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John Hartley

Lev Shestov: Faith beyond reason

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Lev Shestov (1866–1938), a Russian-Jewish philosopher challenged the prevailing rationalist traditions of his time. Born Yehuda Leib Shvartsman in Kiev, Shestov rejected the rationalist and deterministic philosophies of Spinoza and Hegel, in favour of the primacy of individual experience and the mystery inherent in faith. His philosophy is characterized by a radical rejection of rational certainty insofar as true knowledge arises not from reason but from the depths of personal struggle and the existential crises that force individuals to confront “the limitations imposed by reason and instead seek the impossible that faith demands.”

Shestov vehemently critiqued the dominance of rationalism in Western philosophy. He argued that reason imposes limits on human freedom, since, “Reason declares certain truths to be eternal and immutable, yet it is precisely these so-called truths that bind man and prevent him from reaching God.” To Shestov, free will is the cornerstone of human existence insofar as genuine freedom arises when individuals transcend rational necessity so that “Freedom begins where necessity ends”.

Similar to Kierkegaard, Shestov explores the notion of faith as a leap into the realm beyond reason where true freedom is possible. Predicated on a distinct Neo-Platonism infused with the thought of St Bonaventure: “Faith is the readiness to renounce reason and to venture into the darkness where God dwells.” Shestov fits into the broader Russian intellectual tradition that embraces intuition and mysticism over Western rationalism. “The Russian soul rebels against the chains of necessity imposed by reason; it yearns for the boundless freedom found only in God.” Shestov notes, “Russian thought has always sought God not through the mind but through the heart and suffering.” As Shestov observes, “Dostoevsky’s heroes do not find solace in reason; instead, they plunge into the depths of despair to discover the divine.”

Appealing to his Jewish heritage, Shestov asserts: “ faith is not inherited but fought for in the face of divine silence.” Such emphasis on faith and free will resonates with Jacob wrestling with the God. Job’s cries against his suffering are the cries of all humanity seeking to understand a God who remains beyond comprehension.” His rejection of rational explanations for suffering mirrors the Jewish tradition, which is “one of perpetual questioning, refusing to accept easy answers provided by reason.”

Shestov’s absolute conception of free will asserts that humans possess the capacity to transcend natural and rational laws through an act of will rooted in faith. “Man is not bound by the laws of necessity; through faith, he can overcome the impossible.” Beyond merely the ability to choose between alternatives, free will properly understood concerns the power to redefine reality in defiance of necessity. Such freedom is typified in Abraham’s willingness to leave his homeland and later to sacrifice his son Isaac. Faith defies rational understanding insofar as “Abraham’s faith was a revolt against reason.” Such a reality explains the irreconcilability of a the Jewish people and a secular state, which are predicated upon diametrically opposed truth foundations.

Just as Abraham acts out of faith in God’s promise, transcending rational considerations, Shestov advocates for a leap of faith that embraces ‘the impossible’. “The covenant is a testament to the power of faith to break the chains of necessity and enter into a direct relationship with the divine.” If true faith requires abandoning the security of reason, the tendency to reduce faith to logical propositions diminishes the transformative power of a genuine encounter with the divine. Echoing Pascal: “To know God, one must forsake the certainties of the mind and embrace the uncertainties of the heart.”

Faith entails personal and existential commitment insofar as is is “not a conclusion reached by reason but a divine gift that shatters human understanding.” By emphasizing the primacy of faith over and against the limitations of reason, Shestov’s thought is predicated upon trust in God beyond intellectual certainty. Faith entails a shipwreck of the mind: “Only by risking everything, including reason itself, can man hope to find God.” Indeed, such a position explains the miraculous endurance of the Jews, who’s existence cannot be understood in rational terms.

 

Lev Shestov, In Job’s Balances, trans. Camilla Coventry and C. A. Macartney (Athens: Ohio University Press, 1929).

Lev Shestov, Athens and Jerusalem, trans. Bernard Martin (Athens: Ohio University Press, 1966).

About the Author
John Hartley is a teacher and a part-time doctoral student. His research focuses on the philosophy of religion of the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Regents Theological College, a Master's in Theology from Maryvale Institute, a Licentiate in Divinity validated by the Faculté Notre Dame de Paris, and a Postgraduate Diploma from Birmingham University. https://johnhartley.uk