Courage and Sacrifice

In the sixth chapter of Part One of Leviathan, Hobbes defines several emotions and commonly experienced passions. He begins with several basic definitions, such as appetite, desire, love, aversion, hate, joy, and grief. All of these are built from two basic motions, appetite and aversion. Hobbes defines aversion as a feeling “we have for things, not only which we know have hurt us, but also that we do not know whether they will hurt us or not” (vi.4). He goes on to define fear as “aversion with opinion of hurt from the object” (iv.16). Consequently, courage is “the same with hope of avoiding that hurt by resistance” (iv.17). I find this definition of courage lacking. Such a limited definition of courage seems to leave out the possibilities of selfless courage or sacrifice, which is never addressed. Hobbes’ definition appears to be focused on the preservation of the individual, but not the group. If courage is simply attempting to avoid a potential harm through resistance, then sacrifice would be just the opposite. Surely sacrifice requires great courage, yet it is taking a hurt upon oneself in order to prevent others from experiencing that very same hurt. Hobbes’ definition would only be strengthened by a clearer explanation of self-preservation in comparison with altruism.