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The Problem with Courage
The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein volunteered to fight in the First World War despite his eligibility for medical exemption.
He served on the front line by choice, seeing some of the heaviest action of the war. He was an artillery spotter, often stationed in no man’s land, and an obvious target of enemy sniper fire.
He drew his strength from a new-found spiritual faith, he wrote copious notes about his belief that God had given his life meaning among the death, destruction and decay of the front lines.
He carried a copy of Tolstoy’s Gospel in Brief, becoming known by his fellow soldiers as the “man with the Gospels”. A mythic figure — a young hermit in no man’s land, somehow defying the snipers’ bullets and mortars. He was awarded medals for valour, even being nominated for the very highest accolades.
A report described a man of great honour and integrity: “His exceptionally courageous behaviour, calmness, composure, and heroism won the total admiration of the troops.”
He was a hero, an inspiration, an exemplary soldier and citizen.
The problem is, he was on the wrong side.
He fought for his homeland, Austria, against the western allies and against the friends he had made while studying in England. When the allies won the war in 1918 Wittgenstein found himself in an Italian prisoner of war camp. His valour counted for nothing when he returned to England. The victors write history.
Some of the bravest human beings to step foot on the planet have been on the wrong side. It’s awkward when courage is put in the service of evil. We try to claim people are brainwashed, lied to, or manipulated. But really, what is the difference?
A question will always bug us. What if we’re wrong?
Courage doesn’t care what you are doing, it just helps you do it better. Courage is indifferent. Courage is an extraordinary attribute in human beings. But is it a virtue?
It has been widely considered as such for thousands of years. It’s one of the four classic “cardinal” virtues dating back to Ancient Greece, along with wisdom (prudence), justice and temperance.
