Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling and Sickness Unto Death

Fear And Trembling And The Sickness Unto Death by Soren Kierkegaard: Quick Answer

• Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling explores faith through Abraham’s sacrifice, proposing a “teleological suspension of the ethical” where divine command supersedes universal moral law for the individual.
• The Sickness Unto Death defines despair as a fundamental existential condition, characterized by a disunity of the self in its relation to itself and its grounding power.
• Both texts are critical for understanding existentialist thought, focusing on subjective truth, individual responsibility, and the profound challenges of human existence.

Who This Is For

• Individuals seeking to engage with foundational texts of existential philosophy and theology.
• Readers interested in the philosophical exploration of faith, doubt, despair, and the nature of the self.

What to Check First

• Translation Quality: The nuances of Kierkegaard’s prose can be significantly affected by translation. Consult scholarly reviews for recommendations.
• Publication Context: These works were published under pseudonyms, a deliberate method by Kierkegaard to present distinct philosophical perspectives.
• Hegelian Philosophy: Kierkegaard’s work is often a response to, or critique of, G.W.F. Hegel’s system. Basic familiarity with Hegelian concepts can illuminate Kierkegaard’s arguments.
• Pseudonymic Authors: Understanding the different pseudonyms (e.g., Johannes de Silentio for Fear and Trembling, Anti-Climacus for The Sickness Unto Death) is crucial for grasping the intended perspective.

Step-by-Step Plan to Understanding Kierkegaard

1. Begin with Fear and Trembling: This work introduces the concept of faith as a radical, subjective commitment that may transcend ethical norms.

• Action: Read the narrative of Abraham’s binding of Isaac, focusing on the ethical dilemma presented.
• What to look for: The distinction between the universal ethical (e.g., a father’s duty to his son) and the individual’s absolute duty to God.
• Mistake: Interpreting Abraham’s act as a simple moral choice; Kierkegaard emphasizes its paradoxical and isolating nature.

2. Deconstruct the “Teleological Suspension of the Ethical”: This is the core paradox presented in Fear and Trembling.

• Action: Analyze Kierkegaard’s explanation of how faith can necessitate actions that appear ethically impermissible from a universal standpoint.
• What to look for: The idea that the individual’s direct, passionate relationship with the absolute (God) can place them in a unique position outside universal ethical frameworks.
• Mistake: Assuming this grants permission for subjective deviations from ethical conduct; it describes an extreme, faith-driven position for the individual.

3. Transition to The Sickness Unto Death: This text directly addresses the existential condition of despair.

• Action: Read the initial definitions of despair as a fundamental characteristic of human existence.
• What to look for: The concept of despair as a disunity within the self, a failure to relate properly to one’s own being and the power that established it.
• Mistake: Equating Kierkegaardian despair solely with sadness or low mood; it is a deeper, metaphysical condition of the self.

4. Identify the Forms of Despair: Kierkegaard categorizes despair to illuminate its various manifestations.

• Action: Differentiate between the despair of not wanting to be oneself, the despair of wanting to be oneself, and the despair of not being aware of one’s self.
• What to look for: How each form represents a flawed synthesis or relation of the self’s components.
• Mistake: Overlooking the specific existential predicament each form represents; they are distinct modes of self-alienation.

The Classic Collection of Soren Kierkegaard: Fear and Trembling, Philosophical Fragments, Sickness Unto Death

• Audible Audiobook
• Soren Kierkegaard (Author) - Mark Bowen, Peter Coates (Narrators)
• English (Publication Language)
• 04/10/2024 (Publication Date) - Strelbytskyy Multimedia Publishing (Publisher)

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5. Synthesize Insights from Both Works: Recognize the complementary nature of faith and despair in Kierkegaard’s philosophy.

• Action: Consider how the radical faith described in Fear and Trembling might represent a potential, albeit difficult, way to overcome the despair analyzed in The Sickness Unto Death.
• What to look for: The role of passionate subjectivity and commitment in both achieving authentic faith and overcoming existential disunity.
• Mistake: Viewing these texts as isolated philosophical inquiries rather than interconnected explorations of the human condition.

Fear And Trembling And The Sickness Unto Death by Soren Kierkegaard: Core Philosophical Contributions

Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling and The Sickness Unto Death are seminal works that delve into the complexities of human existence, faith, and selfhood. Fear and Trembling, published under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio, uses the biblical narrative of Abraham and Isaac to explore the nature of faith. It introduces the concept of the “teleological suspension of the ethical,” arguing that a true believer, in direct relation to God, may be required to act in ways that appear to violate universal ethical laws. This act of faith is not a rational certainty but a passionate, subjective commitment—a “leap” into the unknown that isolates the individual. The work challenges Enlightenment ideals of reason and universal morality, emphasizing the profound personal cost and paradox inherent in genuine religious devotion.

The Sickness Unto Death, authored by Anti-Climacus, provides a profound analysis of despair, which Kierkegaard defines as the fundamental existential condition of the self. Despair is not mere unhappiness but a disunity within the self, a failure to properly relate to one’s own being and the power that established it. Kierkegaard identifies various forms of despair, including the desire not to be oneself, the desire to be oneself in a misguided way, and the ignorance of one’s true self. The text posits that achieving true selfhood requires a conscious, passionate synthesis of the self’s constituent elements (finitude, infinitude, temporality, eternity) and their grounding in God. This work is a cornerstone of existential psychology and theology, highlighting the internal struggles that define human consciousness.

Contrarian Take: Faith as an Act of Radical Self-Creation, Not Passive Divine Revelation

A common interpretation of Fear and Trembling focuses on Abraham as a passive recipient of direct divine commands. The contrarian perspective, however, emphasizes that Kierkegaard’s account highlights faith as an act of profound self-creation and existential commitment, rather than simply obedience to external revelation. Abraham’s decision to proceed with the sacrifice, despite the ethical implications, can be seen as a radical assertion of his individual will and his absolute reliance on a subjective conviction that transcends empirical evidence and universal ethical reasoning. This perspective shifts the focus from God’s command to the individual’s courageous, paradoxical embrace of their own freedom and responsibility in the face of the absurd. It suggests that in the absence of external certainty, faith becomes the ultimate act of forging one’s own meaning and identity through a deeply personal, albeit paradoxical, commitment.

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Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Understanding “suspension of the ethical” as a call for subjective moral anarchy.
• Why it matters: Kierkegaard’s concept in Fear and Trembling is specific to the individual’s absolute relationship with God, not a general justification for ignoring ethical duties in everyday life. It describes an extreme, unique existential situation.
• Fix: Recognize that this suspension applies to a unique existential moment for the “knight of faith,” not to general ethical decision-making.

• Mistake: Confusing Kierkegaardian despair with clinical depression or sadness.
• Why it matters: In The Sickness Unto Death, despair is a metaphysical condition of the self’s disunity and its relation to its ground, not merely a psychological state. One can appear outwardly functional while being existentially despairing.
• Fix: Focus on despair as a problem of selfhood and its relationship to existence and the eternal, rather than a mood disorder.

• Mistake: Believing Kierkegaard offers easy answers to faith and selfhood.
• Why it matters: Both works depict the path to authentic faith and selfhood as arduous, paradoxical, and requiring intense subjective commitment and struggle.
• Fix: Approach the texts with an understanding that they describe difficult existential challenges and journeys, not simple solutions.

Expert Tips for Engaging with Kierkegaard

• Tip 1: Prioritize Subjectivity.
• Actionable Step: When reading, constantly ask yourself, “What does this mean for my own existence and my understanding of truth?”
• Common Mistake to Avoid: Treating Kierkegaard’s philosophy as an objective system to be analyzed, rather than a call to subjective appropriation and personal transformation.

• Tip 2: Note the Role of Passion.
• Actionable Step: Identify instances where Kierkegaard emphasizes “passion,” “infinite passion,” or “subjective passion,” and consider how this contrasts with mere intellectual assent.
• Common Mistake to Avoid: Underestimating the centrality of passionate commitment in Kierkegaard’s conception of faith and authentic existence, viewing it as secondary to reason.

• Tip 3: Understand the Stages of Existence.
• Actionable Step: Recognize that Kierkegaard often presents concepts within a framework of developmental stages (aesthetic, ethical, religious), understanding that the “religious” stage, particularly the paradoxical faith described in Fear and Trembling, is the highest and most challenging.
• Common Mistake to Avoid: Applying the principles of the religious stage (like the suspension of the ethical) to the ethical stage, leading to misinterpretations of universal duty.

Key Concepts in Kierkegaard’s Philosophy

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