This lecture was delivered in 2006 by Professor Hubert Dreyfus of Berkeley University in California. I consider it a good introduction to where Kierkegaard is coming from. Dreyfus thinks the church, through St Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas introduced Greek concepts into Christianity. He traces this development through various philosophers to the time of Soren Kierkegaard as a way to introduce his 1843 book Fear and Trembling. Here is a quote from the beginning of Kierkegaard's book. "Preface: Every speculative monitor who conscientiously signals the important trends in modern philosophy, every assistant professor, tutor, and student, every rural outsider and tenant incumbent in philosophy is unwilling to stop with doubting everything but goes further. Perhaps it would be premature and untimely to ask them where they really are going, but in all politeness and modesty it can probably be taken for granted that they have doubted everything, since otherwise it certainly would be odd to speak of their having gone further. They have all made this preliminary movement and presumably so easily that they find it unnecessary to say a word about how, for not even the person who in apprehension and concern sought a little enlightenment found any, not one suggestive hint or one little dietetic prescription with respect to how a person is to act in carrying out this enormous task. "But did not Descartes do it?" Descartes, a venerable, humble, honest thinker, whose writings no one can read without being profoundly affected-he did what he said and said what he did. Alas! Alas! Alas! That is a great rarity in our day! As Descartes himself so frequently said, he did not doubt with respect to faith." Soren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling, Hong p. 5 I took the liberty of adding the pictures. Professor Dreyfus has more lectures. It seems there are many missing links in the story.

• published: 12 Oct 2012
• views: 20530