Whether Fear Hinders Action?
Objection 1: It would seem that fear hinders action. For action is
hindered chiefly by a disturbance in the reason, which directs
action. But fear disturbs reason, as stated above (A. 2). Therefore
fear hinders action.
Obj. 2: Further, those who fear while doing anything, are more apt to
fail: thus a man who walks on a plank placed aloft, easily falls
through fear; whereas, if he were to walk on the same plank down
below, he would not fall, through not being afraid. Therefore fear
hinders action.
Obj. 3: Further, laziness or sloth is a kind of fear. But laziness
hinders action. Therefore fear does too.
_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.
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