Joan Robinson: Utter Fearlessness

The quality that stands out in my memory of Joan Robinson is something very rare in England and the United States, so rare indeed that there is not even a word for it. The Austrians call it Zivilcourage. The translation of ‘moral courage’ is somewhat too pompous, and ‘civilian courage’ does not catch the flavor. Courage and fearlessness are certainly involved, and it is a form of courage that has little to do with the courage displayed by wartime heroes in battle. Men and women of great physical courage can turn out to be utter cowards when it comes to displaying Zivilcourage. A test for it is the following setting: you attend a meeting of important people, whose judgment and power you respect. A topic is discussed and views are voiced round the table. A consensus emerges. Finally, it is your turn to give your views. You utterly disagree with the emerging consensus. Do you have the guts to say what you think, at the risk of being regarded a fool or a knave by all the other distinguished people, or do you modify your views or suppress them? In my experience, people with no physical courage can display great Zivilcourage on such an occasion, and vice versa.