Question

You will be asked to come up with two original questions based on the work of two different authors in each week’s required readings. Think about what stood out to you in the works in question—what ideas, theories, or approaches did you find to be interesting, engaging, or perhaps intriguing or challenging? Your task is then to do your best to answer each of your own questions as incisively and thoroughly as possible within a word-count range of around 350-500 words maximum (posts with fewer than 250 words will not receive any credit). The word count includes your question but not any citations. You must cite at least one source, which will be the particular essay or article from the required readings you are addressing.

Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling (entire), pp. 1-61.

Study Guide: Themes, Arguments, and Ideas in Kierkegaard's Writings (from SparkNotes).

My question is: Why is faith so amazing and rare, according to Kierkegaard and what does he mean by teleological suspension of the ethical ? or you can change the question is if you can find a better one.

Answer 1

Kierkegaard divides life into three stages:the aesthetic,the ethical,and the religious.To attain the true self an individual has to pass through all the three stages.The aesthetic stage can be described as sensory stage where an individual seeks pleasure through his senses. The good experiences from his senses provide him pleasure. This is an immature stage of life where the Individual tries to seek happiness through sensory pleasures to avoid the boredom.

An individual who moves on to second stage of life is ethical,that is he considers the implications of satisfying his senses on others. He follows the societal norms and regulations, he follows the ethics and this leads to self exploration of himself.

This self exploration of himself leads an individual into the third stage of life the religious stage. Kierkegaard considers this stage of life to be the highest plane of life,since the individual lives in complete dedication and obedience to God

Kierkegaard uses the example of Abraham from Bible to demonstrate this ultimate faith in God and to explain teleological suspension of the ethical. Abraham moved from ethical to religious stage,when he was granted a son by God which was impossible by any human means.So when God asked for the sacrifice of his son Abraham agreed to it, though he was in dilemma in the beginning. But he took the leap of faith,he believed in his God who was always faithful to him,who always kept his promises to him, though Abraham had failed from his side many a times. This self exploration of Abraham confirmed his faith on his God and thus Abraham was ready to suspend his ethics of not killing because he knew it that his God would provide a way for it and this faith Abraham on his God proved to be fruitful and Issac was spared, that is Abraham was stopped from taking his son's life by his God. When an individual sets God above his worldy pleasures and ethics as Abraham did ,in the end he is rewarded for his obedience and dedication. But this faith is very rare as human nature interfers in doing so. But for those who are able to overcome his worldy human side it's amazing to experience the abounding grace of God as Abraham did.

To overcome the world and to set God above oneself is rare and when one does so ,to experience the grace of God is amazing. Leap of faith leads to emancipation from wordly desires and saves from the anxieties and fears of this world.