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Which question about courage is explored in Plato’s Laches?
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Plato
Plato, marble portrait bust copied from an original of the 4th century bce; in the Capitoline Museums, Rome.
In Plato’s dialogue Laches, the central question explored is the nature of courage.12
The discussion begins with an inquiry into how to best educate the sons of prominent Athenian citizens, which leads the participants to examine what courage actually is. The dialogue follows a typical Socratic pattern, moving from an initial definition based on outward behavior—specifically, "standing fast in battle"—to an attempt to identify the underlying inner state that defines the virtue.2
Ultimately, the participants consider whether courage can be defined as the "knowledge of the grounds of hope and fear," though the conversation concludes without any of the interlocutors reaching an adequate understanding of the concept.2