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53-678: The King's Gallantry Medal ( KGM ), formerly the Queen's Gallantry Medal ( QGM ), is a United Kingdom decoration awarded for exemplary acts of bravery where the services were not so outstanding as to merit the George Medal , but above the level required for the King's Commendation for Bravery . The Queen's Gallantry Medal was instituted on 20 June 1974 to replace the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry and

106-435: A boy's character can be improved by adding goodness to it. As one must know what sight is before one can consider it an improvement, so too it is necessary to have knowledge of what good is before it is used to improve a character. Rather than try to define what the whole of goodness is, Socrates thinks it would be easier to define an aspect of goodness that is relevant to the question: bravery. Laches advances that to be brave

159-405: A community with sin and corruption. Fortitude and courage are distinguishable in that fortitude is the mental or emotional strength that enables courage in the face of adversity. According to Presbyterian theologian William Swan Plumer , "There is also, in strict propriety of language, a difference between courage and fortitude. Courage faces and resists danger; fortitude endures pain.... Courage

212-464: A definition of all virtue (since it implies knowledge of all good and evil) and therefore, since courage is in fact only a part of virtue, a contradiction arises and the definition must be false. And so, in the end, Socrates finds both his companions' theories to be unsatisfactory, and the dialogue ends in aporia , an English term derived from the ancient Greek ἀπορία meaning "philosophical confusion". There are many different interpretations as to why

265-495: A general moral balance. Ambrose held that fortitude without justice occasions injustice; since the stronger a man is the more ready to oppress the weaker. Courage is a natural virtue which Saint Augustine did not consider a virtue for Christians. The Tao Te Ching contends that courage is derived from love ( 慈 故 能 勇 ) translated as: "From love one gains courage." In Hindu tradition, Courage ( shauriya ) / Bravery ( dhairya ), and Patience ( taamasa ) appear as

318-459: A goodness of manners. These virtues are always meant to act in the interests of individual while the positive and/or negative effects of society are merely a byproduct. This stems forth from the idea put forth in Leviathan that the state of nature is "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short" and self-preservation is the most fundamental aspect of behavior. According to Hobbes courage is a virtue of

371-502: A key factors in facing the Devil (both internally and externally). Many have this belief because of the courage the Prophets of the past displayed (through peace and patience), despite there being people who despised them. Thomas Hobbes lists virtues into the categories of moral virtues and virtues of men in his work Man and Citizen . Hobbes outlines moral virtues as virtues in citizens, that

424-435: A lack of an operational definition, the advancement of research in courage is limited. So they conducted studies to try to find "a common structure of courage". Their goal from their research of implicit theories was to find "people's form and content on the idea of courage". Many researchers created studies on implicit theories by creating a questionnaire that would ask "What is courage?". In addition, in order to " develop

477-557: A man for military duties, gives an advantage over untrained opponents, helps one understand military strategy, makes one braver, and gives one a martial appearance. Laches argues against the need for fighting in armour by claiming that the Spartans do not practice it; the instructors that Laches has seen are not brave soldiers and so have not benefitted from this knowledge; and it causes cowards to take foolish and damaging military risks. Melesias and Lysimachus ask Socrates to decide which side

530-551: A measurement scale of courage, ten experts in the field of psychology came together to define courage. They defined it as: the ability to act for a meaningful (noble, good, or practical) cause, despite experiencing the fear associated with perceived threat exceeding the available resources Also, because courage is a " multi-dimensional construct, it can be "better understood as an exceptional response to specific external conditions or circumstances than as an attribute, disposition, or character trait". Meaning that rather than being

583-409: A noble good or worthy end, despite, perhaps, the presence of the emotion of fear. To further the discussion of the implicit theories of courage, the researchers stated that future research could consider looking into the concept of courage and fear and how individual's might feel fear, overcome it and act, and act despite it. The term "clinical courage" came to light in relation to modern medicine in

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636-511: A religious root. For religion is the state of being grasped by the power of being itself. J.R.R. Tolkien identified in his 1936 lecture " Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics " a " Northern 'theory of courage'" – the heroic or " virtuous pagan " insistence to do the right thing even in the face of certain defeat without promise of reward or salvation : It is the strength of the northern mythological imagination that it faced this problem, put

689-407: A show character or an attribute, courage is a response to fear. From their research, they were able to find the "four necessary components of people's notion of courage". They are: With these four components, they were able to define courage as: a willful, intentional act, executed after mindful deliberation, involving objective substantial risk to the actor, primarily motivated to bring about

742-454: A sort of perseverance – "preservation of the belief that has been inculcated by the law through education about what things and sorts of things are to be feared". Plato explains this perseverance as being able to persevere through all emotions, like suffering, pleasure, and fear. As a desirable quality, courage is discussed broadly by Aristotle in the context of soldiers in battle for a noble cause. In Nicomachean Ethics , where its absence

795-492: Is "trusting in your own strength", as observed by Jacob Grimm in his Teutonic Mythology : Men who, turning away in utter disgust and doubt from the heathen faith, placed their reliance on their own strength and virtue. Thus in the Sôlar lioð 17 we read of Vêbogi and Râdey â sik þau trûðu , "in themselves they trusted". Ernest Hemingway famously defined courage as "grace under pressure". Winston Churchill stated, "Courage

848-487: Is a close connection between fear and confidence". Fear and confidence in relation to courage can determine the success of a courageous act or goal. They can be seen as independent variables in courage, and their relationship can affect how we respond to fear. The confidence that is being discussed here is self-confidence; confidence in knowing one's skills and abilities and being able to determine when to fight fear or when to flee it. Putman states that: "The ideal in courage

901-611: Is addressed earlier in Man and Citizen . David Hume listed virtues into two categories in his work A Treatise of Human Nature : artificial virtues and natural virtues. Hume categorized courage as a natural virtue. In the Treatise' s section "Of Pride and Humility, Their Objects and Causes", Hume wrote that courage is a cause of pride: "Every valuable quality of the mind, whether of the imagination, judgment, memory or disposition; wit, good-sense, learning, courage, justice, integrity; all these are

954-803: Is also one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit . Laches (dialogue) The Laches ( / ˈ l æ k iː z / ; Greek : Λάχης) is a Socratic dialogue written by Plato . Participants in the discourse present competing definitions of the concept of courage or "manliness", ἀνδρεία in Greek. Lysimachus, son of Aristides , and Melesias, son of Thucydides (not the historian Thucydides ), request advice from Laches and Nicias on whether or not they should have their sons (who are named after their famous grandfathers) trained to fight in armour. After each gives their opinion, Nicias for and Laches against, they seek Socrates for counsel. Socrates questions what

1007-501: Is correct. Socrates begins by trying to clarify what the actual topic is. He determines that the issue is the care of young men's character and asks if there are qualified teachers for this. Socrates confesses not to be skilled in this and assumes that Laches and Nicias are either versed in character building or else know of experts in that field. Socrates proposes to question them about this to see if they have qualified expertise. Nicias warns about Socrates' philosophical methods of getting

1060-401: Is fearful and encouraging, Socrates asks if a pig could be brave. Nicias denies that animals can be brave as he believes that a certain amount of wisdom is necessary for bravery and that very few people can be considered brave. Socrates playfully suggests that Nicias is being influenced by a sophist named Damon and offers to respond to Nicias' assertion. Nicias agrees that something 'fearful' is

1113-419: Is for action; fortitude for suffering. In this sense, fortitude differs little from constancy and patient endurance." Thomas Aquinas says that fortitude ranks third after prudence and justice among the cardinal virtues. He distinguishes fortitude from fearlessness, which can too easily become recklessness through short-sighted audacity with disastrous results. In both Catholicism and Anglicanism , fortitude

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1166-400: Is not able to express it properly. Socrates states that like a good huntsman pursuing a trail, they must persevere in the search for their quarry. They invite Nicias to give his definition of bravery. Nicias then offers another definition. He suggests that courage is "knowledge of what is to be feared and hoped for both in war and in all other matters". Since bravery is the knowledge of what

1219-561: Is not completely relative and is only appropriate if it 'matches the danger of the situation'". The same goes for confidence in that there are two aspects to self-confidence in a dangerous situation: Without an appropriate balance between fear and confidence when facing a threat, one cannot have the courage to overcome it. Professor Daniel Putman states "if the two emotions are distinct, then excesses or deficiencies in either fear or confidence can distort courage". Courage does not mean that you are not afraid, it means that you are willing to face

1272-430: Is not just a rigid control of fear, nor is it a denial of the emotion. The ideal is to judge a situation, accept the emotion as part of human nature and, we hope, use well-developed habits to confront the fear and allow reason to guide our behavior toward a worthwhile goal." According to Putman, Aristotle refers to an appropriate level of fear and confidence in courage. "Fear, although it might vary from person to person,

1325-399: Is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all others." According to Maya Angelou , "Courage is the most important of the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage." And C.S. Lewis wrote that "Courage is not simply one of

1378-471: Is that of "clinical recklessness", in which the actions of a clinician in stepping outside of their competence results in unprofessional behaviour, which exposes patients to risk or harm. One symbol often associated with courage is the lion . It is sometimes seen in the Catholic Church as a depiction of Christ's triumph over sin. It also is a symbol in some cultures as a savior of the people who live in

1431-550: Is the vice of cowardice and its excess the vice of recklessness , courage represents the mean between the two extremes. Thucydides , a 5th century  BCE Greek historian, wrote, "The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it." In the Roman Empire , courage formed part of the universal virtue of virtus . Roman philosopher and statesman Cicero (106–43  BCE ) lists

1484-466: Is to be a soldier who can hold his position in combat without running away. Socrates explains that his definition is very specific to military infantry and what he was really looking for is a notion of bravery that pertains to all military situations and extends to all situations in life. Laches offers an opinion that courage is "a certain perseverance of the soul". However, Socrates challenges this idea by arguing that there are many instances in battle when

1537-431: Is virtues that without exception are beneficial to society as a whole. These moral virtues are justice (i.e. not violating the law) and charity. Courage as well as prudence and temperance are listed as the virtues of men. By this Hobbes means that these virtues are invested solely in the private good as opposed to the public good of justice and charity. Hobbes describes courage and prudence as strengths of mind as opposed to

1590-816: The British Empire Medal for Gallantry, which ended the anomaly where the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry was awarded for lesser acts of bravery than the George Medal but took precedence over it in the Order of Wear . In addition, the QGM replaced the Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry (the last award of which was made in November 1974). It de facto replaced awards of the Sea Gallantry Medal , but this has never been formally announced. The Royal Warrant for

1643-586: The Royal Ulster Constabulary , almost twice as many as any other group). Forty-two of the awards were posthumous, and 27 were to women. Since the accession of King Charles III , the Queen's Gallantry Medal has been renamed the King's Gallantry Medal. The first six awards of the King's Gallantry Medal were announced on 14 May 2024. The medal is awarded for "exemplary acts of bravery" by civilians, and by members of

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1696-480: The Treatise : "We easily gain from the liberality of others, but are always in danger of losing by their avarice: Courage defends us, but cowardice lays us open to every attack". Hume considered what excessive courage does to a hero's character in the Treatise' s section "Of the Other Virtues and Vices": "Accordingly we may observe, that an excessive courage and magnanimity, especially when it displays itself under

1749-453: The 2000s, mostly in relation to the practice of medicine in remote or resource-limited settings. It has been described as the practice of medicine outside of a clinician's usual scope of practice, or relevant clinical guidelines, in order to provide essential medical care, where no alternative exists. It has been specifically discussed in relation to rural generalists, paramedics, general practitioners, and rural medicine. The opposing theory

1802-462: The Armed Forces for "actions for which purely military Honours are not normally granted". The award is not restricted to British subjects. The medal is silver and circular in shape, 36 mm in diameter, with the following design: Recipients are entitled to the post-nominal letters "Q.G.M" or "K.G.M.". Among the more notable recipients are: Courage Physical courage is bravery in

1855-614: The Hindu tradition, mythology has given many examples of courage, with examples of both physical and moral courage exemplified. In the Eastern tradition, the Chinese text Tao Te Ching offers a great deal of thoughts on courage, both physical and moral. According to Professor Daniel Putman, "courage involves deliberate choice in the face of painful or fearful circumstances for the sake of a worthy goal". With this realization, Putman concludes that "there

1908-526: The Principles of Morals . Søren Kierkegaard opposed courage to angst , while Paul Tillich opposed an existential courage to be with non-being , fundamentally equating it with religion : Courage is the self-affirmation of being in spite of the fact of non-being. It is the act of the individual self in taking the anxiety of non-being upon itself by affirming itself... in the anxiety of guilt and condemnation.... every courage to be has openly or covertly

1961-592: The Queen's Gallantry Medal was amended on 30 November 1977 to allow for posthumous awards, as was that for the George Medal. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II between June 1974 and the final list published in March 2023 after her death, there were 1,101 awards announced in The London Gazette , including 19 second award bars. The armed forces received 542 awards and civilians, including police, 559 (including 120 to

2014-518: The cardinal virtues but does not name them as such: "Virtue may be defined as a habit of mind ( animi ) in harmony with reason and the order of nature. It has four parts: wisdom ( prudentiam ), justice, courage, temperance." However, Cicero held that "a courageous spirit in a human who has not attained perfection and ideal wisdom is generally too impetuous". In De Officiis Ministrorum , Ambrose echoes Cicero in holding reservations regarding those who exhibit courage without yet having demonstrated

2067-442: The cause of pride; and their opposites of humility". Hume also wrote that courage and joy have positive effects on the soul : "...since the soul, when elevated with joy and courage, in a manner seeks opposition, and throws itself with alacrity into any scene of thought or action, where its courage meets with matter to nourish and employ it". Along with courage nourishing and employing, Hume also wrote that courage defends humans in

2120-567: The challenges that lay ahead of you. According to Putman, there are four possible ways courage could be distorted: Thus, Putman identifies fear and courage as being deeply intertwined and that they rely on distinct perceptions: "the danger of the situation", "the worthiness of the cause", "and the perception of one's ability". Plato's Laches discusses courage, but fails to come to a satisfactory conclusion on what courage is. Many definitions of courage are offered, including: ...a man willing to remain at his post and to defend himself against

2173-523: The dialogue ends in aporia . Certain commentators, such as Iain Lane, view the Socratic method of elenchus as an end in itself; that debate is the central premise and function of the dialogue . Others, such as Gregory Vlastos , see the dialogue ending because of the specific deficiencies of the characters' definitions. Some of the characters in this dialogue were famous military statesman who died in battle. Nicias

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2226-567: The enemy without running away... ...a sort of endurance of the soul... ...knowledge of the grounds of fear and hope... While many definitions are given in Plato's Laches , all are refuted, giving the reader a sense of Plato's argument style. Laches is an early writing of Plato's, which may be a reason he does not come to a clear conclusion. In this early writing, Plato is still developing his ideas and shows influence from his teachers like Socrates. In The Republic , Plato describes courage as

2279-435: The expectation of a future evil and something 'hopeful' is the expectation of a future good. Socrates then argues that full knowledge of any subject involves an understanding not only of future matters, but also of past and present. Thus if courage is the knowledge of future evils and goods, it must also necessarily be the knowledge of those of the present and past too. He then asserts that Nicias' definition actually amounts to

2332-613: The face of physical pain, hardship, even death, or threat of death; while moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame , scandal , discouragement, or personal loss. The classical virtue of fortitude ( andreia , fortitudo ) is also translated as "courage", but includes the aspects of perseverance and patience . In the Western tradition, notable thoughts on courage have come from philosophers Socrates , Plato , Aristotle , Aquinas , and Kierkegaard , as well as Christian beliefs and texts. In

2385-503: The first two of ten characteristics ( lakshana ) of dharma in the Hindu Manusmṛti , alongside forgiveness ( kshama ), tolerance ( dama ), honesty ( asthaya ), physical restraint ( indriya nigraha ), cleanliness ( shouchya ), perceptiveness ( dhi ), knowledge ( vidhya ), truthfulness ( satya ), and control of anger ( akrodha ). Islamic beliefs also present courage and self-control as

2438-450: The frowns of fortune, contributes in a great measure, to the character of a hero, and will render a person the admiration of posterity; at the same time, that it ruins his affairs, and leads him into dangers and difficulties, with which otherwise he would never have been acquainted". Other understandings of courage that Hume offered can be derived from Hume's views on morals, reason, sentiment, and virtue from his work An Enquiry Concerning

2491-618: The importance of courage: "The great epochs of our life are the occasions when we gain the courage to re-baptize our evil qualities as our best qualities." According to the Swiss psychologist Andreas Dick, courage consists of the following components: Researchers who want to study the concept and the emotion of courage have continued to come across a certain problem. While there are "numerous definitions of courage", they are unable to set "an operational definition of courage on which to base sound explicit theories". Rate et al. states that because of

2544-429: The individual in order to ensure a better chance of survival while the moral virtues address Hobbes's social contract which civilized men display (in varying degrees) in order to transcend the state of nature. Hobbes also uses the idea of fortitude as a virtue. Fortitude is "to dare" according to Hobbes, but also to "resist stoutly in present dangers". This is a more in-depth elaboration of Hobbes's concept of courage that

2597-485: The initial purpose of the training is meant to instill in the children. Once they determine that the purpose is to instill virtue , and more specifically courage , Socrates discusses with Laches and Nicias what exactly courage is. The bulk of the dialogue is then the three men (Laches, Nicias and Socrates) debating various definitions of courage. Nicias argues in favor of an education in fighting in armour for young men. He mentions that it promotes physical fitness, prepares

2650-451: The interlocutor to examine their own conscience. Laches states that he likes to hear discussions that are "musical", when a person's discourse is in tune with their actions. Paraphrasing Solon , Laches agrees to participate in Socrates' inquiry because he likes to learn from good men. Socrates uses a medical analogy to help define goodness: If eyes can be improved by adding sight to them, then

2703-511: The monsters in the centre, gave them victory but no honor, and found a potent and terrible solution in naked will and courage. 'As a working theory absolutely impregnable.' So potent is it, that while the older southern imagination has faded forever into literary ornament, the northern has power, as it were, to revive its spirit even in our own times. It can work, as it did even with the goðlauss Viking, without gods: martial heroism as its own end. Virtuous pagan heroism or courage in this sense

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2756-410: The prudent thing to do is to withdraw or flee. Since courage is a virtue, Socrates argues, it cannot contradict prudence, and therefore the idea that courage always demands perseverance must be false. Laches is forced to admit this contradiction. Socrates expresses his perplexity in trying to account for bravery. Laches wishes to pursue the conversation, saying that he has a sense of what bravery is, but

2809-442: The virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means at the point of highest reality." In Beyond Good and Evil , Friedrich Nietzsche describes master–slave morality , in which a noble man regards himself as a "determiner of values"; one who does not require approval, but passes judgment. Later, in the same text, he lists man's four virtues as courage, insight, sympathy, and solitude, and goes on to emphasize

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