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209 Fear and courage are perennial topics of discussions in moral philosophy. From Aristotle’s analysis of the courage of the soldier on the battlefield, we have inherited the idea that courage, as with any virtue, requires two parts. First, we have to know what to fear, and what not to fear. Second, when confronted with what we should not fear, we should become fearless, so that we can be courageous. Courage is connected to values worth upholding. Recent books, like Corey Robin’s Fear: The History of a Political Idea, and former US Vice President Al Gore’s book Assault on Reason, have focused upon the uses and abuses of fear in politics. Both books speak of how the former Bush administration had been manipulating US citizens’ fear so as to keep itself in power. By the Bush administration’s using a certain style of rhetoric, inflammatory ad campaigns, and draconian laws, some US citizens have been frightened into thinking that only the Bush administration and its policies can keep them safe from attack by terrorists. The Robin book has a broader historical scope, suggesting that the problem of the manipulation of fear by elites has a long history. He focuses on the McCarthy years of finding and prosecuting “communists” and their Government by Fear, and How Activists of Faith Resist Fear Gail M. Presbey Marsh-Ch12.indd 209 Marsh-Ch12.indd 209 2/1/2012 4:53:12 PM 2/1/2012 4:53:12 PM 210 Gail M. Presbey sympathizers as a precursor to today’s “war on terror.” He also charts how civil society in the United States magnifies any attempts by government to instill fear. Often the private sector does the work of the government, threatening its workers with firing, or actually firing them if they do not tow the party line. Members of society mirror and reinforce government’s judgments by shunning those who receive bad publicity, in effect becoming the enforcers of government’s wishes. This essay looks at the life and works of Daniel Berrigan, long-time peace activist, poet, and author of books and essays. Berrigan has shed light on the distorting effects of both Church and State on our moral sensibilities . What we should fear, and what we should not fear, are clarified by Berrigan. We should fear having stones for hearts. We should fear becoming a nation of murderers. We should reach out to those whom we are told to fear. Not only does Berrigan demonstrate the clarity of discernment but he demonstrates the moral virtue of courage in his acts of speaking out as well as civil disobedience. He knows first hand the instruments used by government and civil society in encouraging conformity and discouraging dissent. Yet his connection in compassion to the suffering of others has made him willing to take personal risks to address the well-being of the larger whole. His background as a member of the Catholic clergy allows him to shed light on that other arm of government within civil society (given slight mention in Robin’s book)—organized religion. This essay focuses on four key stages of Berrigan’s life, recounting the challenges he faced in each and how he engaged in courageous action. The theories of Robin and Gore, as well as the moral analysis of Aristotle, Martha Nussbaum, and other philosophers will be brought in at each stage to show the significance of the struggles in which Berrigan was engaged. “Berrigan Learns to Speak Up” follows Robin’s theme of fear in the workplace to discern Berrigan’s early challenges within the Catholic Church and his religious order, the Jesuits. “The Catonsville Action” looks at courage in the specific example of Berrigan’s civil disobedience action, in Catonsville, Maryland, against the Vietnam War, including prosecution by J. Edgar Hoover that parallels the earlier political show trials of McCarthyism covered in Robin’s book. “Berrigan and Plowshares Disarmament in 1980” follows his Plowshares action in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, against nuclear weapons proliferation. “Other, more recent forms of resistance” recounts other more recent ways in which Berrigan has countered fear with courage: responding to the AIDS epidemic, “Star Wars” research projects in Manhattan, and the 9/11 attacks in his home city of New York. All four parts of his life are filled with examples of Marsh-Ch12.indd 210 Marsh-Ch12.indd 210 2/1/2012 4:53:12 PM 2/1/2012 4...

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