Book 3 / Chapter 8
Paragraph 9 - The Nature of Bravery and Perceived Bravery
Explanation - Part By Part
"People who are ignorant of the danger also appear brave, and they are not far removed from those of a sanguine temper, but are inferior inasmuch as they have no self-reliance while these have."
Aristotle is explaining that people who are unaware of the dangers they’re facing might seem brave, but their bravery is superficial. They resemble the "sanguine" individuals (who are overly optimistic or confident) but fall short because they lack a key quality: self-reliance. In other words, they don’t have the inner strength or confidence that sanguine people possess. Their so-called "bravery" is more a result of their ignorance, not true courage.
"Hence also the sanguine hold their ground for a time; but those who have been deceived about the facts fly if they know or suspect that these are different from what they supposed, as happened to the Argives when they fell in with the Spartans and took them for Sicyonians."
This part explains a significant difference between two types of people: those who are overly confident (the sanguine) and those who are brave based on ignorance. The sanguine, who are confident because of past successes or inflated self-assurance, may stand their ground in a dangerous situation for a while, believing they are capable of handling it. However, people who appear brave due to ignorance—meaning they don't fully understand the danger they're facing—will retreat or flee once they realize they were mistaken about the situation.
Aristotle uses an example from history to illustrate this: the Argives (a group from Argos) encountered Spartans but initially thought they were Sicyonians (a less threatening rival group). Once they realized the true identity of their opponents—and the much greater danger they were in—they retreated. This shows that their perceived bravery wasn't rooted in true courage, but in a misunderstanding of the threat they faced. True bravery, as Aristotle emphasized earlier, involves facing danger knowingly and for the right reasons.
"We have, then, described the character both of brave men and of those who are thought to be brave."
In this part, Aristotle is summarizing his exploration of two groups: truly brave individuals and those who merely seem brave but aren't actually so. Essentially, he’s distinguishing between genuine courage—rooted in character, virtue, and a noble understanding of danger—and false bravery, which stems from misunderstanding, overconfidence, or ignorance. This marks the conclusion of his detailed analysis of what constitutes real bravery versus superficial or perceived bravery.