Soren Kierkegaard
3 Kierkegaard was one of the first philosophers to develop the school of thought now known as existentialism and is often described as the father of this movement. 2Much of his work was highly critical of the Church and he frequently intermingled religion and philosophy in his writings.
Who Was He?
3Kierkegaard was born in 1813, to a wealthy family in Denmark. 4His education consisted of history, Latin and theology, and he made it clear that philosophy was of no interest to him. 5He stated that he was more interested in the practical application of knowledge rather than the theoretical. 6Nonetheless, he seemed continually drawn to the subject.
7He was once engaged to be married but he backed out of the relationship. 8He otherwise lived his life as a bachelor and died in 1855. 9Many of his published books and articles were written under a pseudonym because he felt that any good work should stand on its own merits, regardless of the author.
Existentialism
1OThough famed for some of his more specific theories, Kierkegaard is better known for this entire school of thought. 11This way of thinking considers that all philosophical understanding has to come from one s own personal experiences. 120ur lives are the results of our own choices, and everything boils down to that fact.
13Because everything stems from our personal experiences, the very nature of social norms and moral laws cease to exist. 14The meaning of life is a popular topic within this scope and discussions often lead to the ultimate meaninglessness of life. 15This line of thinking leads to a more extreme form of existentialism, known as nihilism. 16Nietzsche was another philosopher who leaned this way. 17We will talk about him later.
18Existentialism is a very large (and rather vague) school of thinking, but there are a few key concepts worth considering here.
Despair
19Kierkegaard wrote extensively on the nature of dread and despair, covering the topic in several books such as The Concept of Dread and Sickness Unto Death.
2OYou should be aware, though, that existentialists apply the term despair differently from conventional usage. 211t means any state of being when one s personal self-identity can be taken away because it is based on an external element (such as if a singer were to lose their voice). 221t s not the sense of sadness or depression that is the more common use amongst us non-philosophers.
23Kierkegaard felt that there were several levels of despair, ranging from this simple definition to a more complex one that involved a true sense of misery that comes from not accepting or living as your identity insists.
24Kierkegaard saw this concept of despair as being a crucial part of the religious experience, that it was the foundation of sin:
“Sin is this: before God, or with the conception of God, to be in despair at not willing to be oneself, or in despair at willing to be oneself. Thus sin is potential weakness or potential defiance; sin is the potentiation of despair. (Sickness Unto Death)
250n the surface this appears to be a complex notion, but the overall premise is fairly simple: in a world where your own experiences are key, you have to find identity within yourself.
Subjective Truth
26If existence is based on the individual s own experiences, then the argument between the subjective or objective nature of truth becomes relevant. 27Kierkegaard believed that truth was subjective, or at least that any important truths were subjective because it was only personal experience that mattered. 28In other words, there is no single version of truth that stands on its own. 29All forms of truth are coloured by the awareness of the individual.
30This idea is frequently subverted into a simplistic statement that you can believe whatever you wish and that makes it true. 31But that is not Kierkegaard s point here at all. 32He felt that only true passionate beliefs were relevant and that they were more important than half-hearted ones, regardless of which ones were actually true.
The Existence of God
33Though Kierkegaard clearly believed that one s personal experiences were the centre of each person s own reality, he did not see it as being in conflict with the potential existence of God.
34And yet he was unable to establish any logical explanations or theories about the existence of God. 35In fact, he was quite clear that you could not prove His existence at all and that it had to be taken only on faith. 36Many of his works on this subject were directed at examining how God could never be proven, rather than ways to prove this theory.
37He felt that people lived through three stages of life during their grown and intellectual development. 38The first stage was aesthetic, where one is mainly concerned with things in life that are pleasing to the senses. 39After that comes the ethical stage, when more abstract moral decisions begin to gain importance. 40Lastly is the religious stage. 41He considered this to be the most enlightened of the three, so he clearly held religion as being important.
Other Works by Kierkegaard
42The works already mentioned will give you a very good understanding of his theories, but here are a few other titles attributed to him that will offer up a little more depth to his teachings.
i. Fear and Trembling
ii. Concept of Anxiety
iii. Repetition
iv. Upbuilding Discourses (there were several collections of these)
v. Philosophical Fragments
vi. Practice in Christianity