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Fear and Trembling
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Fear and Trembling
Fear and Trembling (Danish: Frygt og Bæven) is a philosophical work by Søren Kierkegaard, published in 1843 under the pseudonym Johannes de silentio (Latin for John of the Silence). It is widely regarded as one of Kierkegaard's most influential texts and a foundational contribution to the philosophy of religion and existentialism.
The work is an extended meditation on Genesis 22, also known as the Binding of Isaac. Johannes de silentio examines the tension between ethical duty and faith through an analysis of Abraham's psychological state during his journey to Moriah. The text argues that it is impossible to understand Abraham's actions through the ethical framework of Hegel's philosophy. Rather, the actions can only be understood through a distinct category—faith.
The title references Philippians 2:12, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling". The Philippians verse is thought to reference Psalm 55:5.
The work starts with an "Exordium", or prologue that presents four different retellings of the Binding of Isaac. In each, Abraham is prepared and willing to follow God's command to sacrifice Isaac, but something goes wrong. Abraham or Isaac loses faith, or Abraham is overcome with guilt. Silentio does not consider any of these retellings of Abraham to have genuine faith, which establishes that willingness to obey God does not constitute faith on its own.
The "Exordium" is followed by the "Eulogy on Abraham", in which Silentio recounts Abraham's life and accomplishments, praising him as the "father of faith". The emphasis of the section is that the greatness of Abraham is not just in his willingness to sacrifice Isaac, but also his belief that God would either not require it or restore him. Faith is what distinguishes Abraham from other figures associated with sacrifice or loss.
The "Preliminary Expectoration" introduces the central distinction of the work: the difference between faith and infinite resignation. Silentio uses knights as examples of the contrast between the two positions. The knight of infinite resignation renounces what he loves and accepts the finality of the loss. On the other hand, the knight of faith is able to make an additional movement beyond the finality. Silentio describes the move as being made "by virtue of the absurd". The knight believes that he will receive back what he has given up, or be restored and made whole in some way. Silentio admits that he can understand infinite resignation, but not faith. The admission serves as introduction to the three Problemata that make up the rest of the text.
The core claim of Fear and Trembling is that it is impossible to understand Abraham through rational ethical thinking. Using frameworks of Greek philosophy or Hegel leads to a reductio ad absurdum. Silentio's argument is that either there exists a category that must transcend ethical reasoning, or faith does not exist. If the latter were true, Abraham's characterization as the "father of faith" is inaccurate. The text argues for the former position, in that faith is the category that transcends ethics, and that Abraham's relationship to God cannot be logically mediated through standard ethical means. Silentio identifies three Problemata, or problems, and uses them to structure a detailed defense of his argument.[citation needed]
The second half of Fear and Trembling is made up of three Problemata, through which Johannes de silentio examines if Abraham's actions can be understood through rational ethical thinking or if they require the distinct category of faith. They are:
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Fear and Trembling
Fear and Trembling (Danish: Frygt og Bæven) is a philosophical work by Søren Kierkegaard, published in 1843 under the pseudonym Johannes de silentio (Latin for John of the Silence). It is widely regarded as one of Kierkegaard's most influential texts and a foundational contribution to the philosophy of religion and existentialism.
The work is an extended meditation on Genesis 22, also known as the Binding of Isaac. Johannes de silentio examines the tension between ethical duty and faith through an analysis of Abraham's psychological state during his journey to Moriah. The text argues that it is impossible to understand Abraham's actions through the ethical framework of Hegel's philosophy. Rather, the actions can only be understood through a distinct category—faith.
The title references Philippians 2:12, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling". The Philippians verse is thought to reference Psalm 55:5.
The work starts with an "Exordium", or prologue that presents four different retellings of the Binding of Isaac. In each, Abraham is prepared and willing to follow God's command to sacrifice Isaac, but something goes wrong. Abraham or Isaac loses faith, or Abraham is overcome with guilt. Silentio does not consider any of these retellings of Abraham to have genuine faith, which establishes that willingness to obey God does not constitute faith on its own.
The "Exordium" is followed by the "Eulogy on Abraham", in which Silentio recounts Abraham's life and accomplishments, praising him as the "father of faith". The emphasis of the section is that the greatness of Abraham is not just in his willingness to sacrifice Isaac, but also his belief that God would either not require it or restore him. Faith is what distinguishes Abraham from other figures associated with sacrifice or loss.
The "Preliminary Expectoration" introduces the central distinction of the work: the difference between faith and infinite resignation. Silentio uses knights as examples of the contrast between the two positions. The knight of infinite resignation renounces what he loves and accepts the finality of the loss. On the other hand, the knight of faith is able to make an additional movement beyond the finality. Silentio describes the move as being made "by virtue of the absurd". The knight believes that he will receive back what he has given up, or be restored and made whole in some way. Silentio admits that he can understand infinite resignation, but not faith. The admission serves as introduction to the three Problemata that make up the rest of the text.
The core claim of Fear and Trembling is that it is impossible to understand Abraham through rational ethical thinking. Using frameworks of Greek philosophy or Hegel leads to a reductio ad absurdum. Silentio's argument is that either there exists a category that must transcend ethical reasoning, or faith does not exist. If the latter were true, Abraham's characterization as the "father of faith" is inaccurate. The text argues for the former position, in that faith is the category that transcends ethics, and that Abraham's relationship to God cannot be logically mediated through standard ethical means. Silentio identifies three Problemata, or problems, and uses them to structure a detailed defense of his argument.[citation needed]
The second half of Fear and Trembling is made up of three Problemata, through which Johannes de silentio examines if Abraham's actions can be understood through rational ethical thinking or if they require the distinct category of faith. They are:
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