--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is easy to see, though it scarcely…" description: "\"It is easy to see, though it scarcely needs to be pointed out, since it is involved in the fact that Reason is set aside, that faith is not a form of k..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/soren-kierkegaard-578_absurdity_it-is-easy-to-see-though-it-scarcely-nee_2462903.jpg" --- # It is easy to see, though it scarcely needs to be pointed… ![“It is easy to see, though it scarcely needs to be pointed out, since it is involved in the fact that Reason is set aside, that faith is not a form of knowledge; for all knowledge is either a knowledge of the eternal, excluding the temporal and historical as indifferent, or it is pure historical…” quote by Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/soren-kierkegaard-578_absurdity_it-is-easy-to-see-though-it-scarcely-nee_2462903.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/soren-kierkegaard-578_absurdity_it-is-easy-to-see-though-it-scarcely-nee_2462903.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/soren-kierkegaard-578_absurdity_it-is-easy-to-see-though-it-scarcely-nee_2462903.jpg) > “It is easy to see, though it scarcely needs to be pointed out, since it is involved in the fact that Reason is set aside, that faith is not a form of knowledge; for all knowledge is either a knowledge of the eternal, excluding the temporal and historical as indifferent, or it is pure historical knowledge. No knowledge can have for its object the absurdity that the eternal is the historical.” [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Kierkegaard distinguishes between eternal, timeless knowledge and historical, temporal knowledge, arguing faith is not knowledge because it deals with the eternal beyond factual proof. **In simple terms:** Faith deals with eternal truths, not factual proof. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of rational proof for faith. Themes faith knowledge eternity reason Mood contemplative serious Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal belief - philosophical debate - religious practice - academic study Key Concepts epistemology existentialism theology Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile faith with evidence? - Can eternal truths be known without reason? A Different Perspective Faith may resist empirical scrutiny, leading to conflict with scientific perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurdity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurdity/) [Eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Historical knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-knowledge/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [The truth isn't a thing of fact or reason. It is simply what everyone agrees on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/the-truth-isn-t-a-thing-of-fact-or-reason-it-is-simply-what-everyone/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [Beside all the small reasons we assign, there is a great reason for the existence of every extant fact; a reason which lies grandand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/beside-all-the-small-reasons-we-assign-there-is-a-great-reason-for/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Perhaps true faith is a form of insanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristine-kathryn-rusch/perhaps-true-faith-is-a-form-of-insanity/) [Kristine Kathryn Rusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristine-kathryn-rusch/) > [“Faith to me is a form of self-expression, like a work of art, a manifestation of freedom, not a tool for mindless conformity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sahar-el-nadi/faith-to-me-is-a-form-of-self-expression-like-a-work-of-art-a/) [Sahar El-Nadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sahar-el-nadi/) > [All is well, tho' faith and form Be sunder'd in the night of fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/all-is-well-tho-faith-and-form-be-sunder-d-in-the-night-of-fear/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [“Your love can be stolen away from you but knowledge is eternal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abc/your-love-can-be-stolen-away-from-you-but-knowledge-is-eternal/) [ABC](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abc/) > [The knowledge of which geometry aims is the knowledge of the eternal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-knowledge-of-which-geometry-aims-is-the-knowledge-of-the-eternal/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“God be eternal, he knows all things as present. All things are present to him in his eternity; for this is the notion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-symington/god-be-eternal-he-knows-all-things-as-present-all-things-are-present/) [William Symington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-symington/) > [Like most things of great worth, knowledge which is of eternal value comes only through personal prayer and pondering. These, joined with fasting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/like-most-things-of-great-worth-knowledge-which-is-of-eternal-value/) [Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/) > [Knowledge of the eternal is all-embracing. To be all-embracing leads to righteousness, which is majestic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/knowledge-of-the-eternal-is-all-embracing-to-be-all-embracing-leads/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [My mother taught me three things: respect, knowledge, search for knowledge. It's an eternal journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/my-mother-taught-me-three-things-respect-knowledge-search-for-2/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [Risk models are a substitute for historical knowledge, because they tend to work with just three years' worth of data. But three years is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/risk-models-are-a-substitute-for-historical-knowledge-because-they/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [“Gower is the first English writer to use "history" as an English word. He regularly rhymes the term with "memory," for to his way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-a-peck/gower-is-the-first-english-writer-to-use-history-as-an-english-word/) Russell A. Peck > [“This is the paradox of historical knowledge. Knowledge that does not change behaviour is useless. But knowledge that changes behaviour quickly loses its relevance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/this-is-the-paradox-of-historical-knowledge-knowledge-that-does-not/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [The bases for historical knowledge are not empirical facts but written texts, even if these texts masquerade in the guise of wars or revolutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-bases-for-historical-knowledge-are-not-empirical-facts-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Soren Kierkegaard > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Christians remind me of schoolboys who want to look up the answers to their math problems in the back of the book rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christians-remind-me-of-schoolboys-who-want-to-look-up-the-answers-to/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [People commonly travel the world over to see rivers and mountains, new stars, garish birds, freak fish, grotesque breeds of human; they fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/people-commonly-travel-the-world-over-to-see-rivers-and-mountains-new/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [“A strange thing happened to me in my dream. I was rapt into the Seventh Heaven. There sat all the gods assembled. As a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-strange-thing-happened-to-me-in-my-dream-i-was-rapt-into-the/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [That which is truly human no generation learns from the one before it. No generation learns from another how to love. No generation has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/that-which-is-truly-human-no-generation-learns-from-the-one-before-it/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [A man may perform astonishing feats and comprehend a vast amount of knowledge, and yet have no understanding of himself. But suffering directs a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-man-may-perform-astonishing-feats-and-comprehend-a-vast-amount-of/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Be that self which one truly is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/be-that-self-which-one-truly-is/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [I go fishing for a thousand monsters in the depths of my own self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/i-go-fishing-for-a-thousand-monsters-in-the-depths-of-my-own-self/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [In addition to my other numerous acquaintances, I have one more intimate confidant… My depression is the most faithful mistress I have known —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/in-addition-to-my-other-numerous-acquaintances-i-have-one-more/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [The greatest danger to Christianity is, I contend, not heresies, not heterodoxies, not atheists, not profane secularism - no, but the kind of orthodoxy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/the-greatest-danger-to-christianity-is-i-contend-not-heresies-not/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Future is everything that past has forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/future-is-everything-that-past-has-forgotten/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Without risk, faith is an impossibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/without-risk-faith-is-an-impossibility/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [I have only one confidant, and that is the silence of night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/i-have-only-one-confidant-and-that-is-the-silence-of-night/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [A road well begun is the battle half won. The important thing is to make a beginning and get under way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-road-well-begun-is-the-battle-half-won-the-important-thing-is-to/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [I have, I believe, the courage to doubt everything; I have, I believe, the courage to fight against everything; but I do not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/i-have-i-believe-the-courage-to-doubt-everything-i-have-i-believe-the/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) [Explore all 462 Soren Kierkegaard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) ## More Absurdity quotes > [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. 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"Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [One would think that a system loaded with such gross and vulgar absurdities as Scripture religion is could never have obtained credit; yet we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/one-would-think-that-a-system-loaded-with-such-gross-and-vulgar/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Such squeamish youths as cannot bear to be connected with a little absurdity are not worth a regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/such-squeamish-youths-as-cannot-bear-to-be-connected-with-a-little/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Thought of the incomprehensible sequence of changes and chances that make up a life, all the beauties and horrors and absurdities whose conjunctions create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/thought-of-the-incomprehensible-sequence-of-changes-and-chances-that/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [We all live inside the terrible engine of authority, and it grinds and shrieks and burns so that no one will say: lines on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/we-all-live-inside-the-terrible-engine-of-authority-and-it-grinds-and/) [Catherynne M. 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It comes from an absurdity around that misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-amstell/i-ve-always-felt-that-comedy-doesn-t-just-come-from-misery-it-comes/) [Simon Amstell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-amstell/) > [Unaware of the absurdity of it, we introduce our own petty household rules into the economy of the universe for which the life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/unaware-of-the-absurdity-of-it-we-introduce-our-own-petty-household/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [“Christianity would be helpless without the idea of free will and the idea of free will would be helpless without incongruity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kedar-joshi/christianity-would-be-helpless-without-the-idea-of-free-will-and-the/) [Kedar Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kedar-joshi/) > [Sensible Catholics have for generations been ignoring the views on contraception held by reactionary old men in the Vatican, but alas, since it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/sensible-catholics-have-for-generations-been-ignoring-the-views-on/) [A.C. 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