Winner of the first Delba Winthrop Mansfield Award for Excellence in Political Science Description
Plato and the Virtue of Courage canvasses contemporary discussions of courage and offers a new and controversial account of Plato's treatment of the concept. Linda R. Rabieh examines Plato's two main thematic discussions of courage, in the Laches and the Republic, and discovers that the two dialogues together yield a coherent, unified treatment of courage that explores a variety of vexing questions: Can courage be separated from justice, so that one can act courageously while advancing an unjust cause? Can courage be legitimately called a virtue? What role does wisdom play in courage? What role does courage play in wisdom?
Based on Plato's presentation, Rabieh argues that a refined version of traditional heroic courage, notwithstanding certain excesses to which it is prone, is worth honoring and cultivating for several reasons. Chief among these is that, by facilitating the pursuit of wisdom, such courage can provide a crucial foundation for the courage most deserving of the name.Reviews
"If you want to learn about courage, or if you merely want to be impressed with what it takes to learn about courage, or to read Plato, this is the place to go."—Harvey Mansfield, Weekly Standard"A thoroughly lucid guide through the labyrinth of two Platonic dialogues on an issue of enduring human interest."—Frederick Vaughan, Perspectives on Politics "Rabieh's analysis of both dialogues is characterized by sensitivity to nuances . . . Her illustrative examples are particularly helpful in enabling us to understand abstruse points."—Robin Waterfield, Heythrop Journal "An intelligent discussion of an important topic."—Mark Blitz, Claremont Review of Books "A text that Plato scholars and those with an interest in liberal accounts of courage should find useful and informative."—Tony Milligan, Political Studies Review
Author Information
Linda R. Rabieh is a lecturer at Tufts University.
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