An Examination of the Concept of Faith as Contained in Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling

Abstract

The problem that interests me and that will be the subject of this paper can be stated briefly as the relationship between 'faith' and 'reason'. I will not offer a precise definition or way of characterizing faith at first, but I think it can be thought of as the holding of a belief or set of beliefs that are somehow beyond the scope of rational inquiry to confirm or deny. I am using 'reason' here as a term that signifies man's capacity for rational thought or deliberation. 'Reason' is in part the intellectual capacity of man to form hypotheses, investigate problems, propose solutions and form theoretical insights. It is not a capacity that I think can be used for evaluating 'faith' as I understand the term. Faith can be thought of as a kind of 'leap' or 'jump' into the unknown or unknowable. Evidence or knowledge would not play a significant part in this jump. It seems to me that if conclusive evidence could be brought forth that would confirm a belief that is held on faith (such as a belief in God), then there would be no need for faith at all. If the statement 'God exists' were somehow 'known' to be true, then the necessity for a capacity beyond that of reason that could express a relationship with that statement would disappear. One of the questions I intend to examine is what reason can say about faith or what the 'limits' of reason might be. [From introductory section]