Question 126. Fearlessness

Praised be Jesus Christ!  Happy feast of Mary, Mother of God in the Ordinary Form calendar and feast of the Circumcision in the Extraordinary Form calendar.  I hope you all are enjoying the summaries of St. Thomas's teaching on the virtues.  I know that I am learning a lot.  If you believe I have made a mistake on a summary feel free to let me know in the comments so that I can correct it.  May all knights of Mary offer to Her valuable gifts of themselves and any merit from their prayers and good actions in the Year of Our Lord 2014. 

For Mary!

Article 1. Whether fearlessness is a sin?

Every man has it in his nature to love his own life and his temporal goods; and to do so in due measure, that is, to love these things not as placing his end in them, but as things to be used for the sake of his last end (Heaven).  

Thus it is a sin, to not love his life and goods enough. Nevertheless, one never completely fails in his love for his life and goods: since what is natural cannot be totally lost: for which reason St. Paul says (Ephesians 5:29): "No man ever hated his own flesh." Even those that commit suicide do so from a love of their own flesh, which they desire to free from the present stress. Thus it may happen that a man fears death and loss of his temporal goods less than he should, because he loves himself less than he should. 

If he is completely fearless about dying and losing his goods, this is not from a complete lack of love, but only from the fact that he thinks it impossible for him to lose the goods he loves. This is sometimes the result of pride of soul presuming on self and despising others, according to the saying of Job 41:24-25: "He who was made to fear no one, he beholdeth every high thing"

Sometimes it happens through a defect in the reason; thus Aristotle says that the "Celts, through lack of intelligence, fear nothing." It is therefore evident that fearlessness is a vice, whether it result from lack of love, pride of soul, or stupidity which is excused from sin if it is involuntary.


Article 2. Whether fearlessness is opposed to fortitude?

Fortitude is concerned with fear and daring. Every moral virtue observes the rational mean in the matter which it is concerned. In fortitude a man moderates his fear according to reason, so that he fears what he should, when he should, and so forth. This mode of reason may be corrupted either by excess or deficiency.   

Thus, just as timidity is opposed to fortitude by excess of fear, in which a man fears what he shouldn't, and as he shouldn't, so too fearlessness is opposed to fortitude because a man doesn't fear what he should.

http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3126.htm