On the contrary, The Apostle says (Phil. 2:12):  “With fear and trembling work out your salvation”:  and he would not say this if fear were a hindrance to a good work.  Therefore fear does not hinder a good action.

I answer that, Man’s exterior actions are caused by the soul as first mover, but by the bodily members as instruments.  Now action may be hindered both by defect of the instrument, and by defect of the principal mover.  On the part of the bodily instruments, fear, considered in itself, is always apt to hinder exterior action, on account of the outward members being deprived, through fear, of their heat.  But on the part of the soul, if the fear be moderate, without much disturbance of the reason, it conduces to working well, in so far as it causes a certain solicitude, and makes a man take counsel and work with greater attention.  If, however, fear increases so much as to disturb the reason, it hinders action even on the part of the soul.  But of such a fear the Apostle does not speak.

This suffices for the Reply to the First Objection.

Reply Obj. 2:  He that falls from a plank placed aloft, suffers a disturbance of his imagination, through fear of the fall that is pictured to his imagination.

Reply Obj. 3:  Everyone in fear shuns that which he fears:  and therefore, since laziness is a fear of work itself as being toilsome, it hinders work by withdrawing the will from it.  But fear of other things conduces to action, in so far as it inclines the will to do that whereby a man escapes from what he fears. ________________________

QUESTION 45

OF DARING
(In Four Articles)

We must now consider daring:  under which head there are four points of inquiry: 

(1) Whether daring is contrary to fear?

(2) How is daring related to hope?

(3) Of the cause of daring;

(4) Of its effect.
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FIRST ARTICLE [I-II, Q. 45, Art. 1]

Whether Daring Is Contrary to Fear?

Objection 1:  It would seem that daring is not contrary to fear.  For Augustine says (QQ. 83, qu. 31) that “daring is a vice.”  Now vice is contrary to virtue.  Since, therefore, fear is not a virtue but a passion, it seems that daring is not contrary to fear.

Obj. 2:  Further, to one thing there is one contrary.  But hope is contrary to fear.  Therefore daring is not contrary to fear.

Obj. 3:  Further, every passion excludes its opposite.  But fear excludes safety; for Augustine says (Confess. ii, 6) that “fear takes forethought for safety.”  Therefore safety is contrary to fear.  Therefore daring is not contrary to fear.

On the contrary, The Philosopher says (Rhet. ii, 5) that “daring is contrary to fear.”

I answer that, It is of the essence of contraries to be “farthest removed from one another,” as stated in Metaph. x, 4.  Now that which is farthest removed from fear, is daring:  since fear turns away from the future hurt, on account of its victory over him that fears it; whereas daring turns on threatened danger because of its own victory over that same danger.  Consequently it is evident that daring is contrary to fear.