Courage under Fire: Testing Epictetus's Doctrines in a Laboratory of Human Behavior


 

Publication Date: December 1993

Publisher: Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace

Author(s): James B. Stockdale

Research Area: Law and ethics; Military and defense

Keywords: Vietnam War; Epictetus; Prisoner of war; Philosophy

Type: Other

Abstract:

When physical disability from combat wounds brought about Jim Stockdale's early retirement from military life, he had the distinction of being the only three-star officer in the history of the navy to wear both aviator wings and the Congressional Medal of Honor. His writings have been many and varied, but all converge on the central theme of how man can rise with dignity to prevail in the face of adversity.