Kierkegaard on Human Self Kierkegaard points out human being to be spirit. He further clarifies that this spirit is encompassed in the self. He further elucidates that the self is the relationship that relates itself to itself. This means that this relating itself to itself is what defines self. This relationship that relates itself to the self must have been established by itself or something else within the boundaries of the self. The relation he further notes is the third term that has established the entire relation. Human self is thus the relation that relates to itself and in relating to itself relates to something else. This self is what defines personality or individuality. We have self because of the consciousness we humans have of ourselves. According to Kierkegaard, we can only relate to this self if we are aware of ourselves and have the capacity to relate to self-consciousness. This self, according to Kierkegaard, is what make us go for selection and making choices. …show more content…
A synthesis in this case, is defined by the finite and the infinite. The finite Kierkegaard refers to the temporal nature of the human life due to death is finite and has a time horizon. Kierkegaard therefore says that human beings are subject to death which will curtail their existence and it is upon this that Kierkegaard says that human beings are infinite. Infinite is the eternal aspect of human life which is not subject to time limitations and boundaries. This then contradicts the definition of human beings as self; human beings are a synthesis process that links both the finite and the
There are some questions in the religious domain that reason cannot answer because there are situations in every religion that cannot logically be explained. Religions are not rational; therefore, reason alone is not adequate enough to validate religious truths. In this paper, I will demonstrate how reason and faith aren’t separate entities and how both are needed in order to explain all religious truths by examining the ideas of Kierkegaard and Pascal. I will also give a detailed explanation of fideism, show examples of irresponsible fideism and responsible fideism and then argue in favor of responsible fideism; faith fills in the gaps that are left void by reason.
Self-concept it is the collection of experiences and beliefs about one self, and how these experiences, beliefs interact to form a picture according to individual’s perspective what kind of a person an individual is. This includes physical and mental
In Concluding Unscientific Postscript, Kierkegaard differentiates between the subject as the knower, and the world (object) as the known: the only way we know the world is through ourselves. Kierkegaard emphasizes the importance of "how" the subject is related to the truth,
Kierkegaard believes that true faith can only be attained through a double movement of giving up rationality or logic, while at the same time believing one can understand logically. In “Fear and Trembling” Kierkegaard relates true faith to the Knight of infinite resignation and the Knight of faith; in this paper, I will examine this claim and show why Kierkegaard’s analogy is an excellent metaphor for the double movement which is required in one’s quest to attain faith and why.
Starting with Kierkegaard, it is best to understand that he has a deep fulfillment to God and that he feels is the absolute. This absolute is to live in the realm of a paradox and that paradox is proving the existence of God and experiencing it for yourself. To understand this is to go through the different stages, of aesthetic, moral and religious. The aesthetic is all about the individual and focuses on oneself as an individual. The moral is having to be antagonistic towards yourself in
Firstly, he tries to give answer on question whether Jesus is always the same or he has changed in history and whether we can learn anything about him from history. To this question Kierkegaard responds: ‘Yes, He is the same yesterday and today.’[10] Therefore we can not learn anything new about him from history; we can know him only from sacred history. This means we can know God only as humbled, as ‘lowly one,’[11] but never as the one, who is in glory and who will in glory come. ‘about His coming again nothing can be known; in the strictest sense, it can only be believed.’[12]
This passage deeply reveals Kierkegaard's thoughts on his age, being an age of reflection and deliberation. In his mind,
Soren Kierkegaard is a Danish philosopher and theologian who attempted to deliver his existentialist point of views. Specifically, Kierkegaard emphasizes the need for humans to take responsibility for their actions and go beyond their “socially imposed identities” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). According to his earliest major work “Either/Or,” he suggests humans are reluctantly stuck between two spheres of life that they must choose between: aesthetic or ethical. He delves into what constitutes a life as either and suggests the practicalities associated with each choice. He stresses the importance of being responsible for the truth and living according to the truth we’ve committed to. In addition, the existential choice can be
I came across a tweet from Philosopher’s Mail by Søren Kierkegaard “The most common form of despair is not being who you are.” (Philosophers’ Mail, 2014) This passage is exactly spot-on about the concept of self-betrayal. It is described as an act contrary to what one feels one should do for another. (The Arbinger Institute, January 11, 2010, p. 67). Self-betrayal becomes a breach of trust to oneself, and it comes in several guises and degree.
The relation between the self and the otherness is necessary to define human awareness and more importantly desire. This desire is part of the primordial human
Soren Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher/existentialist born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Commonly known as the “father of existentialism”, his works included strong subjects such as seeing the human existence as fallen, and that human life is lived in suffering and sin, guilt, and anxiety. Kierkegaard’s work is mostly revolved around religion, specifically Christianity based. Coming from a line of Lutheran pastors, shows how major of an influence religion is on his work. On the contrary, Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher/existentialist, was different from Kierkegaard with a more atheist background. Nietzsche’s writing came from somewhere non- religious, even though he came from a long line of pastors as well. Nietzsche’s writings
Kierkegaard’s first form of despair is "not knowing who you are. " They are unaware that they aren't living their true selves, but they are still in despair. The second form of despair is "knowing who you are but not being who you are. " These people know their true selves but choose not to live it because of fears, societal pressures, or any other reason. The final form of despair is "knowing who you are and being who you are.
Method: Kierkegaard’s emphasis on the approach that God is love to an individual. The arguments that Kierkegaard’s builds are to understand the function and nature of love in the human existence.
The Self Every situation that an individual is exposed to throughout life, helps mold our “self.” As humans we have the ability to see ourselves from the outside, and all through life we try to see what others see and our “self” revolves around the generalized other. We observe how others perceive us and we make conclusions depending on our observations. How we act around others depends on the image we feel they have towards us.
The modern view of self is articulated in the works of 17th century philosopher Rene Descartes. He pioneered the dualistic understanding of the human being, which is made up of the "mental substance (mind) and the physical substance (body)" (Warburton, N., 1992). Here, the body has physical properties like having weight and using space, whereas the mind is a non-material substance, responsible for thought and experience and hence is the abode of consciousness. In his view, the self is a spiritual "subject of experience" which is fundamentally different from the body and nature, where the body inessential and the mind can exist independently. His radical scepticism led to the formation of the "Illusion argument", where the bodily senses are deemed unreliable and thus the existence of the external world and body is uncertain. The only thing one can be