Civil courage
de:Zivilcourage hr:Građanska hrabrost no:Sivilkurasje pl:Odwaga cywilna sv:Civilkurage
Civil courage is “the state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear, or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution" [1]
Word origin
Civil courage, sometimes only called courage, is composed of the words civil (latin civilis) and courage (french). The term Civil Courage was first documented in 1835 in French as “courage civil; Courage of the individual for one's own judgement. In 1898 Le Gall used the term "courage civique" (civic courage) in his writings.
Civil Courage today
According to Gerd Meyer, a German political scientist, civil courage is not a property of a certain person, but a particular type of socially responsible acting. Civic acting occurs in situations where core values and social norms (e.g. human dignity, human rights, justice) or the physical or psychological integrity of a person are violated. Those who are willing to threaten disadvantages for themselves to advocate for the preservation of human and moral values, for the integrity of other persons, truly show civil courage.
Civil courage is often equalized with help, but the following four characteristics distinguish help from civil courage.
- There is a conflict between those who violate the above values and norms and those who stand up for their preservation.
- There are often undefinable risks, that is, the success of civil courage is usually uncertain, and the acting person is willing to accept disadvantages.
- Civil courage is public, which means, as a rule; more than two people are present.
- There is a real or subjective perceived power imbalance to the disadvantage of those who want to act courageously, for instance because they are in a minority / majority situation.
Meyer also distinguishes three types of acting with civil courage;
- Intervention in favour of others, usually in unforeseen situations, where you have to decide quickly what to do.
- To deploy- usually without acute pressure to act for general values, for the rights or interests of others. .
- To defend- defending yourself/ someone else against physical attacks, mobbing or injustice, to stand by your or someone else's decisions, to say “no”- this requires courage, as the person showing civil courage may face penalties by authorities, representatives of the prevailing opinion, or her/ his social environment.
Civil Courage Price
The Civil Courage Prize is a human rights award which recognizes "steadfast resistance to evil at great personal risk — rather than military valor."[2] The prize was founded in 2000 by the Northcote Parkinson Fund. The goal of the prize is not to create a "ranking", but "to draw attention individually to some extraordinary heroes of conscience." It was inspired by the example of Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn. [3]
Studies
One of the most interesting phenomena concerning civil courage is the bystander effect. The bystander effect, is a social psychological phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. The greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any one of them will help.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Civil courage". thefreedictionary.com. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ↑ "Civil Courage Prize: About Us". www.civilcourageprize.org. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ↑ "Civil Courage Prize: About the Prize". www.civilcourageprize.org. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
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