Fear And Trembling By Socrates: A Knight Of Resignation
Socrates – A Knight of Resignation
Throughout Soren Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling he describes two types of people. The first is a knight of faith and the second is a knight of infinite resignation. While a knight of faith grabs hold of the impossible and clings to it, believing that it will be fulfilled, a knight of infinite resignation realizes that the goal is impossible and resigns to it. However, despite this acquiescence a knight of infinite resignation builds the meaning of his life around that goal while simultaneously realizing that he will never obtain it. While Abraham encompasses the qualities of a knight of faith, Socrates exhibits more traits that would characterize him as a knight of infinite resignation. Socrates’ idea …show more content…
Conversely, Socrates centers his life around the idea of the forms, placing them at the core of his being but, realizes that he will never actually obtain the forms. Accordingly, Socrates doesn’t fear death because he doesn’t know it, and knows that he never will know it in his current life. Unlike Abraham who was not afraid to sacrifice his son because he was focused on the fact that God would make everything work out in the end, Socrates would not be afraid for other reasons. Socrates would not be hesitant to sacrifice his son because he is aware of the fact that he doesn’t know what will come after death. He proclaims in The Apology by Plato that he isn’t afraid to be put to death because no one has ever proven what comes after life. For this reason Socrates again better exemplifies the ideals of a knight of infinite resignation than those of the knight of
Throughout Soren Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling he describes two types of people. The first is a knight of faith and the second is a knight of infinite resignation. While a knight of faith grabs hold of the impossible and clings to it, believing that it will be fulfilled, a knight of infinite resignation realizes that the goal is impossible and resigns to it. However, despite this acquiescence a knight of infinite resignation builds the meaning of his life around that goal while simultaneously realizing that he will never obtain it. While Abraham encompasses the qualities of a knight of faith, Socrates exhibits more traits that would characterize him as a knight of infinite resignation. Socrates’ idea …show more content…
Conversely, Socrates centers his life around the idea of the forms, placing them at the core of his being but, realizes that he will never actually obtain the forms. Accordingly, Socrates doesn’t fear death because he doesn’t know it, and knows that he never will know it in his current life. Unlike Abraham who was not afraid to sacrifice his son because he was focused on the fact that God would make everything work out in the end, Socrates would not be afraid for other reasons. Socrates would not be hesitant to sacrifice his son because he is aware of the fact that he doesn’t know what will come after death. He proclaims in The Apology by Plato that he isn’t afraid to be put to death because no one has ever proven what comes after life. For this reason Socrates again better exemplifies the ideals of a knight of infinite resignation than those of the knight of