What is moral heroism? In this book, Kyle Fruh criticizes virtue-centric answers to this question and builds a compelling alternative theoretical view: moral heroism without virtue. Drawing on real-world examples, psychology, and moral philosophy both ancient and contemporary, he argues that in fact the central achievement of moral heroes is the performance of high-stakes sacrifices, so that moral heroism is clearly not a sign of rare moral attainment among an enlightened few, but is instead something enacted by all sorts of people from all walks of life. He also looks at the question of how we respond to moral heroism, both by honoring it and by recruiting it to our efforts at moral improvement and moral education. His book is for anyone interested in moral excellence, the long philosophical traditions which examine it, and contemporary discussions of morally outstanding actions and agents.
By:
Kyle Fruh (Duke Kunshan University China)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Weight: 479g
ISBN: 9781009571500
ISBN 10: 1009571508
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 06 November 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction; 1. Cases and distinctions; 2. The case against the virtue approach; 3. A theory of heroic moral achievement; 4. Moral heroes: character, personality, and practical necessity; 5. Moral heroism and supererogation; 6. Heroism in moral education; 7. Responding to moral heroism: admiring, honoring and commemorating; Conclusion; Bibliography.
Kyle Fruh is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Duke Kunshan University. He has published in various areas of ethics, including climate ethics, the ethics of commemoration, promissory obligation, and the philosophy of sport.
