We can fear what we do not know. Let me explain.

There is a certain type of fear that occurs when you are not sure what to expect. The reason that Children show almost no fear is because they have not fully developed and everything is new to them. They have no basis for the emotion of fear until they have experienced something which initializes the first fear response. From that point on, fear of the unknown is more like and anxiety based around not knowing what to expect.

No problem at all for me. I meant the Columbus that is dreamt of in our philosophy. Compare with Jezus, Christianity being built upon his myth. Real historical people are interesting, but it's their myth that does it. One has to be able to discern reality from myth though, or at least try to do so. Back to the topic...

Hope that there are no christians around

There are so many fears in life, one can almost create a hierarchy or at least a typology. Fear of loosing my daughter who suffers from cancer, fear of being late for dinner... are they all the same fear and do they all have the same origin or explanation?

Is there a psychology of fear as opposed to a philosophy of fear?
Is your approach an application of Pavlov? Angst seems more like a monolith.)

(Was there ever more rhetorical bull than "There's nothing to fear but fear itself"? The orator at least agreed that there would be blood, sweat and tears. These were real indeed, fear being an obvious part of them. Ok, tomorrow I'll be executed, but there's nothing... aah, what a relief! ;-) . He who's able not to fear fear simply doesn't know it (or knew it). As to really getting rid of fear the best way may be Xanax. What is most effective (and used) in palliative treatment? Morphine or philosophy?)

We can fear what we do not know. Let me explain.

There is a certain type of fear that occurs when you are not sure what to expect. The reason that Children show almost no fear is because they have not fully developed and everything is new to them. They have no basis for the emotion of fear until they have experienced something which initializes the first fear response. From that point on, fear of the unknown is more like and anxiety based around not knowing what to expect.

We cannot even imagine the unknow, let alone fear it But we can make previsions of what we will encounter based on past experiences, and fear those previsions. Fear of death is based on our survival instinct, but I think the strongest way to aleviate it is to realize you cannot die. (Altough I think afterlife is inevitable, some people dont. These people must then accept that being their senses the only thing that allows then to sense the passage of time, then those end along with their lives they will cease to sense the passage of time, and therefore time will not pass for then, and therefore they will not have died.)

Fear of the unknown is a way for any lifeform to err on the side of caution. Creatures that are too careless will become extinct. Most animals are better safe than sorry.

Fear needn't be specific. Fear of the unknown (as Sarek pointed out) is very primal and very pervasive. As soon as the young mind realizes an unknown situation, it's outcome, too, is unknown.

Do we not gravitate towards what we know? Do we not feel safer in "familiar" surroundings and situations?

You're correct in that what that danger might be does seem to come from the imagination. But without a specific object on it, and based on our instinctive association for survival and the familiar, the mind has been trained over time, to be wary.

Good question

You can try and decide to be brave, but if you walk your (small)dog at night and you hear unknown noises coming from the nearby bushes, chances are you will be reluctant to get to close. Even if you intellectually know it's probably just a cat.

Just musing on children and fear. Isn't it true that the fear that children have -whatever be its origin or explanation- is always countered and compensated by their curiosity? Same goes for many animals and for adults and also for scientists and philosophers: sniff.. run... sniff... run ...sniff sniff sniff! Natural fear is always followed by some equally natural counter-movement, driving the creatures that fear towards a confrontation with that same fear and with what is perceived as its source or origin. Fear mostly disappears when what is feared is seen, explored, known. If fear was really dominant we would still live in a cave and sacrify virgins and oxen. Culture is always the result of courage, man continuously trying to overcome his fears by action and thought, and it works. Fear may be real, but "growing up" is for kids and adults and humanity defined by the way one deals with fear, the way of dealing with it being generally the same. It's curiosity or some related drive resulting in some more or less well conceived plan and some more or less effective action, thus overcoming the unknown and reducing fear. Columbus being the archetype here. I hope I did not disturb something. Please go on...

... Fear mostly disappears when what is feared is seen, explored, known...

Fear may be real, but "growing up" is for kids and adults and humanity defined by the way one deals with fear, the way of dealing with it being generally the same.

If fear was really dominant we would still live in a cave and sacrify virgins and oxen.

Where is our "shot", our whiplash, our detonator? When you think of it, can there ever be conceived something truely human that is not an answer to fear, that cannot be related to it? Religion? Only too obvious! Science? So often for protection. Philosophies? Consolations (often worthless).

Thanks all - more questions than answers. (why is it ever so?)

• Is it possible to fear anything other than pain? (Physical, Mental, Emotional)
  

• Fear is based on past experience (your own or others) which is then projected onto future possible events. Is there any situation where this is not the case?
  

Personally, i would be much more afraid of going blind than dying. Apart from the pain of dying, death seems kind of like an adventure. It's inevitable & I've no idea what will transpire after I expire so I don't really see what there is to be afraid of. (easy for me to say seeing that it is not staring me in the face, maybe I'm just missing the point -I'll check out Boagie's post & Soren - thanks for the reference).

I think that the very nature of fear can lead us to falsely believe it is a totality. When you are afraid, it seems to overide other thoughts, feelings and morality itself, but we can overcome fear, it does not control us. It is possible to define the universe in terms of any emotion. I could claim that everything we think of is a reaction to rage, or love, or greed but it would be an oversimplification. I do not like reductionist views of the universe, as they tend to solve the questions about the universe by refusing to recognise most of the questions.

Catcha agrees that his words are "Jaws II", kinda copycat. See him place dynamite on strategic places, to blow up his ugly monstrum. Before one teaches, one must learn. Back to the benches!
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Thinking may sometimes be hampered by modesty, insight is always hampered by pride (The Good Pupil)

Things get simpler and simpler as our understandment of then grows, so I think we actually should seek for the simplest explanation that puts all the pieces togheder. Remembering again that there is NO ABSOLUTE ANSWER, we have to chose one...

As for fear it probally indeed controls us, or rather is a fundamental part of our very mind. Its not fear of failure and of your fears being unbased that makes you superate other fears?