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1 results

  • Chapter 11 - Faith Neither Absurd Nor Irrational: The Neglected Reply to Eiríksson

  • from Part IV - Faith and Reason
  • Roe Fremstedal, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim
  • Book:
    Kierkegaard on Self, Ethics, and Religion
    Published online:
    27 January 2022
    Print publication:
    17 February 2022, pp 193-211

  • Summary

    By examining little-known primary sources that are largely untranslated, Chapter 11 examines whether religious faith is absurd or irrational for Kierkegaard. It is shown that Kierkegaard was familiar with the irrationalist reading of his work as developed by his forgotten contemporary Magnús Eiríksson in the book Is Faith a Paradox and “By Virtue of the Absurd”? (1850). More importantly, Kierkegaard’s (drafted) reply to Eiríksson is clear that faith is only seemingly absurd and irrational, something that undermines the irrationalist reading of him considerably. Still, faith does seem absurd to nonbelievers since it provokes and scandalizes our understanding. Nevertheless, Kierkegaard argues that faith overcomes this absurdity and offense. Finally, his neglected reply to Eiríksson sheds light on his much-discussed use of pseudonyms and the relation between Fear and Trembling and Concluding Unscientific Postscript in particular.