Transcript Character the the Marine Corps

Character:
What Aristotle Would Say to a DI
MCRD, San Diego
March 8, 2000
Lawrence M. Hinman
University of San Diego
[email protected]
Overview
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Introduction
Two Approaches to Ethics
Benefits of the Character Approach
Characteristics of Virtue
Courage
Self-Control
The Wise Rifleman
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Aristotle
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Teacher of Alexander
the Great
Set the terms of the
discussion for 2,000+
years in logic, biology,
rhetoric, and physics.
Familiar with the military
and the politics
– Wrote the constitution of
Athens
– Athens often threatened
by neighboring city-states
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Two Approaches to Ethics:
Rules and Character
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Rule-based Approaches: Develop a
set of rules that will cover all
eventualities
Character-based Approaches:
Develop a fundamental character that is
able to respond appropriately to new
and difficult situations
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The dream: a moral
calculus
The Rule Approach
A Moral Calculus
– Take a general principle
– Feed in the facts about
the actual situation
– Turn the crank
– Find out what the right
thing to do is.
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If the method works, it
eliminates moral
disagreement and
relativism by providing a
universal decision
procedure.
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Problems with the Rule Approach
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Two problems:
– Philosophers and others couldn’t decide on
the basic principles
• Consequences, intentions, duty
– Everyone found that the principles could be
applied in more than one way
• Analogy: dealing with ethical issues is more like
dealing with engineering problem
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Character
Recognizing the importance of
character helps to solve these
problems
– Character provides the foundation for
good judgment, which is the ability to
apply rules well
– The person of good character knows
when and how to apply the rules.
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Character and Human Flourishing
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Virtues, or strengths of character, are
necessary for human flourishing.
Suggests morality as internal instead of
external
Suggests morality as positive instead of
negative
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Combining Character and Rules
– Rules and character
not mutually
exclusive
– Analogy: American
judicial system
– Character without
rules is erratic,
unpredictable
– Rules without
character are often
misapplied
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Rules, Character, and the Corps
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The Marine Corps emphasizes both
– A clear sense of well-defined rules that
must be obeyed
– The flexibility to respond quickly and
effectively to new situations--e.g., urban
guerilla fighting
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Benefits of the Character Approach
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Discipline, in and out of uniform
– Character is part of who you are
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Faster decision making
– Doing the right thing becomes “second
nature”
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Dealing with new situations
– Increasingly necessary in today’s world
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Characteristics of Virtue
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Habit
Excellence (arete)
Necessary to a happy life
The Golden Mean between excess and
deficiency
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Marine Corps training
seeks to mold
character, to ingrain
virtues such as honor
and courage and
selflessness into habits
of character
Habit
– Basic training, the
Crucible
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Aristotle: habit is only
learned through
constant repetition.
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Excellence
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The Greek word for virtue, arete, is also
the word for excellence
Virtue always involves doing your best
in your particular role
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Character and the Golden Mean
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Strength of character, Aristotle
suggests, involves finding the proper
balance between two extremes.
Not mediocrity
See example of courage
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Virtues and Spheres of Existence
Sphere of Existence
Attitude toward self
Deficiency
Servility
Self-deprecation
Attitude toward
Laziness
goals in life
Ignoring them
Attitude toward
offenses of others Being a Doormat
Attitude toward
good
deeds of others
Suspicion
Envy
Ignoring them
Indifference
Attitude toward our
own offenses Remorselessness
Downplaying
Attitude toward
our friends
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Indifference
Mean
Excess
Proper Self-Love
Proper Pride
Self-Respect
Arrogance
Conceit
Egoism Vanity
Narcissism
Perseverance
Obsession
Anger
Forgiveness
Understanding
Gratitude
Admiration
Revenge
Grudge
Resentment
Over
indebtedness
Agent Regret
Remorse
Making Amends
Self-Forgiveness
Loyalty
Toxic Guilt
Scrupulosity
Shame
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Obsequiousness
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Spheres of Existence--2
Attitude toward our
own good deeds
Belittling
Disappointment
Sense of
Accomplishment
Humility
Selfrighteousness
Attitude toward the
suffering of others
Attitude toward the
achievements of
others
Attitude toward
death
and danger
Attitude toward our
own desires
Attitude toward
other people
Callousness
Compassion
Self-satisfaction
Complacency
Competition
Cowardice
Admiration
Emulation
Pity
“Bleeding Heart”
Envy
Courage
Foolhardiness
Anhedonia
Temperance
Moderation
Respect
Lust
Gluttony
Deferentiality
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Exploitation
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Courage
Excess and Deficiency
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Genuine courage is a mean
between two extremes
Too little: cowardice
Too much:
– Excessive self-confidence
– Blind to real danger
– Risks too much for too little
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The Unity of the Virtues
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Aristotle: To have any single strength of
character in full measure, a person must
have the other ones as well.
– Courage requires good judgment,
perseverance, strength of will, justice, etc.
– Without these other virtues, courage can
go astray—for example, being courageous
when one should be patient.
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Self-Control
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“Self-control is a crucial value for all
Marines to develop. It requires discipline,
patience, self-understanding and a willing
deference to others and the greater good.
In a hectic world where so many things are
beyond our control, self-control provides
personal balance and a firm anchor of
peace.”
Semper Fidelis,
C. C. Krulak, 1996
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Self-Control on the Battlefield
“The battlefield is chaotic and
deadly, and it is on the
battlefield that we hold the
responsibility of enormous
destructive power in our
hands. There, most of all,
self-control is the premier
ethical virtue.”
Semper Fidelis,
C. C. Krulak, 1996
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Two Types of Self-Control:
Continence and Temperance
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The continent person: has unruly
desires, but keeps them under control
– Example: the sober person who always
wants to drink but doesn’t
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The temperate person: has rightlyordered desires, wants the right things.
– Example: the sober person who just
doesn’t like drinking a lot
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True Courage
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Courage is the ability
to persevere in the
face of your fears. It
has several
components:
– Strength of will--guts
– Knowing what is
worth taking risks for
– Knowing how great
the risks really are
– Knowing how great
your abilities really
are.
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Cowardice
The cowardly
person:
 May not know what
is worth taking risks
for;
 May over-estimate
how dangerous a
situation is;
 May underestimate
his own abilities; or,
finally,
 May just lack
strength of will, guts.
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White Letter
No. 3-98
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Marines will be fighting
the “three block war”
“How do you impart to
a 19 year old the
intelligence, the tactical
skills, the decision
making ability--both
tactical and moral--to
know when to fire and
when to protect?
When to employ
supporting arms in an
urban slum and when
not to?”
C. C. Krulak,
Commandant of the Marine Corp
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Courage and Self-Sacrifice
Aristotle
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…the virtuous person labors for his friends and his native
country, and will die for them if he must…he will choose a single
fine and great action over many small actions…the one who dies
for others chooses something great and fine for himself. (1169a)
The Marines
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"There is yet another element…that defines Marines, and that is
selflessness: a spirit that places the self-interest of the individual
second to that of the institution. That selflessness is stronger
nowhere in American society than among Marines." FMFM 1-0.
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Courage
Excess
Mean
Deficiency
Underestimates actual
danger
Correctly estimates
actual danger
Overestimates actual
danger
Overestimates own
ability
Correctly estimates own
ability
Underestimates own
ability
Undervalues means,
what is being placed at
risk
Overvalues goal, what
the risk is being taken
for
Properly values means
that are being put at risk
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Overvalues the means,
what is being placed at
risk
Properly values goal that Undervalues goal, what
is being sought
the risk would be taken
for
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The Wise
Rifleman
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Aristotle:
– The clever man knows
the best means to any
end;
– The wise man knows
what ends are worth
striving for.
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“Very self-reliant, a lot
of self-confidence, but
easygoing. A lot of
common sense, too.”
Cpt. Steve Kruger,
quoted in Making the Corp, p. 271
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The Wise Rifleman, 2
General Krulak:
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“How do you impart to a
19 year old the
intelligence, the tactical
skills, the decision making
ability--both tactical and
moral--to know when to
fire and when to protect?
When to employ
supporting arms in an
urban slum and when not
to?”
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Conclusion
Web resources:
 This presentation:
– http://ethics.acusd.edu/presentations/MCRD/

Ethics Updates:
– http://ethics.acusd.edu/
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JSCOPE
– http://www.usafa.af.mil/jscope/
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USD series: James Bond Stockdale
Lecture on Ethics and Leadership
• http://ethics.acusd.edu/values/Stockdale/index.html
• USD Symposium on Just War Theory
– http://ethics.acusd.edu/applied/military/Justwar.html
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Third Annual James Bond Stockdale Lecture
In Conjunction with the NROTC Battalion of USD/SDSU,
The Values Institute is proud to sponsor the
James Bond Stockdale
Symposium in Ethics and Leadership
Dr. Louis Pojman
Professor of Philosophy
United States Military Academy
"Moral Saints and Moral Heroes"
Thursday, April 13, 2000
7:00 PM
Shiley Theater
University of San Diego
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General Regulations
Section 4: Duties of Individuals
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“All commanding officers and others in
authority in the naval service are
required to show in themselves a good
example of virtue, honor, patriotism and
subordination…to guard against and
suppress all dissolute and immoral
practices…”
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Regimental Order 1510.55
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3 (a): “Mission: Establish and implement
a program of character development
designed to enhance the leadership and
decision making on tomorrow’s
battlefield.”
T. C. Conway
Commanding Officer
Recruit Training Regiment
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Review of Current Objectives
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“Instill an understanding of and belief in
our core values of honor, courage,
commitment, those principles essential
to value-based decision-making,
teamwork, and leadership”
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Self-Control and Character
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“As Marines develop self-control, they
also improve their character.”
Semper Fidelis,
C. C. Krulak, 1996
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From Thucydides to Bosnia
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On the dissolution of Corcyrean society:
“Reckless audacity came to be
considered the courage of a loyal ally;
prudent hesitation, specious cowardice;
moderation was held to be a cloak for
unmanliness; ability to see all sides of a
question inaptness to act on any.
Frantic violence became the attribute of
manliness…”
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