Why is the lack of fear considered to be a weakness?

Question

I mean as long as a person is relatively smart (and mentally stable) and doesn't do stupid things, why is the lack of fear considered to be a weakness?

Answer 1

Aristotle defined it the best for me with his virtue theory.

All things like, courage, need to be assessed for every situation and then an intelligent decision needs to be made. The truly virtuous person is the one that can apportion the amount of courage that is needed for each situation.

Too much courage is foolhardy, not enough is cowardice.

For example, a child is drowning in a fast moving river:
A foolhardy person jumps in without thinking and they drown along with the child.

A cowardly one is too tentative and by the time the get around to getting in the child has drowned.

The virtuous one finds a spot just up stream where the bank is lower and the water is a bit slower, runs to it and rescues the child when it gets closer.

~Tollbooth Willy

Answer 2

Fear is a biological/psychological response to risk or danger (real or imagined). Can be as mild as nervousness all the way to paranoia and phobias.

"current research on the neural circuitry of emotion suggests that emotion is an essential part of human decision-making and planning" ~ Wiki, Emotion

Since we are genetically programed to have emotions such as fear, anger, joy, sadness, etc; it makes you wonder when someone doesn't seem to have any emotions. That's actually part of the definition of a psychopath.

Maybe you mean suppression or overcoming of fear? True courage is doing something despite your fear not having a lack of fear. To take from Tollbooth Willy's example: If that person rescuing the child has a fear of water and still jumps in, s/he's not only virtuous but also courageous!

It's easy to do something you don't fear. I'll swim in deep water all day long, but I'm cautious about standing on the top rung of a ladder. Not because of the stupidity of doing it, but because I have a healthy respect for heights - one may say fear. I'll catch garden snakes, but I'm nervous & jumpy when I do.

Answer 3

So long as the lack of fear is backed up by a confident and well considered plan to tackle whatever the danger is expected to be, it amounts to preparedness to meet the challenge and hence not considered either foolhardy or a weakness.

Answer 4

If you fear nothing than your chances of being killed in the animal kingdom in a life and death situation increases dramatically because you fight more fights. You can't win them all. If you fear nothing as a human then you will be prone to making bad decisions in life that can hurt your chances of attaining certain goals. Lack of fear is not courage. Being fearlless impedes good judgement, therefore, it is a weakness. .

Answer 5

I don't think no fear is a weakness. Usually when you have a fear, you need to conquer it, which makes you stronger. Having no fear is the same deal as well, because you were strong to begin with.

Answer 6

Fear is an important part of our defenses, it is not always wrong. People without fear often do stupid things, like get drunk and have sex in a bar, and pay for the consequences later on.

Answer 7

Fear is like your nervous system.
It tells you when to back off.
You may be smart and level headed and stuff, but that doesn't mean you'll always be able to keep your head on your shoulders. You get angry, upset, overconfident. If you got no fear, you won't know when you gotta back off, you get yourself killed.

Answer 8

It's not. Be aware of your surroundings, but fear only makes you react irrationally or rashly. If you are calm and collected the result is almost invariably more favorable.

Answer 9

well they wouldntknow those stupid things were stupid things if they did not fear things.