The Courage to Be: 8 key ideas
The core ideas of The Courage to Be, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.
- IDEA 1 OF 8
Courage affirms being despite threats
Tillich defines courage as the self-affirmation of being in spite of whatever threatens it.
Courage means continuing to live, act and hope even when anxiety and danger press in. It is ongoing.
- IDEA 2 OF 8
Anxiety has three forms
Tillich describes three types of anxiety: fear of fate and death, guilt and condemnation, and emptiness and meaninglessness.
Each era of history, he suggests, has been dominated by one of them.
- IDEA 3 OF 8
Death and fate threaten us
The first anxiety concerns our mortality and the uncertainty of fate.
Tillich argues that this anxiety cannot be removed, only faced with courage. Mortality is part of life. Courage meets it.
- IDEA 4 OF 8
Guilt threatens our moral being
The second anxiety concerns guilt, the sense of failing to be who we should be.
Tillich argues that accepting forgiveness helps us face this anxiety. Acceptance can heal it. Grace answers guilt.
- IDEA 5 OF 8
Meaninglessness haunts modern people
The third anxiety, typical of modern times, is the fear that life has no meaning.
Tillich argues that facing this doubt honestly requires deep courage. Doubt itself can become part of faith.
- IDEA 6 OF 8
Some find courage in groups
Tillich describes the courage to be as a part, where people find strength by belonging to a community.
This can support people but may also lead to conformity. Groups give strength and risk sameness.
- IDEA 7 OF 8
Others find courage as individuals
Tillich describes the courage to be as oneself, where individuals affirm their own identity.
Existentialists, he argues, expressed this courage. Standing alone can be heroic but also isolating and lonely.
- IDEA 8 OF 8
Faith beyond doubt gives courage
Tillich describes absolute faith, which accepts being accepted even in doubt.
He speaks of a God above God, beyond traditional images, as the source of courage. It is courage rooted in something deeper than doubt.
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