The Mystery of Courage

Courage is one of our most prized and celebrated virtues. But once you really start exploring it, the nature of courage is surprisingly hard to pin down.

Here to help us explore the fascinating complications of courage is William Ian Miller, a historian, professor of law, and the author of The Mystery of Courage. Today on the show, Bill explains how centuries of philosophers, soldiers, and storytellers have approached courage and the hard-to-answer questions its manifestations raise. We discuss why courage has long been ranked among the highest virtues, the relationship between fear and courage, the fuzzy line between courage and cowardice, the association of courage and manhood, whether or not courage is domain specific, the difference between offensive and defensive courage, whether martyrs are courageous, whether deeds with evil ends are courageous, how fear, shame, and honor shape brave action, and more.

Resources Related to the Podcast

• The Road to Richmond: The Civil War Memoirs of Maj. Abner R. Small
• If I Die in a Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home by Tim O'Brien
• Good-Bye to All That by Robert Graves
• The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
• AoM Article: Developing Manly Courage
• AoM Article: 9 Ways to Become More Courageous
• AoM Article: Courage Vs. Boldness — How to Live With Spartan Bravery
• AoM Podcast #380: How to Increase Your Courage and Bravery
• AoM Article: The 54 Best Quotes on Courage
• AoM Article: The Cardinal Virtues — Courage
• AoM Podcast #763: The Perils and Powers of Cowardice
• AoM series on honor

Connect With William Ian Miller

• Bill's faculty page

Thanks to This Week’s Podcast Sponsor

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0:00 - Introduction

0:41 - What Is "The Mystery of Courage"?

1:57 - Why Courage Is Hard to Define

6:27 - The Good Coward: A Civil War Story

14:00 - Why Courage Is Ranked the Highest Virtue

17:20 - The Politics of Courage: Who Gets to Claim It

23:00 - Offensive vs. Defensive Courage

28:27 - Is Courage Domain-Specific?

30:04 - Courage, Manhood & The Female Gaze

50:34 - Fear, Shame & Honor in Courageous Acts

57:00 - Is Courage Finite? Combat & Exhaustion

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