Kant on Fear and Courage, Freedom and Anxiety

Fear and anxiety are constitutive of human nature. They inform us about danger and thus help us to protect ourselves from it. The topic of fear – anxiety does not play a significant role in Kant’s philosophy. Nevertheless, it serves as an informative example of how Kant views humanity. In his Anthropology from a Pragmatic Perspective Kant identifies – regarding fear – different degrees that correspond to his division into nature, temperament and character. Kant’s primary interest lies in repeatedly examining what it means to be human in relation to the central task of self-determination through one’s own reason. If reason succeeds in not allowing fear to dominate one’s actions, the person concerned demonstrates courage of character. Kant also recognized that there is a kind of anxiety of one’s own freedom, because autonomy requires courage, which should also be mentioned because of an interesting parallel to Kierkegaard’s important concept of anxiety.