In contrast with the “hostile imagination,” in which warring countries dehumanize their enemies, Philip Zimbardo promotes the “heroic imagination”–and I love this idea.

Have you wondered if your fellow citizens would come to a stranger’s aid if needed? Have you ever witnessed a chance to do the right thing, and seen people’s reluctance to get involved? I’m tired of seeing bystanders simply stand by — from kids on a bus mutely hoping someone else will tell the bus driver he took a wrong turn, to people gawking at others obviously in need of assistance.

How can we foster the heroic imagination? In “The Banality of Heroism,” from the Fall 2006/Winter 2007 issue of Greater Good, Philip Zimbardo and Zeno Franco suggest:
1. Develop our “discontinuity detector.”
2. Don’t let a fear of interpersonal conflicts get in the way of standing up for your principles.
3. Think beyond the present.
4. Resist inaction.
5. Don’t be afraid to go left when everyone else goes right.

Zimbardo’s ideas are from his new book, The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil. Zimbardo is the man behind the Stanford Prison Experiment, which demonstrated how quickly people abused their power over others. The subjects tortured and humiliated ‘prisoners,’ in shockingly similar ways to the events at Abu Gharib. What Zimbardo emphasizes, however, is that “there are no bad apples, just bad barrels.” That is, context is key–Zimbardo takes a “public health” approach (concerned with conditions), rather than a medical one (concerned with pathology). What were the conditions that made it possible for Abu Gharib to happen, for abuse in prisons and covert detention facilities around the world to continue?

I think the steps towards developing the heroic imagination sounds like cultivating critical thinking, courage and integrity. These are key ingredients, of course, towards becoming better citizens and resisting all forms of injustice. (How is it that “patriots,” in the U.S., often refers to people who support their government without question? Can’t we be active, critical citizens and patriots?) It’s significant for me to see this clear connection between everyday attitudes and an approach to larger, more complex issues.

If we cultivate the heroic imagination, if we maintain our integrity and courage in this age of irony and pessimism, if we did what we really knew was right—What would be possible?