Moral Courage renderers At the end of this module, the students should be able to 1. differentiate ordinary courage from moral courage; 2. discuss moral courage from the point of view of Plato and Aristotle; and distinguish actions in accordance to the concept of courage.UIn eau Moral Courage Courage is derived from the Latin word oe meaning ao Here, itis implied that the heart is the seat of one’s feelings. earaee gidenned as the ability to do something that one is fearful of. a cae the ideg that courage is “to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s Beat Speaking from one’s heart is ordinary courage. When a person lives an ordinary course of life, the nature of courage seems ordinary. Courage is usually associated with heroic deeds but heroes are not the only ones who have courage. A student who commits a mistake and tells the truth regardless of the consequences has courage. A working student, a person battling cancer, anda single mother raising her children on her own have courage. St. Thomas recognized that patience and perseverance are virtues related to courage. Courage enables people to face danger, difficulties, and sufferings with determination. As the late Nelson Mandela put it, “courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato regarded courage as one of the most desirable human character traits. In Plato's Republic, courage is related to that element of the soul which is called thymos (the spirited, courageous element)—the part of the soul in which courage resides and in which courage perfects. Thymos lies between the intellectual and sensual aspects of a human being. It is the unreflective striving toward what is noble. Aristotle believed that the epitome of courage is facing noble death at the hands of the enemy during an offensive attack in a just war for the people. In Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, courage is defined as a mean with respect to things that inspire confidence or fear, in the circumstances that have been stated. Further, it chooses or endures things because it is noble to do so. Though courage is concerned with confidence and fear, it is not concerned with both alike, but more with the things that inspire fear It is for facing what is painful that one is considered brave. Hence, courage also involves pain, for it is harder to face what is painful than to abstai" from what is pleasant. Aristotle explained that circumstances which bring out courage are those in which an individual can show his or her prowess or where he or she can die a noble death, neither of which is true of dea!!! by drowning or disease. For Aristotle, there is something specific to batt!? that allows an individual to display courage. According to him, dying in battle is the noblest kind of death that earns an individual the distincti" of courage. NN ELCourage as Virtue Both Plato and Aristotle wrote about courage as a virtue. Plato’s Laches is a dialogue about the nature of courage (literally translated, *manliness”). Aristotle defined virtue as a purposive disposition, lying in a mean and being determined by the right reason. Virtue requires the right desire and reason. Thus, to act witha wrong reason is to act viciously. A virtue is a disposition to do good. Human virtues are firm attitudes, stable dispositions, and habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern actions, order passions, and guide conduct according to reason and faith. In the context of moral development, human virtues are acquired through education and rely on the presence of ideal role models. The virtuous agent (parent or teacher) acts as a role model and the learner of virtue (child or student) emulates his or her good examples. Through the process of integration, children emulate the virtues they learn from their parents and teachers. Human virtues are rooted in theological virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as His children and of meriting eternal life. Thus, faith in God makes a man morally courageous. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) defines courage (or fortitude) as the moral virtue that ensures strength and firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It fortifies the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in one’s pursuit of a moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause. Theological Virtues as Strong Foundation for Moral Courage Any person of good will can easily apply moral courage to different situations in his or her life. Moral courage comes alongside the willingness to apply it. The three theological virtues serve as examples of how virtues shape an individual’s moral courage. In the context of the teachings of the Catholic Church, they help man discern what is moral and immoral. Man’s attitudes, motives, emotions, and thoughts must be inspired by theological virtues. The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists the following as theological virtues: 1. Faith Faith is the theological virtue by which an individual believes in the divine and in all that a higher being has said and revealed gto humankind, Faith is a total bond with the divine. It is a moral response. It is trusting in something or someone bigger than oneself, In this sense, faith is trusting and obeying a higher being. Thus, faith becomes a fundamental requirement of moral courage. Hope In the teachings of the Catholic Church, hope is a theological virtue by which an individual desires the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as his or her source of happiness, and maintains trust and reliance on God's promises and help. The virtue of hope to happiness is what God has placed in the heart of every man; it is hope that inspires men’s activities and purifies them in order to lead them to the kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Charity According to the Catholic Church, the greatest law is the law of love or charity. This virtue is understood by St. Thomas as “the friendship of man of God” that helps in fostering one’s relationship with God and his or her neighbors. In light of this, an individual should make charity the basis of deciding what is good or evil in a particular situation. With the strength of charity, one must have the moral courage to fight evil. Thus, one’s words and thoughts must be ruled by charity to develop moral courage. The Ten Commandments: An Excellent Guide to Develop Moral Courage The Ten Commandments can also serve as an excellent guide in the understanding of moral courage. These commandments indicate what virtues and values one must have in order to have moral courage. Although these commandments are contextualized in the teachings of the Catholic Church, they are also important in the understanding of moral courage. a, Iam the Lord thy God, you shall not have any other gods before me. You shall not use the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Remember to keep holy the Sabbath Day Honor your father and your mother,a You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. oOo » ee You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. 10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods. The three theological virtues and the Ten Commandments are what guide Christians in establishing their moral courage. People of other religions also have similar principles that guide them to be morally courageous. Lack of Courage and Courage that is Immoral The definition of courage provided in this module implies that persons with courage know how to confront things in the face of adverse consequences. Thus, a coward person who shrinks from fear, pain, humiliation, danger, difficulties, and sufferings lacks courage. A rash person who retreats or withdraws at the moment of action also lacks courage. A person who fights for revenge has something akin to courage but with immoral intentions. Such act is not the mark of a morally courageous person for he or she does not act for the sake of a noble cause. Moral courage is a firm disposition to do good and avoid evil. An act is only morally courageous if it has noble ends. Thus, one who takes risks and are ready to face danger for trivial reasons has something close to courage but not enough to call it as such.