*gets on pedantic soapbox*
1. Ahem, Greek, not Latin.
*get's off pedantic soapbox*
2. You are right about some fears representing an evolutionary advantage (see predator, run from predator, etc.). But "phobias" as a category include fears such:
* Ablutophobia – fear of bathing, washing, or cleaning.
* Acrophobia, Altophobia – fear of heights.
* Agoraphobia, Agoraphobia Without History of Panic Disorder – fear of places or events where escape is impossible or when help is unavailable.
* Agraphobia – fear of sexual abuse.
* Aichmophobia – fear of sharp or pointed objects (such as a needle or knife).
* Algophobia – fear of pain.
* Agyrophobia – fear of crossing roads.
* Aibohphobia - fear of palindromes. Recognized as a palindromic version of the word "phobia."
* Androphobia – fear of men.
* Anemomenophobia - fear of windmills.
* Anthropophobia – fear of people or being in a company, a form of social phobia.
* Anthophobia – fear of flowers.
* Aquaphobia – fear of water. Distinct from Hydrophobia, a scientific property that makes chemicals averse to interaction with water, as well as an archaic name for rabies.
* Arachnophobia- fear of spiders.
* Astraphobia, Astrapophobia, Brontophobia, Keraunophobia – fear of thunder, lightning and storms; especially common in young children.
* Atychiphobia, fear of failure
* Aviophobia, Aviatophobia – fear of flying.
...and that's just the letter A! This list doesn't distinguish between fear of pain (reasonable) and fear of flowers (not so much). One of my favorites: Fragariaphobia - fear of strawberries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phobias_list
So maybe we should make a distinction on two levels: A- biologically reasonable fear B- biologically unresaonable fear; 1- healthy level of fear (necessarx for self conservation) 2- unhealthy level of fear (destructive)
So fragariaphobia would be a fear of the subcategory B2 if we assume that any fear of strawberries is unhealthy (unless you are allergic). A normal level of fear of pitbulls on the other hand would be a fear of the subcategory A1.