whither moral courage?

by MaxEntropy_Man Sun Apr 28, 2013 9:13 pm

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/opinion/sunday/whither-moral-courage.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&smid=tw-share

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun Apr 28, 2013 10:07 pm

That is bcz physical bravery is easy to identify and recognize with little disagreement. Moral correctness has become very vague with a whole lot of other factors, justification, and reasoning thrown in.

WMD and the Iraq war come to mind.

by Merlot Daruwala Mon Apr 29, 2013 5:03 am

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/opinion/sunday/whither-moral-courage.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&smid=tw-share

In a truly free society, where anyone can hold any opinion and express it freely and not suffer for it, there can't be a case for moral courage. Perversely, it is the persecution that elevates the mere holding of an opinion to moral heroism, and mediocre simpletons to sainthood.

by Idéfix Mon Apr 29, 2013 1:26 pm

I don't buy his thesis. If one man's hero is another's villain today, that is not a new development. Today's heroes -- Gandhi, Lincoln, Mandela -- were all vilified by their opponents in their day. Winston Churchill and Nathuram Godse could not stand Mohandas Gandhi. Neither saw moral courage in Gandhi.

by Petrichor Mon Apr 29, 2013 1:41 pm

Moral courage today is (and may always have been) calculated risk-taking with the highest asymmetrical wager that ends with the risker taking down the House.

by Petrichor Mon Apr 29, 2013 2:12 pm

Idéfix wrote:I don't buy his thesis. If one man's hero is another's villain today, that is not a new development. Today's heroes -- Gandhi, Lincoln, Mandela -- were all vilified by their opponents in their day. Winston Churchill and Nathuram Godse could not stand Mohandas Gandhi. Neither saw moral courage in Gandhi.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/thrill-of-the-chaste-the-truth-about-gandhis-sex-life-1937411.html

by Merlot Daruwala Tue Apr 30, 2013 12:33 am

Idéfix wrote:I don't buy his thesis. If one man's hero is another's villain today, that is not a new development. Today's heroes -- Gandhi, Lincoln, Mandela -- were all vilified by their opponents in their day. Winston Churchill and Nathuram Godse could not stand Mohandas Gandhi. Neither saw moral courage in Gandhi.

Take the even more ambiguous example of Sardar Sobha Singh - Khushwant Singh's dad. When Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt threw bombs onto the floor of the legislative assembly, Sobha Singh was there and eventually became prosecution's witness to identify the perpetrators of that act of terror.

It must have taken moral courage to support the due process of law and finger the leader of a terrorist cell (whose accomplices were at large and might seek revenge), and that too a fellow sikh, belonging to a very close-knit community. And yet, for his courage, he was labeled a traitor and even decades later, after earning millions and doing much philanthropy, Sardar Sobha Singh's name remained forever tainted.

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Tue Apr 30, 2013 12:41 am

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/opinion/sunday/whither-moral-courage.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&smid=tw-share

I always thought that you were around 41 or 42... Razz

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