About this title: In this rich and resonant work, Soren Kierkegaard reflects poetically and philosophically on the biblical story of God's command to Abraham, that he sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of faith. Was Abraham's proposed action morally and religiously justified or murder? Is there an absolute duty to God? Was Abraham justified in remaining silent? In pondering these questions, Kierkegaard presents faith as a paradox that cannot be understood by reason and conventional morality, and he challenges the universalist ethics and immanental philosophy of modern German idealism, especially as represented ...
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Description: Good. 0140444491 Book is a rather typical used paperback. Pages age tanned. Underscores. Binding is fine, Cover appears fine. PRICED ACCORDINGLY FOR GREAT VALUE! Your satisfaction is of course guaranteed. We ship the same or next day. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Penguin Group USA, E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780143037576ISBN:0143037579
Description: Good. Ex-Library Ex library book with stamps stickers and some wear to edges, a good reading copy text is clear of any markings or highlightings. read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Classic, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780140444490ISBN:0140444491
Description: Good. No Jacket as Issued. Light wear to the covers with mild page toning. A few pencil underlinings and margin notes. Otherwise a sturdy copy. read more
Description: Very Good. Former Library book. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Edition: 1st edition
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Date Published: 2006-07-24
ISBN-13:9780521612692ISBN:0521612691
Description: Like New. May be shiny, in some instances dust jackets are not included, no missing pages, no damage to binding, may have a remainder mark. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 2006
ISBN-13:9780143037576ISBN:0143037579
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
"Faith picks up where thinking leaves off. This is of course the same sentiment lamented by those frustrated with religion; Christianity, they say, creates pews of people who have given up thinking. Faith can not be described with logic, following a proof of steps from action to action. Like CS Lewis did time and again, Kierkegaard asks the question better than any non-Christian ever has. If Abraham's actions are borderline insane, why do we call him great?
Kierkegaard suggests that Abraham knew he would get Isaac back. Kierkegaard does not answer my questions about faith, or teach me how to be faithful. He shows himself a man who struggles with the same questions, one who is deeply rooted in logic yet who devotes himself completely to faith.
A favorite quote (p. 62):
...I would answer: "By no means I have faith. I am a shrewd fellow by nature, such as always have great difficulty making the movement of faith, though I wouldn't attach any importance in itself to a difficulty which, by overcoming it, brings a shrewd fellow no further than the most ordinary and simple-minded person has already reached without great difficulty.""
"-- "You, to whom my speech is addressed, was that the case with you? When you saw, far off, the heavy fate approaching, did you not say to the mountains, 'hide me,' to the hills, 'fall on me'? Or if you were stronger, did your feet nevertheless not drag along the way? Did they not hanker, as it were, to get back into the old tracks? When you were called, did you answer, or did you not? Perhaps softy in a whisper? Not so Abraham, gladly, boldly, trustingly he answered out loud 'here I am.'""
"The theme of the book comes down to what, I think, is the clearest and most concise statement in the entire work. "Faith begins precisely where thinking leaves off." It could only be through such faith and sophistry that one could uphold Abraham as an example of what faith can accomplish.
In the opening lines of, A speech in Praise of Abraham, Kierkegaard tells us that despair is all that is left when faith is lacking. Acceptance of the Abrahamic leap of faith that all voices that present themselves as god justify any and all actions, that to me is despair.
"Abraham is the greatest, says Kierkegaard, and "the highest passion in a human being is faith"(Kierkegaard 144). This is wrong. Christ is greatest, and though faith, hope and love endure, "the greatest of these is love"(1 Corinthians 13:13). For this reason, I find Kierkegaard's method in Fear and Trembling for building a Christian ethic utterly puzzling. Kierkegaard starts from the wrong place, taking signs that point towards Christ and love and making them the point. Fear and Trembling is an interesting book in many ways, but it certainly will not, as my friend promised, completely alter my understanding of morality.
I do not pretend that I fully understand Fear and Trembling. Much of what Kierkegaard has to say is put into Hegelian terms, and since I've never read Hegel this makes understanding difficult. I can gather from context the general terms of what is being said, but I ultimately feel like I've come away with an outline of what Kierkegaard said, and not the full depth of it. Furthermore, Kierkegaard also relies on Hegelian conclusions, and uses them as givens in his argument. Unfortunately, since I don't know Hegel's arguments, these premises are hardly givens to me. Like I said though, to my thinking he starts from the wrong place so thoroughly that his conclusions cannot help but miss the mark.
What I do understand of Kierkegaard I find immensely disturbing. The highest life, that of faith, is one of dread, horror and isolation. What is more, the Knight of Faith (as Kierkegaard calls him) must do whatever God asks of him without testing to see if it really is God asking, without seeking the wisdom of others, and without any reference at all to universal morality. The man of faith then, in Kierkegaard's terms, is the monster my atheists friends think him to be.
I should say, however, that I am not completely disdainful of Fear and Trembling. Kierkegaard starts the book with several retellings of the story of Abraham and Isaac, subtly altering the story in ways that thereby change the meaning. This part of the book is enjoyable, and he does the same with various stories and myths throughout the book.
Ultimately, any student of philosophy should read this book because it is of such massive importance historically. Kierkegaard in many ways fathered the existential movement, and he certainly gave birth to Christian existentialism. This was one of the reasons that I read the book, because as much as I disagree with existentialism, I find it intriguing. Also, I have a friend who is a firm Christian existentialist, and I'd really like to understand where his ideas come from. Thankfully, I think I'm one step closer to that point now."
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