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Fearless?: Peter Weir, the sage, and the fragility of goodness
journal contribution
posted on 2017-04-01, 00:00 authored by Matthew SharpeRafael Yglesias’s Fearless, adapted for film by Peter Weir, stages
a striking ethical reflection on the nature of the best human life.
Section 1 looks at the film’s portrayal of Max Klein, an ordinary man
who becomes “fearless” after conquering his worst fear. Max exhibits
a profile of supererogatory virtues recalling those of the classical sage,
yet section 2 argues that Fearless as a whole presents a powerful criticism of such a “fearless” life. Echoing criticisms of the invulnerability of the sage in Michel de Montaigne and Martha Nussbaum, Fearless’s true hero is its less ostentatious heroine: Max’s wife, Laura.
a striking ethical reflection on the nature of the best human life.
Section 1 looks at the film’s portrayal of Max Klein, an ordinary man
who becomes “fearless” after conquering his worst fear. Max exhibits
a profile of supererogatory virtues recalling those of the classical sage,
yet section 2 argues that Fearless as a whole presents a powerful criticism of such a “fearless” life. Echoing criticisms of the invulnerability of the sage in Michel de Montaigne and Martha Nussbaum, Fearless’s true hero is its less ostentatious heroine: Max’s wife, Laura.
