Fear and Trembling

1. What is "Fear and Trembling" by Søren Kierkegaard about?

• Central focus on Abraham: The book centers on the biblical story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac, using it as a lens to explore the nature of faith.
• Exploration of faith and ethics: Kierkegaard, writing under the pseudonym Johannes de silentio, investigates the paradoxes and challenges of true faith, especially when it conflicts with ethical norms.
• Critique of modern attitudes: The text critiques how faith has become “cheapened” in modern times, arguing that true faith is a lifelong, difficult task, not a simple starting point.
• Philosophical and literary approach: The book blends philosophical argument, literary narrative, and personal reflection to probe the limits of human understanding and the meaning of religious experience.

2. Why should I read "Fear and Trembling" by Søren Kierkegaard?

• Foundational existentialist work: The book is a cornerstone of existentialist philosophy and has deeply influenced modern theology and philosophy.
• Profound exploration of faith: It offers a unique, challenging perspective on what it means to have faith, going beyond conventional religious or ethical interpretations.
• Engages with universal dilemmas: The text addresses timeless questions about duty, ethics, individuality, and the relationship between humans and the divine.
• Rich literary style: Kierkegaard’s use of pseudonyms, narrative retellings, and rhetorical flourishes make the book both intellectually stimulating and artistically engaging.

3. What are the key takeaways from "Fear and Trembling" by Søren Kierkegaard?

• Faith as paradox: True faith involves a “teleological suspension of the ethical,” where the individual’s relationship with God can override universal moral laws.
• The “knight of faith”: Kierkegaard distinguishes between the “knight of infinite resignation” and the “knight of faith,” emphasizing that faith requires both renunciation and the belief in the impossible.
• The isolation of faith: Genuine faith is deeply personal and often cannot be explained or justified to others, leading to existential loneliness.
• Critique of Hegelian ethics: The book challenges Hegel’s view that the ethical (the universal) is the highest human calling, arguing instead for the primacy of the individual’s absolute relation to God.

4. How does Kierkegaard retell the story of Abraham and Isaac in "Fear and Trembling"?

• Multiple retellings: Kierkegaard presents four different versions of the Abraham and Isaac story, each highlighting different emotional and ethical dimensions.
• Focus on Abraham’s suffering: The retellings emphasize Abraham’s anguish, isolation, and the incomprehensibility of his faith-driven actions.
• Contrast with traditional readings: Unlike traditional interpretations that celebrate Abraham’s obedience, Kierkegaard’s versions stress the paradox and horror of his situation.
• Illustrates the limits of understanding: The variations show that no retelling can fully capture the “fear and trembling” at the heart of Abraham’s faith.

5. What is the "teleological suspension of the ethical" in "Fear and Trembling" by Søren Kierkegaard?

• Definition of the concept: The “teleological suspension of the ethical” means that the ethical (universal moral law) can be suspended for a higher purpose (telos), namely, the individual’s absolute duty to God.
• Abraham as the example: Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac is seen as an act that suspends ethical duty (not to kill) for a divine command.
• Paradox of faith: This concept creates a paradox where the individual is “higher than the universal,” justified not by ethics but by faith.
• Critique of universalism: Kierkegaard uses this idea to challenge the Hegelian notion that the ethical is always supreme.

6. How does Kierkegaard distinguish between the "knight of infinite resignation" and the "knight of faith" in "Fear and Trembling"?

• Knight of infinite resignation: This figure renounces their deepest desire, accepting loss and finding peace in resignation, but does not expect to regain what is lost.
• Knight of faith: Goes beyond resignation by believing, “on the strength of the absurd,” that the lost object (e.g., Isaac, the beloved) will be restored in this life.
• Example of Abraham: Abraham is the knight of faith because he both gives up Isaac and believes he will receive him back, despite all human logic.
• Everyday illustration: Kierkegaard uses the example of a shopman or a young lover to show how the knight of faith lives fully in the world while holding onto the absurd hope.

7. What is Kierkegaard’s critique of Hegelian philosophy in "Fear and Trembling"?

• Ethical as the universal: Hegel claims that morality is realized in the individual’s identification with the universal (society, state, ethical norms).
• Faith as a higher category: Kierkegaard argues that faith cannot be subsumed under the ethical; it is a higher, paradoxical relationship between the individual and the absolute (God).
• Incommensurability of faith: For Kierkegaard, faith is not something that can be mediated or explained by philosophical systems—it is a leap beyond reason.
• Abraham as a challenge: The story of Abraham exposes the limits of Hegelian ethics, as Abraham’s act cannot be justified by universal moral standards.

8. How does "Fear and Trembling" by Søren Kierkegaard address the problem of communication and silence in faith?

• Faith is incommunicable: Kierkegaard argues that true faith cannot be fully explained or justified to others; it is a private, inward experience.
• Abraham’s silence: Abraham cannot explain his actions to Sarah, Isaac, or his servant, highlighting the isolation and unintelligibility of faith.
• Language and the universal: Speaking translates experience into the universal, but faith exists outside the universal, making it unspeakable.
• The risk of misunderstanding: Attempts to communicate faith often lead to misunderstanding, suspicion, or accusations of madness or immorality.

9. What is the significance of "anguish" and "paradox" in "Fear and Trembling" by Søren Kierkegaard?

• Anguish as essential: Kierkegaard insists that the true experience of faith involves deep anguish, not just obedience or resignation.
• Paradox at the core: Faith is defined by the paradox that the individual is higher than the universal, and that one can believe the impossible (“on the strength of the absurd”).
• No rational resolution: The paradox and anguish cannot be resolved by reason or ethics; they must be lived and endured.
• Faith as a lifelong task: The book argues that faith is not a simple or easy state, but a continual, passionate struggle with paradox and anxiety.

10. How does "Fear and Trembling" by Søren Kierkegaard use pseudonyms and literary style to convey its message?

• Use of Johannes de silentio: Kierkegaard writes under a pseudonym to distance himself from the text and to highlight the subjective, limited perspective of the narrator.
• Dialectical lyric: The book blends philosophical argument with literary narrative, parables, and rhetorical flourishes, creating a unique “dialectical lyric.”
• Irony and indirection: The pseudonymous approach allows Kierkegaard to explore ideas without directly asserting them as his own, inviting readers to wrestle with the text.
• Emphasis on subjectivity: The style reinforces the book’s central theme that faith is a subjective, inward passion that cannot be systematized or universally communicated.

11. What are the best quotes from "Fear and Trembling" by Søren Kierkegaard and what do they mean?

• “Faith begins precisely where thinking leaves off.”: This highlights the idea that faith is not a product of rational thought, but a leap beyond it.
• “The ethical expression for what Abraham did is that he was willing to murder Isaac; the religious expression is that he was willing to sacrifice Isaac; but in this contradiction lies the very anguish that can indeed make one sleepless.”: This quote encapsulates the central paradox and the existential anxiety at the heart of faith.
• “Only one who works gets bread, and only one who knows anguish finds rest, only one who descends to the underworld saves the loved one, only one who draws the knife gets Isaac.”: This emphasizes that spiritual achievement requires personal struggle and suffering.
• “Faith is the highest passion in a human being. Many in every generation may not come that far, but none comes further.”: This underscores Kierkegaard’s view that faith is the ultimate human achievement, but also the most difficult.

12. How does "Fear and Trembling" by Søren Kierkegaard relate to Kierkegaard’s own life and the broader context of existentialism?

• Biographical parallels: Kierkegaard’s own experiences—his broken engagement, his sense of isolation, and his struggle with faith—inform the book’s themes of sacrifice and inwardness.
• Existentialist foundations: The book lays the groundwork for existentialist thought by emphasizing individual choice, subjective truth, and the limits of rational systems.
• Influence on theology and philosophy: "Fear and Trembling" has inspired both modern Protestant theology and existentialist philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger.
• Enduring relevance: The book continues to challenge readers to confront the demands of authentic faith, individuality, and the meaning of ethical and religious life.