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THE PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF HEROISM Every rational person, growing up, had his favorite childhood heroes. Maybe it was a John Wayne character in a Western action movie, leading the cavalry over the hill in a last charge against vicious bandits or marauding Indians. Maybe it was a swashbuckling swordsman who, ever loyal to his King, saves the Queen from a nefarious plot, like d'Artagnan in Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers. Maybe, as one grew older, …

…in danger and one fights to save them no matter the opposition or odds. Courage is integrity in a context: it is unyielding commitment to one's values in the teeth of a force or foe that threatens them. The brave man is not necessarily one who is unafraid but one who performs whatever protective actions his values require, no matter the intensity of his fear. This bravery is the especial moral hallmark of the hero.