The hero or the fool?

Is someone who risks their own life (and those of others) in extreme situations and/or endurance activities a hero or a fool?

Famousdebater: If someone dies to save your life, that's not an act of stupidity but an act of love.

Famousdebater: Be more specific.

Krazy: That's a specific situation that you've picked up on but it doesn't actually tackle the question that I asked. The question simply asks whether risking your life in an extreme situation is brave or foolish. The question is broad and can refer to anything that comes under it. This also includes people doing very dangerous leisure activities such as tight-roping without anything to stop you from falling/ anything mitigating their fall.

If you answer to the question is: 'it depends' (which it probably will be) then explain what it depends on.

Dassault Papillon: It's a simple question that doesn't need to be any more specific. The entire point is that it's a broad question that depends on a lot of things. What I want you to do when answering the question is discuss what it possibly depends upon. Not discuss whether or the there is a yes/no answer.

Famousdebater: That's a specific situation that you've picked up on...
It's a specific question.

The question simply asks whether risking your life in an extreme situation is brave or foolish
No, your question was asking if risking your life in an extreme situation was heroic or foolish. There's a difference. You can be brave and jump into a wood chipper but that doesn't make you a hero. But whatever the case, it did answer the question. Maybe you just didn't like it or something, I don't know. But sacrificing yourself to save someone that you love isn't foolish.

Krazy: An extreme situation can mean a lot of things. Just answering for one particular scenario (in this case saving one's life) is not the only possible extreme situation.

So the question was indeed broad and your answer was specific to one possible thing that the question could possibly refer to.

Famousdebater: Just answering for one particular scenario (in this case saving one's life) is not the only possible extreme situation
You asked if somebody is heroic if they risked their life. That sounds like somebody saving a life, to me.

Krazy: I can risky my life is I go to the North Pole wearing a short sleeve tshirt and shorts. Risking your life is a lot broader than saving a life. A lot of things come under that one heading and so far you've only talked about saving a life.

Famousdebater: My grammar in that paragraph was terrible - I'm on my phone so sorry about that.

Famousdebater: I can risky my life is I go to the North Pole wearing a short sleeve tshirt and shorts
That would be foolish, not heroic. If that answers your question.

Famousdebater: More foolish than heroic.

Krazy: You're missing the point. I'm not asking you to answer these specific scenarios. I want you to tell me what the original question depends on to classify one as foolish or as brave.

Famousdebater: I want you to tell me what the original question depends on to classify one as foolish or as brave.
Well that wasn't your original question. It was whether he would be foolish or heroic. There's a difference. You can be brave by jumping into a wood chipper but that doesn't make you a hero.

You're missing the point.
I don't think you understand what your original question was, since you misquoted it twice. You keep asking if he would be foolish or brave, when you originally asked if he would be foolish or heroic. And my answer was heroic. If your asking whether he would be foolish or brave, then the answer could be both. Jumping into a wood chipper would be both brave and foolish. But if your asking whether he would be heroic or foolish, then the answer is heroic, since risking your life to save another man out of love is never foolish.

Krazy: Yes, that was my mistake for saying brave instead of heroic but you still haven't really answered the first question yet. Tell me what the extreme situation needs to depend on (if anything) for them to be classified as foolish or heroic?

Bi0Hazard: And what would it depend upon to classify one as foolish or heroic.

Famousdebater: Tell me what the extreme situation needs to depend on (if anything) for them to be classified as foolish or heroic?
Well that's what I'm trying to say. How can you be heroic without saving a life? That's the only situation that I can think of when that's possible.

Krazy: Definition of heroic: admirably brave or determined.

Famousdebater: I thought of a hero as someone who fights misfortune for some greater good. Not just simply a brave person.
I never thought of a BASE jumper who falls into a cliff side and dies as heroic.

Bi0Hazard: It said "admirably brave" not just brave. You wouldn't admire a base jumper who falls into a cliff side and dies so therefore they would not be a hero.