Fear And Trembling

The central thesis of Fear and Trembling is that faith is a paradox that requires one to embrace the absurd. The absurd is beyond human comprehension and often requires one to believe in two parts of a paradox simultaneously. It is absurd, for instance, that Abraham should expect to father a great nation by sacrificing his son, and yet that is exactly what he expects. It is absurd to believe a man can turn water into wine, but it is more absurd to expect that wine could also be turned back into water (78). And yet acceptance of the absurd, that what has been lost can be regained, is necessary for faith. That is why the movement of faith happens after the movement of infinite resignation. One must recognize “the impossibility” and embrace it; the knight of faith “believes the absurd” with the full passion of his heart (95). This means that faith cannot be faked, as no one can pretend to believe in the impossible.

Nothing about faith can be understood to an outsider, as the experience is