Socrates Definition Of Courage

When Laches revises his definition of courage Socrates finds the new meaning of courage as endurance of the soul problematic. Socrates in (192c3-d7) argues that Laches doesn't regard every action of endurance as courageous. He continues to say that Laches truly seems to regard courage as a fine thing. Meaning that courage is a beautiful thing, good for ones self. He then argues Laches into restating that he believes that endurance accompanied by by wisdom is a fine (beautiful) and noble action. Socrates goes on to argue 3 different problems for that definition of courage, one courage is fine thing (192c7), and foolish endurance is not fine (192d3). Socrates then comes to the conclusion that courage is not a foolish endurance. All occurrences of endurance are not all courageous. Therefore courage can’t equal endurance. From Socrates explanations Laches then refines his meaning again, that courage isn’t just an endurance of the soul but a wise one since courage cannot posses foolish endurance. (192d4) Socrates throughout the conversations with Laches (192c-d) is coming to a conclusion from Laches, that he believes that in order to be wise you must be courageous.

At first I found the argument against courage as an endurance of a soul quite confusing and hard to distinguish, but the more I logically look at the problem I agree with Socrates. The answer given by Laches, that courage is an endurance of the soul, is one that is too broad; endurance of the soul can be seen in many situations, both good and bad. If Laches regards courage as fine and noble, or in other words something that is good , it would make no sense for a foolish action to be good therefore Socrates against courage as an endurance of the soul is justified. Courage ...

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...e himself is confused and unable to come to an exact answer of what courage is. Socrates has contradicted his argument multiple times, and he doesn't know what definition of courage is suitable. I think that is why he is unable to respond, he is now unsure of the definition himself. It makes the reader think that no one can truly know the true nature of courage. In the end the key question Laches is left to ponder is what kind of wisdom, wise, foolish, or something entirely else, does courage require. The proposed meanings of courage can justified and unjustified in many ways and it does’t seem like Socrates or Laches know the real meaning of courage by the end of this selected text. It seem that courage is embodied through having knowledge somehow and not truly one that can be explained, but something that is experienced due to the meaning seeming so complex.