What Abraham Intended: A Note on Translating Problema I, with a View Toward the Paradox

Probably no part of Fear and Trembling has received more philosophical attention than Problema I, on the teleological suspension of the ethical. It is a dense, potent, and difficult section of argumentation. Unfortunately, beginning in the first paragraph, English translations have suf- fered from a peculiar difficulty in providing a clear and precise translation of its definitions and so also of the dialectical impetus of the section. In this article, I review existing translations, show the difficulties they introduce into the argument, and suggest a better way of expressing Problema I in English. In conclusion, I show how getting the translation right draws Kierkegaard into the main philosophical debates about action theory alongside figures like Aristotle and Kant, and clar- ifies the scope of Silentio’s “paradox” as a particular challenge for understanding the practical reasoning of religious believers.