FAITH is a strong word. Its utterance can evoke powerful emotions and spark lively discussions. But when one tries to probe deeper into its subject matter, the need for a clearer definition emerges. The question that drives people's interest sounds ironically simple: What does it mean to have faith? Many philosophers have dealt with the concept of faith. Evidence of this can be found in Kirkegaard's Fear and Trembling and Nietzsche's The Gay Science. These works present the reader with engaging attempts to answer the aforementioned question.

Nietzsche introduces various notions of faith in his book. Only one, however, represents true faith. He asserts that "Few people have faith in themselves. Of these few, some are endowed with it as with a useful blindness or a partial eclipse of their spirit" (Nietzsche, p.229). To understand the concept of "useful blindness" one must learn about certain distinctions Nietzsche makes...