"No war. Stop the war. Don't believe the propaganda. They are lying to you here." These are the words that Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova scrawled on a piece of paper before she burst on to the backdrop of Russia's biggest news programme, shouting "No to war! Stop the war!".

She managed to stay on the air for a few seconds before an editor switched to a prerecorded news item and she was escorted away. She was hauled in front of a Moscow court after hours of interrogation. She was fined £214,000 for publishing a separate video in which she called on citizens to "stop the madness".

Ovsyannikova is a long-time employee of Channel OneRussia's main public broadcaster. who has two young children. Her example has sparked a discussion of what it means to be brave.

This is a subject that has fascinated us. One of the first to write about it was LaoziA Chinese philosopher who lived some time between 6th and the 4th Century BC., founder of DaoismA philosophy and religion founded by Laozi. It teaches its disciples how to achieve perfection through self-cultivation.. He suggested that courage is derived from love.

Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates argued that true courage had to be supported with knowledge and wisdom. If you go diving without knowing how to do it, then this is madness.

Aristotle came up with a similar idea. For him, courage was between cowardice and recklessness, which should both be avoided.

Scottish philosopher David Hume suggested great courage is necessary to turn a person into a hero, but excessive courage tends to lead people to seek out unnecessary dangers, and ruin their lives.

One early proponent of the idea that courage contributes to our survival was Thomas HobbesAn English philosopher who is regarded as one of the founders of modern political theory., who claimed that courage was a virtue for individuals, but not always good for society.

Scientists now believe that we are hard-wired to be brave or cowardly.

When we are threatened, our body produces cortisolA hormone that helps the body deal with stress., which shuts off some of the higher functions of our brain. This sends us into 'fight-or-flightThe name given to an instinctive response in humans and animals when confronted with a threat. Traditionally it was thought that in this state of panic, we become either aggressive or cowardly.' mode. The brain has to choose between four responses: fighting, running away, freezing or collapsing.

Each one of these responses had advantages for our ancestors. If we are able to fight off the threat, we might want to do that. If we are not, it is preferable to run away. If we cannot outrun it, then we should play dead.

Not all of our brains pick the same option. Sometimes there is an evolutionary advantage in choosing the brave option, and sometimes the coward is more likely to survive.

Yes: Madness means acting in a way that is not conducive to our own self-preservation. Courage often leads us to take needless risks, and can sometimes put our loved ones in danger as well.

No: True courage is different from recklessness, which drives a person to seek out risks for their own sake. It means bearing adversity with fortitude and standing up for what is right.

Or... Perhaps bravery is a little bit mad, but then cowardice can drive us insane as well. It could be that madness is simply part of the human condition.