Philosophy in a Factory

      A book  about the Biblical story of Abraham and his intended sacrifice of his son Isaac, Kierkegaard reflects on how faith relates to ethics and how it ultimately transcends ethical standards.      Throughout the book Kierkegaard establishes the classically existential idea of the absurd in relation to Abraham’s plight and reflects on how an absurd situation such as this cannot have a rational reaction. Abraham is commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac because it is what Abraham values most in the world. Kierkegaard expounds on how deliberate and terrifying this must have been for Abraham while he made the trip to the top of the mountain with his son and asks the obvious question of “Could any of us make the same choices?”      From what I understand, Kierkegaard viewed the story of Abraham as a blueprint for his relationship with God. He makes the point that God, forever loving and magnanimous, would reward anyone w...

     Lately I've been really into learning about existentialism which is a philosophical movement that sprung up in France around the time of WWII, but has deep roots throughout the history of the subject of Philosophy. Its categorized by its focus on the human experience- the love, the pain, the sheer absurdity of it all- rather than treat such things as a detriment to rational thought. And, in particular, I've been intrigued by the whole concept of absurdity and what it meant to people at the time. The time before World War II was certainly no stranger to the absurdity of life, but it was nothing compared to what happened during the war.       To the people living in Europe at the time, it seemed like there was no rationale to what was happening. People seemingly lived and died by the random whim of the insane who were in power, so the absurdity because a sticking point in the thoughts of the countless living, not only in France but around the g...