Moral victory
Encyclopedia
A moral victory occurs when a person, team, army or other group loses a confrontation, and yet achieves some other moral
gain. This gain might be unrelated to the confrontation in question, and the gain is often considerably less than what would have been accomplished if an actual victory had been achieved.
For example, a sports team that loses fairly to a cheating team might claim a moral victory in spite of the loss. Another, less straightforward situation in which a moral victory could be claimed is if a team which is yet to win a game, and which has been blown out every game so far, loses by a narrow margin, or perhaps in an overtime of sorts, to a team which is either undefeated, or generally considered far superior.
For a real life example consider the Detroit Lions
of the National Football League
. Despite not having won a game in Green Bay, Wisconsin
, the home of one of their rivals the Green Bay Packers
, since 1991, they lost a game on October 3, 2010 by only 2 points. They also had 170 more total yards than the Packers. Some might call this a moral victory while others would say it is just the continuation of the team's futility.
Another moral victory can see seen in Arthur Miller
's play The Crucible
the character John Proctor
was executed but his children received his land
Others may include scenarios in which a force loses a struggle, but inflicts great losses upon their opponents. Examples include The Alamo and the 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae
.
Morality
Morality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
gain. This gain might be unrelated to the confrontation in question, and the gain is often considerably less than what would have been accomplished if an actual victory had been achieved.
For example, a sports team that loses fairly to a cheating team might claim a moral victory in spite of the loss. Another, less straightforward situation in which a moral victory could be claimed is if a team which is yet to win a game, and which has been blown out every game so far, loses by a narrow margin, or perhaps in an overtime of sorts, to a team which is either undefeated, or generally considered far superior.
For a real life example consider the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Despite not having won a game in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
, the home of one of their rivals the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, since 1991, they lost a game on October 3, 2010 by only 2 points. They also had 170 more total yards than the Packers. Some might call this a moral victory while others would say it is just the continuation of the team's futility.
Another moral victory can see seen in Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
's play The Crucible
The Crucible
The Crucible is a 1952 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism, when the US government blacklisted accused communists...
the character John Proctor
John Proctor
John Proctor was a farmer in 17th century Massachusetts. He married three women in his life, and divorced the first two. The last one he married was Elizabeth Proctor, who gave birth to two children, William and Sarah...
was executed but his children received his land
Others may include scenarios in which a force loses a struggle, but inflicts great losses upon their opponents. Examples include The Alamo and the 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae
Battle of Thermopylae
The Battle of Thermopylae was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states, led by King Leonidas of Sparta, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes I over the course of three days, during the second Persian invasion of Greece. It took place simultaneously with the naval battle at Artemisium, in August...
.