Fear and anxiety: philosophical problems of human existence

The article examines the representations of fear in the history of philosophy, along with their anthropological and ontological basis. The essential component of philosophical theories, according to the authors, is the analysis of social aspects of fear and anxiety as elements of social behavior. The subject of research in this article is the phenomenon of fear as a problem of human existence. Despite numerous works devoted to the historical and philosophical analysis of ideas about fear, the understanding of this phenomenon remains relevant in the modern world. The era of permocrisis, characterized by instability and insecurity, generates new forms of fear and encourages people to rethink the foundations of their existence, to reflect on the meaning of life and search for answers to worldview questions. The aim of the article is a philosophical analysis that allows to comprehend this phenomenon and its modus operandi, such as horror, anxiety, panic in the modern world. Using elements of historical and philosophical analysis of representations about fear, the authors point to the formed theoretical and methodological basis of modern research in this field. According to the authors, the socio-philosophical analysis reveals new opportunities for understanding the phenomenon of fear, revealing its positive potential. Salvation from fear in its positive comprehension - as part of the existential-philosophical picture of the world. Awareness of one’s own fear is able to provide a person with a central motivational force, to induce a search for the meaning of life and belief in the limitlessness of one's own power.