“I mean to say, Laches, that courage is the knowledge of that which inspires fear or confidence in war, or in anything.”
- Source
- Laches
- Date
- 4th century BCE
- Local voice
- Dialogue speaker · Nicias
- English wording
- Benjamin Jowett — Translator · from Ancient Greek
Meaning of “I mean to say, Laches, that courage is…”
Nicias suggests that courageous judgment depends on understanding when danger deserves fear and when there is reason for confidence. Laches disputes the link between courage and specialized knowledge, and Socrates presses Nicias on what knowledge of future good or evil entails. It remains a hypothesis under examination, not a definitive philosophical verdict.
Where does it come from?
Laches, around Stephanus 194e–195a, Benjamin Jowett English, Project Gutenberg #1584. Nicias speaks to Laches after Socrates invites an alternative to Laches’s endurance account; subsequent questioning probes the scope of knowledge about fear and hope and leaves the inquiry unresolved. The local dramatic speaker is Nicias, not Plato personally. The wording occurs in the dialogue body, not Jowett’s introduction.
Why the local voice matters
Laches around 194e–195a in Jowett translation; a provisional knowledge-of-fear account that the speakers contest.
