Lecture 14

Question 1

what are the two options of life in the preamble of the heart

Answer 1

naturalism: (nothing and then randomly we exist through random particles and there is no purpose and there is no foresight and everything is just natural and random)

theism: god

Question 2

what does keirkegaard think about naturalism regarding despair

Answer 2

• if naturalism were true, life would be empty
• life would be full of despair because everything you care about is meaningless and will be destroyed
  
  • little fraction of time to be lawyer before you become stardust
  • that millisecond of time that you get to be a lawyer is meaningless
  • value nature, all of nature will be destroyed

Question 3

why does the writer support theism instead of naturalism

Answer 3

• writer says naturalism is despair so it cannot be true
  
  • Not logical, it is existential belief
    
    • personally cannot accept that (existential decision)

Question 4

how does keirkegraard define greatness (3)

Answer 4

1) overcoming great obstacles
- poverty vs rich
2) love something greatly, what they strove for
- seeking fame vs speaking truth
3) greatness from expectation, if they expected greatness
- expect riches vs expect knowledge

Question 5

how does greatness apply to Abraham

Answer 5

• love (abraham loved god; god is love, agape)
• obstacles (abraham contended w god; )
• expectation (abrham expected the impossible; Isaac returning from dead)

Question 6

what is god

Answer 6

goodness, loyalty, resillience
- Good virtues
- People who live for the good are people you
consider great

with the word god, we mean goodness itself (thomas aquinas, st augustin)

Question 7

what does Abraham mean by ‘if I always abide by the good I will win everything’

Answer 7

Allard school example, one point short, TA mistake so you get the point. Even if you confess to TA and lose Allard and everything, you still win everything

humanly speaking this is insane but Abraham believes beyond human

Even if Abraham sacrifices Isaac he will still win everything because it is gods command