Obeying God's order to kill his son made Abraham a hero, not a monster, Kierkegaard argued

God orders Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, and Abraham prepares to obey. By any ordinary ethical standard this is attempted murder, yet Kierkegaard calls Abraham the supreme 'knight of faith', someone who suspends ethics itself on the strength of a private, unprovable relationship with God. There is no rational way to justify the leap, which is exactly Kierkegaard's point: real faith only exists where reason has run out.

— Søren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling — 1843
Go deeper: get the book →

One credited idea per card. No filler. Swipe the rest in Savvy.

Keep swiping — it's free Works right in your browser. No app store needed.

More Philosophy

All Philosophy cards →
More from Søren Kierkegaard →

Five ideas worth knowing, every week

The week's best cards and a puzzle, credited as always. Free, unsubscribe any time.