Fear and Trembling Summary
Soren Kierkegaard

Fear and Trembling Overview

This text is among the most famous and widely read works of the influential philosopher and theologian Soren Kierkegaard. Writing under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio, Kierkegaard’s commentary on the biblical story of the binding of Isaac examines Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son. Kierkegaard reads this event as a paradigmatic instance of a type of prodigious and paradoxical faith that goes beyond the ethical realm and remains resolute in the face of the absurd. This seminal book remains a foundational text of existentialist philosophy and continues to exert influence in religious and philosophical realms alike.