Leap of faith
Concept · Søren Kierkegaard · Philosophy, stage 1: Learn the vocabulary
The leap of faith is Kierkegaard's description of the move required to become a genuine believer: a commitment made without, and sometimes against, rational proof or objective certainty. He develops it most fully through the story of Abraham and Isaac in Fear and Trembling, where Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son cannot be justified by ethical reasoning alone. For Kierkegaard, faith of this kind is a passionate individual choice, not a conclusion reached by argument.
Why it matters
It marks Kierkegaard's break from philosophers who tried to prove religious belief through reason, and it makes him a key forerunner of existentialism's focus on individual choice.
Part of
Sources
- Søren Kierkegaard Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Existentialism Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
