TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2018//
TI  - Achilles and the astronaut: what heroism humanities can teach heroism science
JO  - Journal of humanistic psychology
A1  - Curry, Ruth Martin
SP  - 571
EP  - 584
VL  - 58
IS  - 5
N2  - In its ambition to become a "transdisciplinary" field of study, heroism science should leverage the expertise of the "heroism humanities." This article uses humanistic knowledge to address one of the thorniest issues in the field: Who counts as a hero? After summarizing the "subjective" versus "objective" approach to defining heroism, I suggest the problem exists because we conflate two distinct conceptual categories: "Heroes," or the ascription of heroic status to persons and "heroism," or the ascription of heroic status to behavior. "Hero," with deep roots in classical antiquity, generates a far more diverse web of associations than "heroism," a modern construction. Using four examples from a recent news cycle of persons deemed "heroes" (a dictator, an astronaut, a victim of abuse, and an athlete), I demonstrate that a deeper appreciation of the Greek heroic tradition reveals that contemporary ascription of "hero" status is often a continuation, rather than a "diminution" of the word's historic meanings. Finally, I suggest that heroism science shift its focus from the study of heroic actors as natural objects to the study of how heroes function, discursively and symbolically, within their communities.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0022-1678
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022167817697797
ID  - ref1
ER  -