October Monthly Blog

A hero is not always the stereotypical “hero” seen in Beowulf; in modern society, heroes are now looked at from a scientific perspective. Scientist at the University of Oregon conducted an experiment that analyzed parts of the brain when given the opportunity to complete a “heroic action.” They concluded that some people just have a brain that naturally rewards itself for doing heroic or charitable actions. Another study is testing the idea that brains could be trained to always make the heroic decision, but many believe that the brain is already trained to respond with compassion and generosity. I can agree that the brain born with the inherited ability to feel compassion and generosity, but also selfishness and greed. I thought of preschoolers; they are all friends, but yet if someone takes a toy that they wanted then the greed kicks in. As members of society of grow older, the “selfishness and greedy” traits start to take over as the compassion and generosity shrink in not all but some. The real hero comes when the brain is still triggered to respond with compassion and generosity. Of course, society plays a huge role in this debate and it coincides with “nature vs. nurture,”

This article gave the example of a sky dying instructor who became paralyzed from the neck down after saving a women’s life when the parachute did not properly deploy. The debate comes from determining if Dave Hartsock, the instructor, is more of a hero than Beowulf. It is clear that the modern definition of a hero contrasts the idea of a hero during the time of Beowulf. Personally, I see Dave Hartsock as more of a hero because he gained absolutely nothing from the incident. Almost every battle fought by Beowulf resulted in more fame and attention, even in his final banner. The sky diving instructor received little to no fame and when asked about the incident “he insists he wouldn’t have done things any other way.” There are some striking similarities between the two men; especially that both Beowulf and Dave risked their lives for others, but I believe Beowulf’s brain responded better to greed. The contrasting of heroes must consider the societal norms because the idea of what a hero is has certainly adapted with society.  I am not in full belief that heroic actions are only from brain without any societal influences, but it is a plausible explanation for both the actions of Beowulf and Dave Hartsock

http://discovermagazine.com/2013/september/11-what-makes-a-hero