"The Courage to Be" by Paul Tillich (published 1952).
1. The Stage of Being
The book begins with Tillich reflecting on what it means simply to be, to
exist. He observes that courage has traditionally been treated as a virtue (a
form of fortitude, wisdom, self-affirmation) in thinkers from Plato, the
Stoics, Spinoza, Nietzsche and others. But Tillich insists: before we ask just what
courage does, we must ask what being is, because courage, in his view, is
rooted in the very structure of existence (ontology) rather than simply ethics.
In other words, being precedes doing, and courage is the affirmation of being
in spite of threats to it.
2. Non-Being and Anxiety
From this ontological grounding, Tillich turns to the phenomenon of
anxiety. He argues that human beings who exist in time, space, and finitude are
always confronted by the possibility of non-being, the horizon of
meaninglessness, death, dissolution.
He distinguishes between fear (which has a definite object) and anxiety (which
hovers around non-being itself, an indefinable “not-being”). He then identifies three major forms of existential anxiety:
In sum, to live is to risk non-being in multiple registers. Anxiety is not simply a bad feeling, it reveals something fundamental about our condition.
3. Pathological Anxiety, Vitality and Courage
Tillich then asks: what happens when these anxieties become pathological?
When vitality diminishes, when one succumbs to despair or meaninglessness, one
loses courage. He explores how medicine, psychology, religion try to handle
anxiety, but he holds that the root is metaphysical, tied to our ontological
structure.
Vitality, for Tillich, is the power of being which affirms itself even under
threat; the more vitality a person has, the more he or she can affirm being
despite non-being. Courage is this affirmation.
4. Two Modes of Courage: Participation and Individualization
After laying the groundwork, Tillich explores how humans historically respond (and can respond) to the anxiety of non-being. He offers two principal modes of the courage to be:
Tillich claims that neither mode alone is adequate. The individual must both belong (participate) and yet be itself (individualize), but the tension between these must be held. He uses the polarity “participation – individualization” to articulate the structure of courage.
5. The Transcendent Solution: Absolute Faith
Finally, Tillich brings in the theological dimension. He argues that the
courage to be ultimately rests on what he calls “absolute faith.” This faith is
not belief in a particular theistic God in the usual sense, but a trust or
openness to “the power of being-itself” (a “God above God”) that transcends the
subject-object structure.
In this final chapter the three anxieties are addressed with three
corresponding forms of courage:
Tillich thus holds that in the moment of our deepest doubt,when God seems to have disappeared, when our world seems groundless, that is the moment the “power of being-itself” appears, and that is the source of the courage to be. He puts it poignantly: “The courage to be is rooted in the God who appears when God has disappeared in the anxiety of doubt.”
6. Themes and Implications
Narratively, what emerges is a story of a human being who confronts the
void, guilt, the fragility of meaning, yet chooses not despair, but affirmation.
From the horizon of death, meaninglessness, and condemnation, courage arises as
saying “in spite of”, in spite of anxiety, I affirm my being; in spite of death,
I live; in spite of guilt, I accept myself; in spite of emptiness, I affirm
meaning.
Tillich’s theology is existential: It doesn’t promise easy answers or smooth
optimism. It invites a confrontation with non-being, and an acceptance of the
negative, and in that acceptance discovers the positive. It’s a dialectical
journey: being ↔ non-being; individualization ↔ participation; doubt ↔ faith.
Historically, Tillich was writing in the mid-20th century, in the aftermath of
wars, disintegration of traditional certainties, the rise of nihilism. His book
addresses the “age of anxiety” and seeks a way for individuals (and
communities) to find the power to be in a groundless world.
7. Narrative Arc (In Story-Form)
Imagine a person, call her Anna, living in a time when old certainties are
fading. She has achieved certain things (education, career, relationships) but
the feeling remains: everything is transient, death looms, the sense of purpose
slips, guilt stands at her door, and she wonders: “Is there any ultimate
foundation for my being?”
Anna experiences first the anxiety of fate: the impermanence of her
achievements, the inevitability of death. Then the anxiety of guilt: the
mistakes, the failures, the moral ambiguity of her life. Then the dread of
meaninglessness: the world keeps changing, beliefs shift, what held her up
before no longer holds.
She tries identifying with a group, community, ideology, movement, finding solace
in belonging. But soon she notices the cost: her individuality is swallowed,
she becomes a part, loses some self. She then turns inward: asserts her
uniqueness, her authenticity, makes personal commitments. Yet again she finds
the risk: isolation, meaning becomes fragile, the whole weight now rests on her
shoulders.
In her darkest hour, Anna confronts the abyss: the god she believed in has
vanished, the world gives no ultimate answer. But in this moment she discovers
a new possibility: that being itself is not threatened by non-being, it is the
power that affirms itself. She accepts herself as accepted, she says “yes” to
her own being in spite of non-being. She acts, she hopes, she loves, not because
all is guaranteed, but because she trusts the ground of being, the “God above
God,” that carries even her doubt.
And thus she finds the courage to be.
8. Why the Book Matters
Tillich’s work continues to resonate because of its honesty about doubt,
meaninglessness and death, real human experiences often avoided in theology or
philosophy. He doesn’t sidestep anxiety; he embraces it as the doorway to a
deeper kind of courage. Many readers find this liberating: one is not expected
to pretend everything is fine, but rather to live in spite of what is not fine.
Moreover, his fusion of philosophical reflection (ontology, existentialism)
with theological depth (faith, God as being-itself) allows him to speak both to
secular and religious readers. The idea that the “ground of being” is
accessible in moments of courage gives a bridge between existential dread and
hope.
Lastly, the theme of “affirmation in spite of” remains timely: in an age of
rapid change, alienation, moral confusion, the question “How do I have the
courage to be?” is as urgent as ever.