Wounded heroes

247 Pages·2014·1.3 MB·English

Wounded heroes: Vulnerability as a
virtue in ancient Greek literature and
philosophy
Author: Marina McCoy
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WOUNDED HEROES
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Wounded Heroes
Vulnerability as a Virtue in Ancient Greek
Literature and Philosophy
c
MARINA BERZINS M COY
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Dedicated to
John, Katherine, and James
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Preface
Vulnerabilityisnotoftenassociatedwithvirtue.Yet,tobevulnerable
is central to human experience. Etymologically, ‘being vulnerable’
means capable of being wounded (from its Latin root, vulnus or
wound). Thus vulnerability, as the capacity to be hurt, is distinct
from the state of actually being harmed or suffering pain. Instead of
communicating the actual experience of pain or harm, the term
communicates the possibility of such experience, and self-awareness
ofitspossibility.Onecanknowofone’sowncapacitytobewounded
directly,byexperiencingsuffering,butmayalsoknowitinsignificant
ways in the anticipation of harm, in its likelihood. To this extent,
vulnerability concerns not only the present moment, but also the
future. Vulnerability is a part of the human condition that is con-
cerned with living as temporal creatures who undergo change and
transformations of various sorts and who live with an awareness of
thelikelihoodofchange.Attimesthesechangesarejoyfulorsatisfy-
ing, at times painful or needful. A self-conscious and aware person
understands the meaning of his or her life in terms of a larger
temporalwhole,ofwhichvulnerabilityformsonepart.
Narrative is a central mode of expression through which human
beingsfindandcreatemeaningabouttheexperiencesandpatternsin
their lives. Such patterns are sometimes discovered or felt to be
‘found’ at the phenomenological level, but often only after the fact.
Currentincidentsorexperiences,whetherpositiveornegative,often
takeonadifferent kindofmeaninginhumanretelling oftheevents
later;whatwasconfusingorchaoticatthemomentmaylaterdisplay
akindofsenseormeaning.Attheexperientiallevel,thismeaningis
often found by making connections between events, persons, and
larger purposes that were not before apparent. While the meaning
ofanimmediateexperienceofhappinessseemsnottorequireexplan-
ation (in its pleasure and seeming ‘fit’ with our expectations of
happiness), suffering seems to demand explanation. When people
experience pain of their own, or witness it in others—especially in
extreme cases—there is an experiential demand to understand its
meaning, even when such meaning seems to be unavailable or diffi-
cultto discern. Such meaningisoftendeveloped through narratives,
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viii Preface
stories told about painful events, whether historical or mediated
fictions. The historical existence of real suffering makes significant
its performance in tragedy or other forms of (cid:1)(cid:3)Ł(cid:4)(cid:5). But (cid:1)(cid:3)Ł(cid:4)(cid:5) also
reflectsbackonhowwecometounderstandrealhumanexperience.
Indeed,suchexperiencesarereflectedonbywholecommunities,and
not only individuals, for the suffering of others, or its possibility, is
alsocentraltohumanexperience.Notonlymyown,butalsoothers’
suffering,isconstitutiveofmyownvulnerability.
The contention of this book is that Greek epic, tragedy, and
philosophy have important insights to offer about the nature of
human vulnerability and how human beings might better come to
termswiththeirownvulnerability.WhilestudiesofGreekparadigms
ofheroismandvirtueoftenfocusonstrengthofcharacter,prowessin
war,ortheachievementofhonourforoneselforone’s(cid:6)(cid:7)ºØ(cid:5),thereis
anothersidetoGreekthoughtthatextolstherecognitionandproper
acceptance of vulnerability. A number of Greek authors address the
question of the political value of vulnerability. Homer takes on the
darksideofwaranddoesnotshyawayfromdescriptionsofhuman
suffering along with glory. Sophocles creates a supreme tension
between the expectation of order and control, and the reality of
convolutedand unexpected humanexperience. Philosophers seek to
not only offer moral and political solutions to suffering, but also set
outthelimitsofsuchsolutionsandevenextolthevirtuesofacknow-
ledgingandaccommodatinghumanlimit.
TherangeofworksthatmightbechosentodisplayGreekengage-
ment with vulnerability is nearly inexhaustible. Thus, my aim here
has not been to develop anything like a comprehensive theory of
‘Greekculture’.Neitheristhedevelopmentofa‘theoryoftragedy’the
primaryaim—indeed,twoworksofSophocleswouldhardlysufficeto
develop such a theory. Instead, the larger purpose of the book is to
analyseandinterpretseveralimportantGreekworksofepic,tragedy,
and philosophy in order better to develop a philosophical under-
standingofvulnerabilityanditsroleinthelifeofthelargercommu-
nity. I have chosen literary and philosophical works in which the
imagery of wounding is prominent, or in which the question of
vulnerability’s relationship to ethical-political life is confronted di-
rectly. Physical wounds in these works are often accompanied by
deeper questions about the meaning of suffering, mortality, or other
formsofhumanfrailty.Thefocusonworksinwhichphysicalwounds
areprominentfeaturesofthestorythusservesasatropefordelving
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Preface ix
moredeeplyintopsychological,ethical,andinterpersonalvulnerabil-
itiesandtheirplaceinthecommunity.
The overarching thesis concerns itself with the central philosoph-
ical questions: (1) Why is awareness and acceptance of human vul-
nerability important to the thriving of both individuals and
communities? (2) How does narrative allow human beings better to
becomeawareofandrespondtotheirownvulnerability?Iarguethat
awarenessofone’sownandothers’capacitytobewounded,andthe
proper response to it, are a central part of virtue for successful
communities. Not only individuals, but also political communities,
must come to terms with and respond appropriately to the vulner-
ability that exists within. Indeed, vulnerability strengthens interper-
sonal bonds within a community, and is closely intertwined with a
number of different facets of ethical life. I thus suggest that rather
thantreatingvulnerabilityassomethingtobeavoided,vulnerabilityis
a necessary component of living a rich and authentic human life in
community.
A good deal of scholarship in philosophy focuses on the virtues,
that is, human excellence. This attention to the virtues makes good
sense,forcertainlyphilosophersandevenepicwritersandtragedians
seek to articulate the ways in which human beings can successfully
pursue lives of happiness and ethical living. Careful attention to the
virtuesthatallowthebestaspectsofhumanbeingstoemerge—orthat
assist us in combatting the worst—naturally focuses on human
strengths and political resourcefulness. Nonetheless, the reality of
human life often bumps up against the idealism of philosophy. The
meaningofacutehumansufferingisdifficulttodiscern.Moreover,in
thecourseofeverydayencounterswithothers,thequestionastothe
properresponsivenesstoothers’vulnerabilityarises.Iofferthiswork
on vulnerability not as an objection to the necessity of cultivating
individual and political excellence, but rather as complementary. To
beawareofandresponsivetothevulnerabilitiesofoneselfandothers
is just as important as our care for human excellence and strength.
Indeed,thesuccessofthepoliticalcommunityalreadydependsupon
its own recognition and appropriation of vulnerability in its midst.
Theappropriateresponsetovulnerabilityisthusakeypartofvirtue.
Myworkbuildsonthescholarshipofafewotherkeyfigureswho
have taken on the topic of human weakness. Martha Nussbaum’s
book,TheFragilityofGoodness,remainsaformativeworkon moral
luck in Greek tragedy and philosophy. Her insights into the role of
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