Kierkegaard: Faith, Trust, & The Will
Exploring Søren Kierkegaard's concept of faith and it's application to everyday life
As a brief introduction, I do not profess this essay to be an accurate interpretation of Kierkegaard’s work, but rather an intellectual exploration building off of his conceptualization of faith within Fear & Trembling. While thoroughly enjoying his work, I was fascinated by his description of faith and the traits he attaches to those who achieve such an unadulterated faith. I found parallels within the text that led me to draw comparisons to the experience of entrepreneurs, individualists, and those vehemently driven by passion.
Faith as the Utmost Value.
Within Fear & Trembling, Kierkegaard presents two characters: the Knight of Infinite Resignation and the Knight of Faith. Both are committed to and driven by their faith — faith not purely in a theological sense, but a passion, love, or value. Both knights hold this faith or value, as their purpose in life and concentrate themselves upon it. As an example of this, Kierkegaard points to the love of a woman — specifically one whom cannot become your partner. This distinction illustrates that these knights do not give up their faith when faced with pain, social resistance, or the improbability of achieving their objective. Their unwavering commitment seats them above this stark reality.
“…it is only lower natures who have the law of their actions in someone else, the premisses for their actions outside themselves.” (pg. 50)
Despite acknowledging the impossibility, they resist the temptation to surrender their faith and find consolation even through their emotional distress. The Knight of Faith separates himself from the Knight of Infinite Resignation by standing firm in his belief regardless of the plausibility. He achieves this through the ‘strength of the absurd’ as Kierkegaard describes it.
Now this isn’t an advocation for blind faith or ignorance by maintaining allegiance to something you can never obtain. Kierkegaard specifically points out that these knights do not deceive themselves, but they find peace and happiness by knowing they’ve stayed true to their passion. Although this investigation of faith may seem trivial, the journey of enduring doubt, detractors, and social intimidation lends a lesson to those pursuing an uncertain goal.
A Tenacious Will.
The principle I extracted most from this book was the idea that in order to achieve the impossible, you must have a fervent faith with a dash of irrationality. The entrepreneur risking his life savings on his passion is a Knight of Faith. The social outcast facing external resistance for chasing his/her passion is a Knight of Faith. The steadfast dreamer chasing their goal despite the unlikelihood of success is a Knight of Faith.
“Faith is this paradox, and the single individual is quite unable to make himself intelligible to anyone.” (Pg. 84)
What separates these individuals from the norm is that they are able to find joy and meaning in their faith, passion, or value even after accepting the extreme doubt that looms over them. It’s through their resilient faith that they turn the impossible into the possible. They understand that their path is one of isolation and pain, as they’ll be misunderstood by most. Yet, their faith carries them along the road and provides an infinite sense of fulfillment.
“…it means he has nevertheless remained true to his love.” (pg. 56)
For further understanding and greater context, I’d recommend reading Fear & Trembling, in which Kierkegaard provides a better explanation of faith and his concept of it. Again, the purpose was not to interpret the text directly, but to extract the value of faith beyond theological circumstances and apply it to everyday life. Feel free to email me your thoughts on the matter at covington24@gmail.com or by commenting on this post.
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