5 Moral sympathy and higher passions.- Chapter 6 The natural and rational duty to God and country.- Chapter 7 Michel de Montaigne and the vanity of reason.- Chapter 8 Language, self-consciousness, and learning experiences.- Chapter 9 Reasons examined in good conscience.- Chapter 10 The evolution of mind, species, and society.- Chapter 11 Variations in evolutionary ethics.- Chapter 12 Utilitarianism and relativism with a bias.- Chapter 13 Emerson's heroes of truth.- Chapter 14 The courage of despair.- Chapter 15 Nietzsche's animal foes and friends.- Chapter 16 The will to power.- Chapter 17 Thus spoke Nietzsche.- Chapter 18 Courage in the body and the sociable self.- Chapter 19 The courage of disobedience.- Chapter 20 Paul Tillich and the courage to be.- Chapter 21 Throwing courage to the dogs.- Chapter 22 Risk and resilience.- Chapter 23 Courage in the global age.