The Philosophies of Heroism

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Speaking about heroism from the angles of contemporary philosophy we cannot but deal with Ancient Greeks, their philosophy, and the role of philosophical doctrines which influenced not only the lives of Greek philosophers but also modern times. We should not forget that contemporary philosophy was highly influenced by Greek philosophical schools which underlined modern trends in the academic discipline. That is why the role of different Greek philosopher cannot be overestimated.

Of course, it is doubtless, that modern vision of heroism differs greatly from the concept of Socrates. However, what the philosopher considered about different aspects of our life is still topical. Many expert argue that Socrates was a representative and of “prototype of the theoretical optimist who with his belief in the explicability of the nature of things. To penetrate into the depths and to distinguish true perception from error and illusion seemed to the Socratic man the noblest and even the only truly human calling” (Nietzsche, 1954, p. 109). That is why his self-denial and wish to die than have a secret exile is considered by us as an act of heroism. The whole idea that the philosopher had different for his opponents’ views on gods, speaks about not only heroism, but a certain believe in one concept.

It is rather difficult to state whether a person acted like a hero or not. Moreover, it is next to impossible to define the fact of heroism right at the moment of its accomplishment. Only after some time we realize the positive (heroism), or negative (anti-heroism) aspect of an act. That is why many philosophers who dedicated their lives to investigation of different questions of being (for example, such as existence of God) were considered sinners and iniquitous people. The same may be told about René Descartes and his doctrines. The philosopher questioned the problem of God’s existence. That is why his philosophy was unpopular. On the other hand “Descartes is the “Hero” who taught us how, by suspending judgment, we can recover that “invaluable liberty of the mind” (Verbeek, 1992, p. 40). A quite different situation is with the German philosopher, Karl Marx. It is not a secret that his doctrine became a basis for communism and socialism. The philosopher believed that such social and political organizations would be beneficial for humanity. Other people believed that his doctrine was a real revolution that would change the world for the better. Still, what do we see today? Today, the philosophy and doctrine of Karl Marx are not only unpopular but also is considered a negative aspect of human history. As we can see due to historical events René Descartes changed his status from an anti-hero to a hero, and on the contrary, Karl Marx became an anti-hero.

Another aspect of heroism that should be investigated in our work is the problem of women’s heroism in the contemporary world. There is a widespread opinion that women are weak creatures, who are incapable to perform work to which men are accustomed. That is why so few women occupy posts of ministers, politicians, etc. They say that women are too emotional to guide a nation or, at least, to be wise to be listened to. “Woman’s rational faculties are inferior to those of man, and thus she is more likely to act on the basis of her passions” (Tuana, 1992, p. 23). It is so, I have a question: “Was the period when Margaret Hilda Thatcher was a prime minister a bad one in the city of Great Britain?” I am sure that many people would argue that her reforms were highly beneficial to the country. Still, we are talking about different women: Indra Nooyi and Oprah Winfrey. The emergence of Indra Nooyi if the Pepsi company became a turning point in the history of the enterprise. The thing is that she changed the strategy of the company, and by the end of 2009 Indra Nooyi was considered the most powerful woman in the world of business. The positive thinking of Oprah Winfrey became a guiding light for many people: she managed to change many lives due to her optimism and wisdom. Although two women have no superpower they became heroes not only for women but also for many people in the world.

Of course, everything is not so easy in the world of stock and investment. That is why we cannot but mention Warren Buffett. For many people who work on Wall Street, this man became a hero. His life and career are the things which many people who are engaged in the stock exchange. Still, it is the heroism of earning money that cannot be considered as a true one, of moral value. Warren Buffett’s son admitted that he was not better than other people (Schroeder, 2009, p. 48).

Speaking about heroism we also should deal with an image of Mozart. “MOZART!…Spiteful, sniggering, conceited, infantine Mozart, Shit talking Mozart, You have chosen him to be Your sole conduit!” (Schaffer, 1981, p. 58). Apart from his genius which became the basis for his fame and recognition, the fact of his mystical death connected with his composition “Requiem” brought him an image of a hero. In this aspect we may admit that very often, various unexplainable facts, enigma, and naivety very often were the ground of heroism, although a posthumous one.

At last, we came closer to contemporary heroes of modern mass culture. Some experts admit that the notion of a hero disappeared many years ago. Due to the process of globalization, the problem of a hero and his/her image changed greatly.

To be a hero is to be a national hero, and to be a national hero is to have national recognition. If this were not the case the “American hero” would be defined by a small number of people, by a few individuals living within a limited geographical area. The American hero would be reduced to idiosyncratic and compartmentalized whim. (Edelstein, 1996, p. 4)

Still, it is not the greatest problem of the notion of a contemporary hero. What do we see in the movies Fight Club, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, and The Good, The Bad, The Ugly? The thing is that in these movies we can observe a constant interchange of the roles: a hero and an anti-hero. First of all, none of the characters of all four films can be regarded as pure heroes without any negative traits in character. Moreover, the act of heroism is closely connected with the act of destruction: one should destroy something, for example, to save the world.

To make a conclusion, we may admit that the image of a hero changed gradually due to historical events and changed in the system of moral values. It is petty to admit that a contemporary hero is a person who may commit a negative act, and the destiny of the world depends on the knowledge of whether a hero would do it or not.

References

Edelstein, A. (1996). How and Why America’s Heroes Disappeared How and Why America’s Heroes Disappeared. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.

Nietzsche, F. W. (1954). Chapter Eight the Futile Intellectual: Vulgarity Versus Art. In A Case Study in Civic Freedom A Case Study in Civic Freedom, Montgomery, J. D. (Ed.) (pp. 103-110). Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Schroeder, A. (2009). The Snowball Warren Buffett and the Business of Life. New York: Bantam Books.

Shaffer, P. (1981). Amadeus. New York: Harper Collins.

Tuana, N. (1992). Woman and the History of Philosophy (1st ed.). St. Paul, MN: Paragon Press.

Verbeek, T. (1992). Descartes and the Dutch: Early Reactions to Cartesian Philosophy, 1637-1650. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.

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The Philosophies of Heroism

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