No progress on Klett, but I did read 'Fear and Trembling' and 'Either/Or,' both of which I thought would be onerous but were surprisingly short, readable, and relatable. Taking some of the biographies from the show and the book (I read these from the Princeton University Press version called "The Essential Kierkegaard"), I feel a sense of acquaintance with him and even kinship, even though these works reflect a small part of his work.

'Fear and Trembling' especially is short and, for me, divides into three distinct parts:

• A state of faith in Soren's world
• The concept of a knight of infinite resignation/faith (not entirely the same thing)
• A rundown on Abraham and Isaac

F&T is one of those philosophy reads that requires a bible and a good bit of patience tracking down the notes. I could have this confused and would appreciate the correction, but Soren wrote these, and most of his works were published after he backed away from the marriage proposal Lanier and John mentioned in the show. 'Either/Or' has all the flavor of that trauma, but 'Fear and Trembling' was good in ways that John Perry's skepticism wasn't – though the first read had me asking what I was getting myself into. The second, third, and … I've re-read this multiple times now… all got me to a place where I can say, "I am not Soren I read these."

The first part could take its setting from any town in America, and the themes of faith could still resonate with some communities and translate to blind faith in science or liberal economy in others. I somewhat got a vibe for modern-day issues – especially technology and isolation, loneliness, and disconnection the internet's supposed and ironic 'connectedness' has wrought.

The second section, where Soren gets into the path of infinite resignation and faith, lets Kierkegaard's voice out. Spoiler alert – Kierkegaard admits to having never met a Knight of Faith in person. The swimming metaphor puts the ideas of objectivity and subjectivity in plain view. Kierkegaard was well-steeped in the faith but not from personal experience. The uncertainty of the authors' belief was unexpected for me, and I will probably get more reading other works, but these two are good enough for starters.

The best part is titled 'Problema I – Is There a Teleological Suspension of the Ethical?', where Kierkegaard discusses Abraham (and Isaac's near dissection.) Again, this parallels a blind faith in science in our modern world, but we have many examples of Abrahamic psychology in our present generations. These come with and without appeals to the infinite; some are dysfunction tailored to ends. The show mentioned John Brown, but there are others, 'Taxi Driver' is one – and yes, I am talking about him; Ted Kaczynski and the Branch Davidians...the list goes on. Kierkegaard would distance his arguments from all these, and to be fair, Abraham didn't kill anyone. The idea is that people of true faith, and there are plenty of those in our modern world as well – offer us all an example of a path to the good life.

I'd run down my impressions of 'Either/Or,' but this is a blog post. I read Kierkegaard for the first time, and it was enlightening. I haven't cracked my bible in a while, and it felt great. I like Soren's sense of faith as premised on doubt and unattainable for the masses, if even the devout. Religion may be his apology, but his core is one of questioning. Great show and a fun read!

The force at the beginning of a leap is conserved and, minus a little friction, is even greater than the concentrated force at its end. What sentence are you referring to above? Ken's? Again, just asking what you mean here.