Heroism and Eudaimonia: Sublime Actualization Through the Embodiment of Virtue

Abstract

The notion of heroism as a virtuous existence endures in contemporary empirical studies of the phenomenon; “Heroism represents the ideal of citizens transforming civic virtue into the highest form of civic action, accepting either physical peril or social sacrifi ce” (Franco, Blau, and Zimbardo, 2011 , p. 99). Anderson ( 1986 , p. 592) observed that popular defi nitions of heroism cen- tre around the notion of ideals such as “great bravery, daring, boldness, valor”, including “vir- tue”. Building on prior extensive work on moral exemplars Walker and Frimer ( 2008 ) explores “transcendence in the lives of moral heroes”. Staats, Hupp, and Hugley ( 2008 , p. 370) argue: “Heroism is a virtue in search of empirical mea- surement, not only with regard to persons andsituations but also with regard to enabling and inhibiting factors (Peterson & Seligman, 2004 )”. The stories of heroism and heroic virtue that sur- mount national and world-wide crises are telling of the enduring relevance of these ancient ideals in our contemporary society. The study of well-being and optimal human functioning has been a growing central pre- occupation of research on human behaviour since the mid twentieth century. The past decade espe- cially has witnessed a surge in research on hero- ism and heroic leadership. The reinstatement and recognition of the importance of heroism in the twenty fi rst century is signifi cant in terms of redefi ning our concept of well-being in contem- porary culture. Introducing the concept of the “banality of heroism” (Franco & Zimbardo, 2006 ) escalates its centrality in everyday life, suggesting a transition toward a system of thought in which everyone is a potential hero. For exam- ple, a recent study conducted by Igou, Ritchie, and Kinsella ( 2012 ) highlighted “the importance of heroism in everyday life”. This study acknowl- edges the wide-reaching effects of the phenome- non across the spectrum of human experience: “The term hero is universal and understood to provide important physical, psychological, and social benefi ts to people” (Kinsella, 2013 , p. 1). We argue here that the grounding of heroic action in the everyday and the universal should drive the phenomenological conceptualisation of heroic eudaimonia as timeless phronetic wisdom in praxis – heroic phronesis is informed by lived experience and geared toward right and wise action, as well as independent decision-making centred on self-refl ection and mindfulness, con- gruent with the Ancient Greek understanding of the ‘good’. This chapter will reveal the heroic life as confl uent with the eudaimonic as “a lifestyle characterised by the pursuit of virtue/excellence, meaning/purpose, doing good/making a differ- ence, and the resulting sense of fulfi llment or fl ourishing” (Wong, 2011 , p. 70). But perhaps most importantly it offers an interpretation of the eudaimonic, alongside the heroic, as paradox – it is process and outcome, suffering and joy, down- fall and transcendence, weakness and strength, simultaneously. The pursuit of eudaimonia involves the acknowledgement of the mutual value of these contradictory forces, resulting in a negative rationality approach to well-being that transcends the “tyranny of positivity” (Wong, 2011 , p. 69); it sees crisis as a fundamental opportunity for growth, revealing the redemptive quality of phronetic action, and heroic action. This is exemplifi ed in a set of attitudes held by those who hold a stance of heroic readiness or potentiality as part of a journey toward a complex understanding of their own optimal state as humans. This state may be deeply uncomfortable as part of day-to-day lived experience, but also profoundly gratifying and actualizing when observed through the lens of a lifetime’s efforts or works (Kohen, 2013 ). In this chapter, we explore three major areas where the ideas of heroism and eudaimonia enhance each other and deepen our understand- ing of the good life, personal well-being, and group fl ourishing. First, we advance a framework for heroic eudaimonic living and autonomy; we present mounting empirical evidence of the uni- versal potency of heroism and hero stories for personal and community well-being and fl ourish- ing. This includes a brief discussion on the rela- tionship between heroic action and phronesis as part of the process of fl ourishing. Second, we propose that the achievement of heroic eudai- monia and the Good Life is historically and empirically bound to the tragic and the mastery of suffering – the thesis of the tragedy of unrequited heroism, or the costs of not pursuing a heroic path for eudaimonia is presented. Third, we examine the relationship between heroism and an encounter with primordial truth, situations that allow the actor to encounter the sublime. We argue that for some, this encounter is the only moment when fullest self-actualization is possi- ble. In these moments of crisis, heroes must drawn on deep intellectual, emotional, and physi- cal reserves and act in ways that are designed to create optimal outcomes in the midst of crisis. Despite the risks encountered in the heroic moment, this transcendent activity also has a hedonistic element, as the hero enters a state of sublime self-actualization. In this sense, the acceptance even of death can be seen as a hedo- nistic act, if one views the satisfaction of desire as the highest good and if one, in fact, desires to die well (i.e. to experience beautiful death ). Finally, this prospect for unifi cation of the com- peting notions of hedonism and eudaimonia is extended to a discussion on developing a theory of heroic eudaimonia, centred on a summary of the set of hero/eudaimon virtues that we have arrived at through considering this space. The discussion concludes with some fi nal thoughts on heroic eudaimonia as the summum bonum of the human pursuit of the path to wholeness and virtue.