Kierkegaard and the Life of Faith

Book excerpt: “A thorough, considered, and provocative treatment of what justifiably remains Kierkegaard’s most famous book.” —Marginalia Review of Books Soren Kierkegaard’s masterful work Fear and Trembling interrogates the story of Abraham and Isaac, finding there one of the most profound and critical dilemmas in all of religious philosophy. While several commentaries and critical editions exist, Jeffrey Hanson offers a distinctive approach to this crucial text. Hanson gives equal weight to all three of Kierkegaard’s “problems,” dealing with Fear and Trembling as part of the entire corpus of Kierkegaard’s thought and putting all parts into relation with each other. Additionally, he offers a distinctive analysis of the Abraham story and other biblical texts, giving particular attention to questions of poetics, language, and philosophy, especially as each relates to the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious. Presented in a thoughtful and fresh manner, Hanson’s claims are original and edifying. This new reading of Kierkegaard will stimulate fruitful dialogue on well-traveled philosophical ground.