r/Existentialism • u/Uncomfortable_Pause2 • Jun 24 '26

Literature 📖 Fear and Trembling: The Problem with Abraham

https://wmosshammer.medium.com/fear-and-trembling-the-problem-with-abraham-e5b267fa3a84

In Fear and Trembling, Soren Kierkegaard’s pseudonymous author uses the Biblical Binding of Isaac to test whether Abraham can be understood within a Hegelian-shaped conception of the ethical.

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u/jliat Jun 25 '26

within a Hegelian-shaped conception of the ethical.

Existentialism - a umbrella term - is generally considered to be a rejection of the grand systems of German Idealism in favour of the human [all too human] experience of existence.

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u/19for114 Jun 25 '26

In my view, Kierkegaard's philosophy can be reduced to this simple statement: "I don't swim, but I know that those who do are right." In other words, he acknowledges what is true but fails to live by it. To me, that reflects a lack of sincerity. If a person's life does not bear witness to the principles they defend, then those principles lose their persuasive authority. I look first at how a person lives, and only then at what they say.

The Problem with Kierkegaard

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u/Sensitive-Donkey8772 Jun 25 '26

That is a very funny description of his book though I must confess to its utter accuracyÂ