Humanitext Reader

Aristotle · Rhetoric §2.5.14-2.5.22

Conditions for Fear and the Definition and Grounds of Confidence

Passage 41 of 98 · Greek

Summary

The author analyzes the psychological conditions for feeling fear, emphasizing the necessity of some hope of safety, and then defines 'confidence' as the opposite of fear, detailing the conditions and states of mind that inspire it.

§2.5.14οὐκ οἴονται δὲ παθεῖν ἂν οὔτε οἱ ἐν εὐτυχίαις μεγάλαις ὄντες καὶ δοκοῦντες (διὸ ὑβρισταὶ καὶ ὀλίγωροι καὶ θρασεῖς, ποιεῖ δὲ τοιούτους πλοῦτος ἰσχὺς πολυφιλία δύναμις), οὔτε οἱ ἤδη πεπονθέναι πάντα νομίζοντες τὰ δεινὰ καὶ ἀπεψυγμένοι πρὸς τὸ μέλλον, ὥσπερ οἱ ἀποτυμπανιζόμενοι ἤδη· ἀλλὰ δεῖ τινα ἐλπίδα ὑπεῖναι σωτηρίας, περὶ οὗ ἀγωνιῶσιν.
Those who do not think they will suffer anything are neither those who are in great good fortune and appear to be so (wherefore they are insolent, contemptuous, and bold; and wealth, physical strength, many friends, and power make them such), nor those who think they have already suffered all kinds of terrible things and have become cold towards the future, like those who are already being executed; rather, there must be some hope of safety underlying, about which they are anxious.
σημεῖον δέ· ὁ γὰρ φόβος βουλευτικοὺς ποιεῖ, καίτοι οὐδεὶς βουλεύεται περὶ τῶν ἀνελπίστων·
And here is a sign: for fear makes people deliberate, and yet no one deliberates about things that are hopeless.
§2.5.15ὥστε δεῖ τοιούτους παρασκευάζειν, ὅταν ᾖ βέλτιον τὸ φοβεῖσθαι αὐτούς, ὅτι τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν οἷον παθεῖν (καὶ γὰρ ἄλλοι μείζους ἔπαθον), καὶ τοὺς τοιούτους δεικνύναι πάσχοντας ἢ πεπονθότας, καὶ ὑπὸ τοιούτων ὑφʼ ὧν οὐκ ᾤοντο, καὶ ταῦτα ἃ καὶ τότε ὅτε οὐκ ᾤοντο.
So, whenever it is better that they should feel fear, it is necessary to prepare them to believe that they are of such a kind as to suffer (for indeed others who were greater have suffered), and to show that people of such a kind are suffering or have suffered, and by the hands of such persons from whom they did not expect it, and such things and at a time when they did not expect it.
§2.5.16ἐπεὶ δὲ περὶ φόβου φανερὸν τί ἐστιν, καὶ τῶν φοβερῶν, καὶ ὡς ἕκαστοι ἔχοντες δεδίασι, φανερὸν ἐκ τούτων καὶ τὸ θαρρεῖν τί ἐστι, καὶ περὶ ποῖα θαρραλέοι εἰσὶ καὶ πῶς διακείμενοι θαρραλέοι εἰσίν· τό τε γὰρ θάρσος τὸ ἐναντίον τῷ φόβῳ, καὶ τὸ θαρραλέον τῷ φοβερῷ, ὥστε μετὰ φαντασίας ἡ ἐλπὶς τῶν σωτηρίων ὡς ἐγγὺς ὄντων, τῶν δὲ φοβερῶν ὡς ἢ μὴ ὄντων ἢ πόρρω ὄντων.
Since, then, it is clear what fear is, and what fearful things are, and in what state of mind people fear, it is clear from these also what confidence is, and what kinds of things people are confident about, and in what state of mind they are confident; for confidence is the opposite of fear, and that which inspires confidence is the opposite of that which is fearful, so that confidence is the hope, accompanied by a mental image, of things that bring safety being near, and of things that are fearful either not existing or being far off.
§2.5.17ἔστι δὲ θαρραλέα τά τε δεινὰ πόρρω ὄντα καὶ τὰ σωτήρια ἐγγύς, καὶ ἐπανορθώσεις ἂν ὦσι καὶ βοήθειαι πολλαὶ ἢ μεγάλαι ἢ ἄμφω, καὶ μήτε ἠδικημένοι μήτε ἠδικηκότες ὦσιν, ἀνταγωνισταί τε ἢ μὴ ὦσιν ὅλως, ἢ μὴ ἔχωσιν δύναμιν, ἢ δύναμιν ἔχοντες ὦσι φίλοι ἢ πεποιηκότες εὖ ἢ πεπονθότες, ἢ ἂν πλείους ὦσιν οἷς ταὐτὰ συμφέρει, ἢ κρείττους, ἢ ἄμφω.
And those things inspire confidence which are terrible but far off, and those which bring safety being near, and if there are many or great means of correction and help, or both, and if they have neither been treated unjustly nor have committed injustice, and if there are either no rivals at all, or they have no power, or if, having power, they are friends or have done them good or have received good from them, or if those who have the same interests are more numerous, or stronger, or both.
§2.5.18αὐτοὶ δʼ οὕτως ἔχοντες θαρραλέοι εἰσίν, ἂν πολλὰ κατωρθωκέναι οἴωνται καὶ μὴ πεπονθέναι, ἢ ἐὰν πολλάκις ἐληλυθότες εἰς τὰ δεινὰ καὶ διαπεφευγότες ὦσι· διχῶς γὰρ ἀπαθεῖς γίγνονται οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ἢ τῷ μὴ πεπειρᾶσθαι ἢ τῷ βοηθείας ἔχειν, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς κατὰ θάλατταν κινδύνοις οἵ τε ἄπειροι χειμῶνος θαρροῦσι τὰ μέλλοντα καὶ οἱ βοηθείας ἔχοντες διὰ τὴν ἐμπειρίαν.
And people themselves are confident when they are in such a state of mind: if they think they have succeeded in many things and have not suffered, or if they have often come into terrible situations and have escaped them; for people become unaffected in two ways, either by having had no experience or by having resources, just as in dangers at sea, both those who are inexperienced in storms are confident about the future and those who have resources because of their experience.
§2.5.19καὶ ὅταν τοῖς ὁμοίοις φοβερὸν μὴ ᾖ, μηδὲ τοῖς ἥττοσι καὶ ὧν κρείττους οἴονται εἶναι· §2.5.20οἴονται δὲ ὧν κεκρατήκασιν ἢ αὐτῶν ἢ τῶν κρειττόνων ἢ τῶν ὁμοίων.
And when a thing is not fearful to their equals, nor to their inferiors and those to whom they think they are superior; and they think they are superior to those whom they have conquered, either themselves or their superiors or their equals.
καὶ ἂν ὑπάρχειν αὑτοῖς οἴωνται πλείω καὶ μείζω, οἷς ὑπερέχοντες φοβεροί εἰσιν· ταῦτα δέ ἐστι πλῆθος χρημάτων καὶ ἰσχὺς σωμάτων καὶ φίλων καὶ χώρας καὶ τῶν πρὸς πόλεμον παρασκευῶν, ἢ πασῶν ἢ τῶν μεγίστων.
And if they think they possess more and greater things, by surpassing in which they are fearful to others; and these are abundance of wealth, physical strength, friends, territory, and preparations for war, either all of them or the greatest of them.
καὶ ἐὰν μὴ ἠδικηκότες ὦσιν μηδένα ἢ μὴ πολλοὺς ἢ μὴ τούτους παρʼ ὧν φοβοῦνται,
And if they have committed injustice against no one, or not against many, or not against those whom they fear.
§2.5.21καὶ ὅλως ἂν τὰ πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτοῖς καλῶς ἔχῃ, τά τε ἄλλα καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ σημείων καὶ λογίων· θαρραλέον γὰρ ἡ ὀργή, τὸ δὲ μὴ ἀδικεῖν ἀλλʼ ἀδικεῖσθαι ὀργῆς ποιητικόν, τὸ δὲ θεῖον ὑπολαμβάνεται βοηθεῖν τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις.
And on the whole, if their relations with the gods are well, both in other respects and particularly regarding signs and oracles; for anger inspires confidence, and not committing injustice but being treated unjustly is productive of anger, and the divine is supposed to help those who are treated unjustly.
§2.5.22καὶ ὅταν ἐπιχειροῦντες ἢ μηδὲν ἂν παθεῖν ἢ κατορθώσειν οἴωνται.
And when, in making an attempt, they think they will either suffer nothing or succeed.
καὶ περὶ μὲν τῶν φοβερῶν καὶ θαρραλέων εἴρηται.
And concerning fearful things and those which inspire confidence, let this suffice.

Notes

  1. 1383a1διὸ ὑβρισταὶ καὶ ὀλίγωροι καὶ θρασεῖς — The conjunction `διὸ` (wherefore) indicates the causal relationship where traits like insolence arise from being in great good fortune and thinking one will not suffer. The description in parentheses explains the direct psychological consequence of `οἱ ἐν εὐτυχίαις μεγάλαις ὄντες`.
  2. 1383a4ἀπεψυγμένοι πρὸς τὸ μέλλον — The participle `ἀπεψυγμένοι` is the perfect passive of `ἀποψύχω` (to chill, deprive of life), used here metaphorically to express an emotional numbness or state of insensibility toward the future due to despair.
  3. 1383a6περί οὗ ἀγωνιῶσιν — The relative pronoun `οὗ` is neuter singular. Although the potential antecedents `σωτηρίας` (safety) or `ἐλπίδα` (hope) are feminine, the neuter is used because it refers to the entire situation or conceptual state of 'having some hope of safety' mentioned before.
  4. 1383a10οἷον παθεῖν — The word `οἷον` (neuter singular of `οἷος`, or used adverbially) followed by the infinitive `παθεῖν` forms an idiomatic expression denoting suitability or capability: 'of such a kind as to suffer' or 'liable to suffer.'
  5. 1383a28διχῶς γὰρ ἀπαθεῖς γίγνονται — This is the core of the assertion that 'people become unaffected in two ways,' which is then explained by two articular infinitives in the dative of means (or cause): `τῷ μὴ πεπειρᾶσθαι` (by having no experience) and `τῷ βοηθείας ἔχειν` (by having resources).

Cite this passage

Aristotle, Rhetoric §2.5.14-2.5.22. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg038.humanitext-grc2:2.5.14-2.5.22

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