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  • Essay / The connection between courage and justice based on the literature of Aristotle

    Courage and justice have been two much-discussed values ​​throughout the semester, and in this essay I will seek to connect the two together as well than to connect the ideas in accordance with Aristotle's idea. The Nicomachean Ethics, The Illiad and The Epic of Gilgamesh. According to the dictionary, courage is defined as “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, or pain without fear.” Justice is defined as “respect for what is just, especially fair treatment and due reward, in accordance with honor, standards, or the law.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In The Iliad as well as The Epic of Gilgamesh, we have seen that the definition of courage is something a little different. Generally, courage is considered to be the physical strength of the main characters and, likewise, their ability to kill, maim, and steal as they see fit. Gilgamesh's courage is measured by the number of people he has conquered and held power over, or by the number of bloodthirsty monsters he has indiscriminately slain. Achilles' courage was determined in The Iliad by his presence (or absence) on the battlefield and, later, by the immense loss of life Achilles caused. Essentially, courage, as these two texts show, can simply be measured by the two-dimensional actions or accomplishments of the main characters with little or no analysis of context, values, or purpose. This begs the question: where does justice come into play with these two “heroes” and their definitions of courage? To answer this question, Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics can provide insight into courage and justice, and perhaps how these values ​​manifest themselves. themselves through these literary works. When it comes to the reasons for our actions, whether motivated by courage or justice, Aristotle examines both types of action, voluntary action and involuntary action. Basically, voluntary action is considered action over which we have control, such as everyday actions or life decisions, and involuntary action is action that outside powers control. An example given by Aristotle is that of a person blown away by the wind. But, as Aristotle mentions, not all actions are so black and white. Aristotle introduces a third type of action, "non-voluntary", which essentially means that someone commits an act and feels neither sadness nor remorse afterwards, whereas an involuntary action implies that someone feels remorse extremes after acting out of ignorance. for justice, I believe that non-voluntary actions are equivalent to unjust actions, that is, against the common good or simply against what is right and motivated by selfish desires or beliefs. Involuntary actions are also actions that are not normally associated with immense courage, as it is not considered praiseworthy to commit an unjust act. However, since courage is defined as acting in the face of adversary, we see that unjust and unwilling actions actually amount to a healthy dose of courage. For example, in The Iliad, Achilles spends much of the beginning of the epic with extreme anger towards Agamemnon, with whom he is supposed to fight on the same side. Because Achilles' rage and refusal to cooperate with Agamemnon are motivated by selfish reasons and a desire for power and recognition, his actions are voluntary according to Aristotle, but unjust. His..