Civil Courage: Its Role in the Contemporary World and Its Place in Social Science
Civil Courage: Its Role in the Contemporary World and Its Place in Social Science

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper is to argue a need to re-evaluate the notion andfunction of civil courage in creating conditions for cohesive, just and pluralisticdimensions of contemporary societies. It will assert that couragecan perform a vital social function by providing the basis for civic initiativesthat affirm human rights and dignities, enrich the functioning of institutionsand quality of civil society and enhance social or cultural change.Since the concept of courage is still commonly discussed using terms derivedfrom the Classical Greece, I will delineate this ancient legacy andits contribution to the persistence of various obstacles and impedimentsin theorizing about courage. This will be followed by a discussion of therelevance of classical sociology’s input into today’s understanding of thisnotion, after which I will demonstrate that currently, as a result of bordersocio-political and technological transformations, this notion is in urgentneed of re-evaluation. Finally, I will discuss the functions of civil couragein the contemporary world and its place in social science.

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