Of Daring [*excessive Daring or Foolhardiness]

Of Daring [*excessive Daring or Foolhardiness] — St. Thomas Aquinas asks: Whether daring is a sin?; Whether daring is opposed to fortitude?.

We must now consider daring; and under this head there are two points of inquiry:

Article 1: Whether daring is a sin?

It is written (Ecclus. 8:18): "Go not on the way with a bold man, lest he burden thee with his evils." Now no man's fellowship is to be avoided save on account of sin. Therefore daring is a sin.

Daring, as stated above (; ), is a passion. Now a passion is sometimes moderated according to reason, and sometimes it lacks moderation, either by excess or by deficiency, and on this account the passion is sinful. Again, the names of the passions are sometimes employed in the sense of excess, thus we speak of anger meaning not any but excessive anger, in which case it is sinful, and in the same way daring as implying excess is accounted a sin.

Article 2: Whether daring is opposed to fortitude?

The Philosopher in both the Second and Third Books of Ethics accounts daring to be opposed to fortitude.

As stated above (), it belongs to a moral virtue to observe the rational mean in the matter about which it is concerned. Wherefore every vice that denotes lack of moderation in the matter of a moral virtue is opposed to that virtue, as immoderate to moderate. Now daring, in so far as it denotes a vice, implies excess of passion, and this excess goes by the name of daring. Wherefore it is evident that it is opposed to the virtue of fortitude which is concerned about fear and daring, as stated above ().