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nor yet when they feel they have experienced every kind of horror already and
have grown callous about the future, like men who are being flogged and are
already nearly dead-if they are to feel the anguish of uncertainty, there must
be some faint expectation of escape. This appears from the fact that fear sets
us thinking what can be done, which of course nobody does when things are
hopeless. Consequently, when it is advisable that the audience should be
frightened, the orator must make them feel that they really are in danger of
something, pointing out that it has happened to others who were stronger than
they are, and is happening, or has happened, to people like themselves, at the
hands of unexpected people, in an unexpected form, and at an unexpected
time.
Having now seen the nature of fear, and of the things that cause it, and the
various states of mind in which it is felt, we can also see what Confidence is,
about what things we feel it, and under what conditions. It is the opposite of
fear, and what causes it is the opposite of what causes fear; it is, therefore, the
expectation associated with a mental picture of the nearness of what keeps us
safe and the absence or remoteness of what is terrible: it may be due either to
the near presence of what inspires confidence or to the absence of what causes
alarm. We feel it if we can take steps-many, or important, or both-to cure or
prevent trouble; if we have neither wronged others nor been wronged by
them; if we have either no rivals at all or no strong ones; if our rivals who are
strong are our friends or have treated us well or been treated well by us; or if
those whose interest is the same as ours are the more numerous party, or the
stronger, or both.
As for our own state of mind, we feel confidence if we believe we have
often succeeded and never suffered reverses, or have often met danger and
escaped it safely. For there are two reasons why human beings face danger
calmly: they may have no experience of it, or they may have means to deal
with it: thus when in danger at sea people may feel confident about what will
happen either because they have no experience of bad weather, or because
their experience gives them the means of dealing with it. We also feel
confident whenever there is nothing to terrify other people like ourselves, or
people weaker than ourselves, or people than whom we believe ourselves to
be stronger-and we believe this if we have conquered them, or conquered
others who are as strong as they are, or stronger. Also if we believe ourselves
superior to our rivals in the number and importance of the advantages that
make men formidable-wealth, physical strength, strong bodies of supporters,
extensive territory, and the possession of all, or the most important,
appliances of war. Also if we have wronged no one, or not many, or not those
of whom we are afraid; and generally, if our relations with the gods are
satisfactory, as will be shown especially by signs and oracles. The fact is that
2219
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book The Complete Aristotle"
The Complete Aristotle
- Title
- The Complete Aristotle
- Author
- Aristotle
- Date
- ~322 B.C.
- Language
- English
- License
- PD
- Size
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Pages
- 2328
- Keywords
- Philosophy, Antique, Philosophie, Antike, Dialogues, Metaphysik, Metaphysics, Ideologie, Ideology, Englisch
- Categories
- Geisteswissenschaften
- International
Table of contents
- Part 1; Logic (Organon) 3
- Categories 4
- On Interpretation 34
- Prior Analytics, Book I 56
- Prior Analytics, Book II 113
- Posterior Analytics, Book I 149
- Posterior Analytics, Book II 193
- Topics, Book I 218
- Topics, Book II 221
- Topics, Book III 237
- Topics, Book IV 248
- Topics, Book V 266
- Topics, Book VI 291
- Topics, Book VII 317
- Topics, Book VIII 326
- On Sophistical Refutations 348
- Part 2; Universal Physics 396
- Physics, Book I 397
- Physics, Book II 415
- Physics, Book III 432
- Physics, Book IV 449
- Physics, Book V 481
- Physics, Book VI 496
- Physics, Book VII 519
- Physics, Book VIII 533
- On the Heavens, Book I 570
- On the Heavens, Book II 599
- On the Heavens, Book III 624
- On the Heavens, Book IV 640
- On Generation and Corruption, Book I 651
- On Generation and Corruption, Book II 685
- Meteorology, Book I 707
- Meteorology, Book II 733
- Meteorology, Book III 760
- Meteorology, Book IV 773
- Part 3; Human Physics 795
- On the Soul, Book I 796
- On the Soul, Book II 815
- On the Soul, Book III 840
- On Sense and the Sensible 861
- On Memory and Reminiscence 889
- On Sleep and Sleeplessness 899
- On Dreams 909
- On Prophesying by Dreams 918
- On Longevity and the Shortness of Life 923
- On Youth, Old Age, Life and Death, and Respiration 929
- Part 4; Animal Physics 952
- The History of Animals, Book I 953
- The History of Animals, Book II translated 977
- The History of Animals, Book III 1000
- The History of Animals, Book IV 1029
- The History of Animals, Book V 1056
- The History of Animals, Book VI 1094
- The History of Animals, Book VII 1135
- The History of Animals, Book VIII 1150
- The History of Animals, Book IX 1186
- On the Parts of Animals, Book I 1234
- On the Parts of Animals, Book II 1249
- On the Parts of Animals, Book III 1281
- On the Parts of Animals, Book IV 1311
- On the Motion of Animals 1351
- On the Gait of Animals 1363
- On the Generation of Animals, Book I 1381
- On the Generation of Animals, Book II 1412
- On the Generation of Animals, Book III 1444
- On the Generation of Animals, Book IV 1469
- On the Generation of Animals, Book V 1496
- Part 5; Metaphysics 1516
- Part 6; Ethics and Politics 1748
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book I 1749
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book II 1766
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book III 1779
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book IV 1799
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book V 1817
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VI 1836
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VII 1851
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book VIII 1872
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book IX 1890
- Nicomachean Ethics, Book X 1907
- Politics, Book I 1925
- Politics, Book II 1943
- Politics, Book III 1970
- Politics, Book IV 1997
- Politics, Book V 2023
- Politics, Book VI 2053
- Politics, Book VII 2065
- Politics, Book VIII 2091
- The Athenian Constitution 2102
- Part 7; Aesthetic Writings 2156