The Courage to Be: Eyal Press

By Marisol Dothard

On Monday, February 16th, Bard College's Hannah Arendt Center successfully hosted its first dinner in "The Courage to Be" Dinner Lecture Series, with the keynote speaker being author Eyal Press. Press's speech took on a personal depth as he described his own experiences with the courageous characters from his book, Beautiful Souls: Saying No, Breaking Ranks, and Heeding the Voice of Conscious in Dark Times.

You can watch a recording of Eyal Press's talk below:

The Courage to Refuse - Eyal Press from Hannah Arendt Center on Vimeo.

In his book, Press follows four individuals who risk their lives or security by acting decisively and courageously when confronted with situations in which they were asked to do something they knew was wrong or even evil. All four could simply have complied and cooperated as did their peers. What made them say "No"? Press encourages people to examine the "anyone who saw...would have done the same thing" mentality and really discover what it means to be courageous by examining the thought processes and consequences of those who stood up for their beliefs in threatening situations.

I had the opportunity to interview Press after his well-received speech and learn that he as an author wants his book to be used as a mind-opening and conversion-starting tool about courage.

You can watch a recording of my interview here:

An Interview with Eyal Press from Hannah Arendt Center on Vimeo.