November 12th, 2022
“No man is a hero to his valet.” So goes the old saying, indicating in part that public displays of courage are often not what they seem to be. People might think they’re doing something courageous while not actually risking anything. Whatever else courage means, it has to include a response to serious risk. In this seminar we will consider Plato’s argument in the dialogue Laches concerning the nature of courage and its relationship to prudence and justice.