Review article
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21759874
A Critical Review of Søren Kierkegaard's “Fear and Trembling.”
Toma Gruica
orcid.org/0000-0003-0547-5825
Abstract
This paper offers a critical analysis of the work Fear and Trembling, in which Søren Kierkegaard, under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio, explores the paradox of faith through the biblical story of Abraham. Originally written in 2017 and here re-examined and expanded, the work is not only a philosophical analysis but also a personal testimony of an encounter with a thinker. The central focus of the analysis is on the tension between ethical universalism, which demands transparency and respect for general moral laws, and religious particularism, in which the individual enters into an absolute relationship with the absolute, transcending ethical norms. The work explores the concept of the teleological suspension of the ethical, analyzing how Abraham's act of sacrificing Isaac is transformed from a moral transgression into an act of a “knight of faith.” Through a comparison with the tragic hero, Kierkegaard's distinction between the universal and the individual is critically questioned, and the existential implications of the absurdity of faith are considered. In conclusion, the paper suggests that Kierkegaard does not offer a justification for immoral action, but rather articulates a radical subjectivity of faith that remains beyond the reach of rational and ethical communication, thereby permanently redefining the relationship between the individual and religious authority.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
350056
URI
Publication date:
31.8.2026.
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