Our Newfangled Hero

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What does it mean to be a hero? Do heroes accomplish something legendary that will impact the coming centuries, or do heroes put themselves in harm’s way and sacrifice themselves for the benefit of all humankind? The hero originally defined by the Greeks has changed in modern times due to the integration of heroism with morality and ethics. Every supposed hero today, whether he or she is a soldier, firefighter, police officer, or doctor is not a hero by traditional Greek standards. In fact, the art of risking one’s life in order to save another’s life is not heroic at all.
Although possessing good morality is considered one of the essential characteristics of being a hero in today’s society, the Greeks did not factor moral character when originally classifying heroes. According to Scott LaBarge, a professor of Classics, specializing in ancient philosophy, at Santa Clara University, a traditional Greek hero was someone who accomplished something profoundly above the “normal scope of human experience”. (LaBarge) What LaBarge means with this statement is that anyone who e...

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