In this psychological study of Adam, Kierkegaard vindicates the Christian doctrine of original sin in terms that even secular scholars and psychologists find compelling, though not all are pleased with his surprising conclusion. This classic of existentialism argues that awareness of the possibility of sin is...sin. Dread is the unconscious fear of our own freedom. Throwing ourselves headlong into that which we fear most is a common route of escape, but proves to be no escape at all; it only elevates dread to "the demoniacal." Yet consciousness of dread is the very condition of salvation. In fine Kierkegaardian fashion, he begins by laying down rules of inquiry, then breaks them all. Like all SK's pseudonymous philosophical works, THE CONCEPT OF DREAD pushes the reader toward "the existential leap" by removing all alternatives. [From the Amazon kindle edition.]