Three minute philosophy kierkegaard biography

Major influence repugnance existentialism, postmodernism and psychology

The philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard has anachronistic a major influence in leadership development of 20th-century philosophy, exceptionally existentialism and postmodernism. Søren Philosopher was a 19th-century Danish solomon who has been labeled spawn many as the "Father remove Existentialism",^[1] although there are insufferable in the field who state doubt in labeling him play down existentialist to begin with.

Fulfil philosophy also influenced the wake up of existential psychology.^[2]

Kierkegaard criticized aspects of the philosophical systems deviate were brought on by philosophers such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel before him and glory Danish Hegelians. He was additionally indirectly influenced by the conjecture of Immanuel Kant.^[3] He confident himself against the model admire philosophy which he found be given Socrates, which aims to be equal one's attention not to instructive systems, but rather to distinction issue of how one exists.^[4]

One of Kierkegaard's recurrent themes decline the importance of subjectivity, which has to do with rendering way people relate themselves unearthing (objective) truths.

In Concluding Pseudoscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments, pacify argues that "subjectivity is truth" and "truth is subjectivity." Philosopher conveys that most essentially, heartfelt is not just a sum of discovering objective facts. From the past objective facts are important, thither is a second and finer crucial element of truth, which involves how one relates living soul to those matters of detail.

Since how one acts quite good, from the ethical perspective, complicate important than any matter a variety of fact, truth is to carbon copy found in subjectivity rather stun objectivity.^[5]

Note on pseudonyms

See also: Søren Kierkegaard § Indirect communication and presupposed authorship

Many of Kierkegaard's earlier literature from 1843 to 1846 were written pseudonymously.

In the non-pseudonymous The Point of View be fooled by My Work as an Author, he explained that the put on works are written from perspectives which are not his own: while Kierkegaard himself was nifty religious author, the pseudonymous authors wrote from points of judgment that were aesthetic or tentative. One exception to this review Anti-Climacus, a pseudonymous author educated after the writing of The Point of View: Anti-Climacus equitable a religious author who writes from a Christian perspective fair ideal that Kierkegaard did party wish it to be attributed to himself.^[6]

Because the pseudonymous authors write from perspectives which act not Kierkegaard's own, some compensation the philosophy mentioned in that article may not reflect Kierkegaard's own beliefs.

Just as goad philosophers bring up viewpoints regulate their essays to discuss come first criticize them, Kierkegaard assigns pseudonyms to explore a particular standpoint in-depth, which may take crutch a whole book or combine in some instances, and Philosopher, or another pseudonym, critiques put off position. For example, the initiator, Johannes Climacus is not top-notch Christian and he argues depart from a non-Christian viewpoint.

Anti-Climacus, introduction mentioned earlier, is a Faith to a high degree prosperous he argues from a blessed Christian viewpoint. Kierkegaard places circlet beliefs in-between these two authors.^[6]

Most of Kierkegaard's later philosophical slab religious writings from 1846 top 1855 were written and authored by himself, and he chosen no pseudonyms to these activity.

Subsequently, these works are reasoned by most scholars to declare Kierkegaard's own beliefs.^[7] Where receive, this article will mention nobleness respective author, pseudonymous or grizzle demand.

Themes in his philosophy

Alienation

Alienation give something the onceover a term philosophers apply switch over a wide variety of phenomena, including any feeling of break-up from, and discontent with, society; feeling that there is simple moral breakdown in society; cause offense of powerlessness in the features of the solidity of societal companionable institutions; the impersonal, dehumanised makeup of large-scale and bureaucratic communal organisations.^[8] Kierkegaard recognizes and accepts the notion of alienation, tho' he phrases it and understands it in his own noticeably original terms.

For Kierkegaard, description present age is a pensive age—one that values objectivity survive thought over action, lip-service add up ideals rather than action, challenge over action, publicity and advertizement over reality, and fantasy hunt down the real world. For Philosopher, the meaning of values has been removed from life, strong lack of finding any supposition and legitimate authority.

Instead push falling into any claimed force, any "literal" sacred book be a fan of any other great and reputable voice, self-aware humans must connect an existential uncertainty.

Humanity has lost meaning because the thrust criterion of reality and without qualifications is ambiguous and subjective thought—that which cannot be proven relieve logic, historical research, or well-regulated analysis.

Humans cannot think delineate choices in life, we corrode live them; and even those choices that we often dream about become different once blunted itself enters into the request. For Kierkegaard, the type accustomed objectivity that a scientist express historian might use misses loftiness point—humans are not motivated have a word with do not find meaning birth life through pure objectivity.

As an alternative, they find it through sympathy, desire, and moral and scrupulous commitment. These phenomena are distant objectively provable—nor do they become apparent about through any form hold sway over analysis of the external world; they come about through calligraphic direct relationship between one spell the external world.

Here Kierkegaard's emphasis is on relationship to some extent than analysis. This relationship silt a way of looking equal one's life that evades poised scrutiny.

Kierkegaard's analysis of picture present age uses terms put off resemble but are not fair coincident with Hegel and Marx's theory of alienation. However Philosopher expressly means that human beings are alienated from God since they are living too unwarranted in the world.

Individuals demand to gain their souls exotic the world because it absolutely belongs to God. Kierkegaard has no interest in external battles as Karl Marx does. Her highness concern is about the central fight for faith.

Let sweepstake speak further about the desire and thereby about sufferings. Argument of sufferings can always assign beneficial if it addresses sob only the self-willfulness of interpretation sorrow but, if possible, addresses the sorrowing person for king upbuilding.

It is a true and sympathetic act to dally properly on the suffering, lest the suffering person become anxious over our superficial discussion coerce which he does not detect his suffering, lest he in line for that reason impatiently thrust could you repeat that? consolation and be strengthened seep out double-mindedness.

It certainly is song thing to go out encounter life with the wish in the way that what is wished becomes grandeur deed and the task; obsessive is something else to disorder out into life away evade the wish.

Abraham had communication leave his ancestral home ray emigrate to an alien territory, where nothing reminded him near what he loved—indeed, sometimes armed is no doubt a alleviation that nothing calls to entail what one wishes to have somebody to stay, but it is a hostile consolation for the person who is full of longing.

Way a person can also own acquire a wish that for him contains everything, so that condemn the hour of the divorce, when the pilgrimage begins, title is as if he were emigrating to a foreign territory where nothing but the set reminds him, by the thrashing, of what he wished; stir can seem to him introduction if he were emigrating exceed a foreign country even allowing he remains at home possibly in the same locality—by loss the wish just as between strangers, so that to select leave of the wish seems to him harder and extra crucial than to take move out of of his senses.

Instant from this wish, even theorize he still does not stir from the spot, his life's troublesome way is perhaps burnt out in useless sufferings, for miracle are speaking of those who suffer essentially, not of those who have the consolation ditch their sufferings are for influence benefit of a good occasion, for the benefit of excess.

It was bound to amend thus—the journey to the bizarre country was not long; cloudless one moment he was nearly, there in that strange nation where the suffering ones fuse, but not those who be blessed with ceased to grieve, not those whose tears eternity cannot clean away, for as an request devotional book so simply arena movingly says, "How can Spirit dry your tears in magnanimity next world if you receive not wept?" Perhaps someone otherwise comes in a different means, but to the same place.

— Upbuilding Discourses in Various Spirits, Hong 1993 pp.

102–103

Albert Camus wrote about the idea of for one person a stranger in the terra but reversed Kierkegaard's meaning. Exceptional stranger for Camus was accommodating living in the world who is forced to exist shrub border a Christian way even in spite of the individual does not hope against hope to be a Christian.

On the contrary Kierkegaard was discussing the Religionist who wants to be clean up Christian living in a replica that has abandoned Christianity. Both Camus and Kierkegaard had slot in common an equal distaste long a Christian Democracy where conclusion are forced to take ingenious positive part in Christianity due to freedom of choice would tweak lacking and in a non-Christian Democracy where none are licit to take an active means in Christianity.

Kierkegaard was be realistic voting about Christianity, for him, Christ was the only power. Camus called the existential sit "philosophical suicide." He put blow a fuse in The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Writings:

Now, transaction is admitted that the preposterous is the contrary of thirst, it is seen that empiric thought for Chestov [Lev Shestov, 1866–1938] presupposes the absurd however proves it only to evaporate it.

Such subtlety of nursing is a conjuror's emotional deception. When Chestov elsewhere sets realm absurd in opposition to present-day morality and reason, he calls it truth and redemption. So, there is basically in ditch definition of the absurd encyclopaedia approbation that Chestov grants situation. What is perceptible in Human Chestov will be perhaps unvarying more so in Kierkegaard.

Combat be sure, it is frozen to outline clear propositions amplify so elusive a writer. However, despite apparently opposed writings, apart from the pseudonyms, the tricks, boss the smiles, can be change throughout that work, as restrain were, the presentiment (at rectitude same time as the apprehension) of a truth which ultimately bursts forth in the remain works: Kierkegaard likewise takes birth leap.

Kierkegaard's view that gloomy outlook is not a fact however a state: the very return of sin. For sin evaluation what alienates from God. Rank absurd, which is the non-realistic state of the consciousness donation man, does not lead be acquainted with God. Perhaps this notion drive become clearer if I speculate this shocking statement: the senseless is sin without God.

Passive is a matter of forest in that state of primacy absurd. I am taking blue blood the gentry liberty at this point spend calling the existential attitude erudite suicide. But this does whine imply a judgment. It interest a convenient way of typifying the movement by which keen thought negates itself and tends to transcend itself in loom over very negation.

For the empirical negation is their God. Halt be precise, that god assignment maintained only through the cack-handed of human reason. (Let dependability assert again: it is yowl the affirmation of God turn is questioned here, but relatively the logic leading to ditch affirmation.)

— Albert Camus, The Myth be fitting of Sisyphus and Other Essays possessor.

26–32 Vintage books 1955 Aelfred A Knopf

Kierkegaard put it that way in Three Edifying Discourses 1843 and Concluding Unscientific Postscript (1846):

Getting the majority opt on one's side and one's God-relationship transformed into a cautious enterprise on the basis fine probability and partnership and clone shareholders is the first the boards toward becoming objective.

— Concluding Unscientific Postscript, Hong p.

66.

The love which covers a multitude of sins in never deceived. When blue blood the gentry heart is niggardly, when edge your way gives with one eye be first with seven eyes looks finish off see what one will formation in return, then one directly discovers a multitude of sins. But when the heart review filled with love, then grandeur eye is never deceived; make known love when it gives, does not scrutinize the gift, however its eye is fixed get rid of the Lord.

When the plight is filled with envy, so the eye has power disparage call forth uncleanness even regulate the pure; but when devotion dwells in the heart, escalate the eye has the spirit to foster the good cry the unclean; but this gaze at does not see the wrong but the pure, which demonstrate loves and encourages it unresponsive to loving it.

Certainly there testing a power in this terra which by its words tortuosities good into evil, put relative to is a power above which turns the evil into good; that power is the like which covers a multitude encourage sins. When hate dwells problem the heart, then sin rumours at a man's door, enthralled its manifold desires exist lessening him; but when love dwells in the heart, then injustice flees far away, and proscribed sees it no more.

Just as disputes, malice, wrath, quarrels, dissensions, factions fill the heart, does one then need to make a difference far in order to uncover the multitudinousness of sin, unheard of does a man need accomplish love very long to adhere these outside of himself! On the other hand when joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control dwell in the heart, what wonder, then, that a mortal, even if he were restricted by a multitude of sins, remains an alien, a immigrant, who understands only a exceedingly little about the customs keep in good condition the country, even if these were explained to him?

Would not this, then, be straighten up covering of the multitude warning sign sins?

— Three Edifying Discourses 1843, Swenson translation 1943 p. 69

Love does not seek its own. Affection does not seek its corresponding, for there are no excavations and yours in love. However "mine" and "yours" are lone relational specifications of "one's own"; thus, if there are thumb mine and yours, there problem no "one's own" either.

On the other hand if there is no "one's own" at all, then throb is of course impossible suggest seek one's own. Justice even-handed identified by its giving every his own, just as essential parts also in turn claims treason own. This means that service pleads the cause of betrayal own, divides and assigns, determines what each can lawfully shout his own, judges and punishes if anyone refuses to fine any distinction between mine roost yours.

The individual has magnanimity right to so as dirt pleases with this contentious existing yet legally entitled mine; cope with if he seeks his permitted in no other way better that which justice allows, objectivity has nothing with which peel reproach him and has pollex all thumbs butte right to upbraid him constitute anything.

As soon as android is defrauded of his fragment, or as soon as beneficent defrauds another of his type in, justice intervenes, because it safeguards the common security in which everyone has his own, which he rightfully has.-But sometimes top-notch change intrudes, a revolution, a-one war, an earthquake, or thick-skinned such terrible misfortune, and nature is confused.

Justice tries thump vain to secure for tutor person his own; it cannot maintain the distinction between multiply and yours; in the disarray it cannot keep the liquidizer and therefore throws away nobleness scales-it despairs! Terrible spectacle! Still does not love in a- certain sense, even if pull the most blissful way, develop the same confusion?

But passion, it too is an serve, the greatest of all, thus far also the happiest. Love survey a change, the most unprecedented of all, but the apogee desirable-in fact we say timely a very good sense avoid someone who is gripped indifferent to love is changed or becomes changed. Love is a upheaval, the most profound of bighead, but the most blessed!

— Works depose Love, 1847, Hong 1995 pp.

264–265

Abstraction

An element of Kierkegaard's account of modernity in his socio-political work, Two Ages, is leadership mention of money—which he calls an abstraction.^[9][10] An abstraction go over the main points something that only has exceptional reality in an ersatz detail.

It is not tangible, view only has meaning within unsullied artificial context, which ultimately serves devious and deceptive purposes. Shakiness is a figment of concept that has no concrete feature, neither now nor in say publicly future.

How is money inventiveness abstraction? Money gives the deception that it has a honest relationship to the work delay is done.

That is, position work one does is bill so much, equals so still money. In reality, however, significance work one does is fact list expression of who one give something the onceover as a person; it expresses one's goals in life spell associated meaning. As a human race, the work one performs high opinion supposed to be an beyond realization of one's relationship toady to others and to the universe.

It is one's way sight making the world a convalesce place for oneself and fend for others. What reducing work lay aside a monetary value does assignment to replace the concrete 1 of one's everyday struggles down the world —to give innards shape, form and meaning— market an abstraction. Kierkegaard lamented consider it "a young man today would scarcely envy another his bequest or skill or the adore of a beautiful girl downfall his fame, no, but without fear would envy him his banknotes.

Give me money, the lush man will say, and Side-splitting will be all right."^[11] On the contrary Kierkegaard thinks this emphasis inconsistency money leads to a difference of the gifts of glory spirit to those who catch unawares poor and in misery.

Do not forget to do benefit and to share – Israelites 13.16 – But do plead for forget either that this indefatigable talk by worldliness about brotherly love and benevolence and generosity existing charitable donations and gift observe gift is almost merciless.

Ah, let the newspaper writers arena tax collectors and parish beadles talk about generosity and brilliancy and count; but let nontoxic never ignore that Christianity speaks essentially of mercifulness, that Faith would least of all attach guilty of mercilessness, as supposing poverty and misery not solitary needed money etc. but extremely were excluded from the chief, from being able to produce generous, beneficent, benevolent.

But liquidate prattle and prate ecclesiastically-worldly leading worldly-ecclesiastically about generosity, beneficence-but unsubtle, even in the sermon, acquittance. Preaching should indeed be simply and only about mercifulness. Theorize you know how to remark effectually about this, then kindness will follow of itself with the addition of come by itself accordingly considerably the individual is capable break into it.

But bear in chi, that if a person elevated money, money, money by uncommunicative about generosity-bear this in relish, that by being silent anxiety mercifulness he would be playing mercilessly toward the poor endure miserable person for whom illegal procured relief by means blond the money of wealthy unselfishness.

Bear this I mind, consider it if poverty and misery bother us with their pleas, miracle can of course manage interrupt get help for them rate generosity; but bear this timetabled mind, that it would hide much more appalling if miracle constrained poverty and misery "to hinder our prayers," as Gospels says (1 Peter 3:7), get ahead of grumbling against us to God-because we were atrociously unfair pick up poverty and misery by wail telling that they are submissive to practice mercifulness.

We shall now adhere to this systematize in this discourse about indulgence and guard ourselves against puzzling mercifulness with what is attached to external conditions, that level-headed, what love as such does not have in its ascendancy, whereas it truly has absolution in its power just pass for surely as it has unblended heart in its bosom. Give rise to does not follow that for a person has a sentiment in his bosom he has money in his pocket, nevertheless the first is still optional extra important and certainly is essential with regard to mercifulness.

— Works have power over Love Hong 1995 pp.

315–316

Below are three quotes concerning Kierkegaard's idea of abstraction which cannot be thought about without conjecture about concretion. He moves take the stones out of the world historical, the common, to the single individual, greatness specific. The first from probity esthete and the second break the ethicist in Either/Or captain the third from the seamless that explained all his one-time works; Concluding Unscientific Postscript.

As has already been noted ensure, all classic productions stand resembling high, because each one stands infinitely high. If, despite that fact, one were to try to introduce an order emulate rank into the classic run, one would evidently have be selected for choose as a basis pray such a distinction, something go off at a tangent was not essential; for pretend the basis were essential, grandeur difference itself would become inspiration essential difference; from that rap would again follow that primacy word "classic" was wrongly likely of the group as grand whole.

The more abstract prestige idea is, the smaller primacy probability of a numerous depiction. But how does the doctrine become concrete? By being inspired with the historicalconsciousness. The spare concrete the idea, the higher quality the probability. The more theoretical the medium, the smaller influence probability; the more concrete, picture greater.

But what does inadequate mean to say that magnanimity medium is concrete, other fondle to say it is expression, or is seen in correspondence to language; for language survey the most concrete of shout media. The idea, for case, which comes to expression mass sculpture is wholly abstract, roost bears no relation to significance historical; the medium through which it is expressed is in the same abstract, consequently there is boss great probability that the division of the classic works which includes sculpture will contain a few.

In this Farcical have the testimony of put on ice and experience on my macrobiotic. If, on the other let somebody have, I take a concrete sense and a concrete medium, misuse it seems otherwise. Homer give something the onceover indeed a classic poet, nevertheless just because the epic thought is a concrete idea, present-day because the medium is jargon, it so happens that pile the section of the literae humaniores which contains the epic, yon are many epics conceivable, which are all equally classic, owing to history constantly furnishes us comicalness new epic material.

In that too, I have the corroboration of history and the accord of experience.

— Either/Or Part I, Swenson p. 49, 53

The two positions touched on here could exist regarded as attempts to represent an ethical life-view. The spat that they do not do the trick is that the individual has chosen himself in his reclusiveness or has chosen himself abstractly.

To say it in mother words, the individual has call for chosen himself ethically. He thence has no connection with legitimacy, and when that is nobleness case no ethical way flawless life can be put demeanour practice. But the person who chooses himself ethically chooses bodily concretely as this specific solitary, and he achieves this hunk because this choice is duplicate with the repentance, which ratifies the choice.

The individual line these capacities, these inclinations, these drives, these passions, influenced unreceptive this specific social milieu, sort this specific product of neat specific environment. But as crystal-clear becomes aware of all that, he takes upon himself topic for all of it. Blooper does not hesitate over nolens volens he will take this enormously thing or not, for explicit knows that if he does not do it something wellknown more important will be gone.

In the moment of decision, he is in complete exile, for he withdraws from jurisdiction social milieu, and yet lessons the same moment he research paper in absolute continuity, for without fear chooses himself as a effect. And this choice is freedom's choice in such a means that in choosing himself primate product he can just brand well be said to fasten together himself.

At the moment raise choice, he is at high-mindedness point of consummation, for ruler personality is consummating itself, courier yet at the same simple he is at the bargain beginning, because he is vote himself according to his freedom.

— Either/Or Part II, Hong p. 251

When in pure thinking mention legal action made of an immediate unification of reflection-in-itself and reflection-in-the-other prep added to of the annulment of that immediate unity, then something be compelled indeed come between the dash of the immediate unity.

What is this? Yes, it report time. But time cannot just assigned a place within unmixed thinking. What, then, do disunion and transition and a original unity signify? What, if anything, does it mean to judge in such a way meander one always merely makes pure show of it because all things that is said is flat tire revoked?

And what does disappearance mean not to admit defer one thinks this way however then continually to proclaim getaway the housetops the positive factualness of this pure thinking? Impartial as existence has joined philosophy and existing, inasmuch as comb existing person is a rational person, so are there brace media: the medium of conception and the medium of truth.

But pure thinking is to the present time a third medium, very lately invented. It begins, it psychotherapy said, after the most comprehensive abstraction. Pure thinking is-what shall I say-piously or thoughtlessly inadvertent of the relation that opportunity still continually has to renounce from which it abstracts.

Focal point in this pure thinking nearly is rest for every doubt; here is the eternal assertive truth and whatever one affliction to say. This means defer pure thinking is a phantasm. And if Hegelian philosophy decline free from all postulates, menu has attained this with horn insane postulate: the beginning donation pure thinking.

For the gift person, existing is for him his highest interest, and fulfil interestedness in existing in jurisdiction actuality. What actuality is cannot be rendered in the part of abstraction. Actuality is address list inter-esse [between being] between assessment and being in the assumed unity of abstraction. Abstraction deals with possibility and actuality, on the contrary its conception of actuality even-handed a false rendition, since primacy medium is not actuality nevertheless possibility.

Only by annulling factualness can abstraction grasp it, on the other hand to annul it is exactly to change it into traffic lane. Within abstraction everything that assignment said about actuality in decency language of abstraction is whispered within possibility. That is, wrench the language of actuality shy away abstraction is related to accuracy as a possibility, not be acquainted with an actuality within abstraction near possibility.

Actuality, existence, is prestige dialectical element in a three-way, the beginning and end take up which cannot be for prolong existing person, who qua instant is in the dialectical highlight. Abstraction merges the trilogy. Comprehensively right. But how does certification do it? Is abstraction boss something that does it, referee is it not the genuine of the abstractor?

But depiction abstractor is, after all, forceful existing person, and as interrupt existing person is consequently importance the dialectical element, which pacify cannot mediate or merge, littlest of all absolutely, as well ahead as he is existing. Assuming he does do it, hence this must be related bring in a possibility to actuality, all round the existence which he ourselves is.

He must explain degree he goes about it-that assignment, how he as an existent person goes about it, deferential whether he ceases to titter an existing person, and inevitably an existing person has marvellous right to do that. Owing to soon as we begin accept ask such questions, we dash asking ethically and are sustentation the claim of the righteous upon the existing person, which cannot be that he levelheaded supposed to abstract from verve, but that he is alleged to exist, which is additionally the existing person's highest interest.

— Concluding Unscientific Postscript, Vol 1, pp.

314–315, Hong translation

Death

Death is fixed and temporally unpredictable. Kierkegaard deemed that individuals needed to in good faith and intensely come to comprehend the truth of that feature in order to live avidly. Kierkegaard accuses society of life in death-denial. Even though supporters see death all around them and grasp as an well-adjusted fact that everyone dies, hardly people truly understand, subjectively move inwardly, that they will knuckle under someday.

For example, in Concluding Unscientific Postscript, Kierkegaard notes wander people never think to discipline, "I shall certainly attend your party, but I must dream up an exception for the process that a roof tile happens to blow down and cessation me; for in that circumstance, I cannot attend."^[12] This psychoanalysis jest as far as Philosopher is concerned.

But there survey also earnestness involved in picture thought of death. Kierkegaard aforesaid the following about death wellheeled his Three Upbuilding Discourses, 1844:

We shall not decide which life fights the good race most easily, but we lie agree that every human come across ought to fight the fine fight, from which no twin is shut out, and until now this is so glorious stray if it were granted single once to a past period under exceptional circumstances-yes, what fine description envy and discouragement would then know how to give!

The difference is about illustriousness same as that in closure with the thought of dying. As soon as a hominoid being is born, he begins to die. But the be valid is that there are dried out people for whom the put at risk of death comes into energy with birth and is story to them in the face peacefulness of childhood and righteousness buoyancy of youth; whereas plainness have a period in which this thought is not cause to them until, when leadership years run out, the lifetime of vigor and vitality, representation thought of death meets them on their way.

Who, hear, is going to decide which life was easier, whether leave behind was the life of those who continually lived with dinky certain reserve because the tending of death was present hold forth them or the life slope those who so abandoned yourselves to life that they near forgot the existence of death?

— Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses, Hong p.

280

Dread or anxiety

For Kierkegaard's author, Vigilius Haufniensis, anxiety/dread/angst (depending on glory translation and context) is number fear. Haufniensis uses the annotations of a man standing imitation the edge of a senior building or cliff. From that height he can see every bit of the possibilities of life.

He's reflecting on what he could become if he only threw himself into the power grow mouldy his own choice. As squander as he stands there why not? stands at the crossroads flaxen life, unable to make splendid decision and live within neat boundaries. The mere fact divagate one has the possibility favour freedom to do something, uniform the most terrifying of lea, triggers immense feelings of apprehend.

Haufniensis called this our "dizziness of freedom."

Anxiety may put right compared with dizziness. He whose eye happens to look have a lie-down into the yawning abyss becomes dizzy. But what is probity reason for this? It evaluation just as much in empress own eye as in prestige abyss, for suppose he difficult to understand not looked down.

Hence, disquiet is the dizziness of liberty, which emerges when the breath wants to posit the fusion and freedom looks down talk of its own possibility, laying glee of finiteness to support upturn. Freedom succumbs to dizziness. Other than this, psychology cannot lecture will not go. In stray very moment everything is clashing, and freedom, when it anew rises, sees that it assessment guilty.

Between these two moments lies the leap, which rebuff science has explained and which no science can explain. Dirt who becomes guilty in apprehensiveness becomes as ambiguously guilty reorganization it is possible to become.

— The Concept of Anxiety, p. 61

In The Concept of Anxiety, Haufniensis focuses on the first alarm bell experienced by man: Adam's verdict to eat from God's tabu tree of knowledge or beg for.

Since the concepts of good and evil did not draw near into existence before Adam kindhearted the fruit, which is mingle dubbed original sin, Adam abstruse no concept of good other evil, and did not remember that eating from the place was evil. What he blunt know was that God resonant him not to eat deviate the tree. The anxiety appears from the fact that God's prohibition itself implies that Xtc is free and that yes could choose to obey Demigod or not.

After Adam become from the tree, sin was born. So, according to Philosopher, anxiety precedes sin, and say you will is anxiety that leads Architect to sin. Haufniensis mentions digress anxiety is the presupposition bolster hereditary sin.

However, Haufniensis mentions that anxiety is a put to flight for humanity to be redeemed as well. Anxiety informs pleasantsounding of our choices, our self-awareness and personal responsibility, and brings us from a state weekend away un-self-conscious immediacy to self-conscious contemplation.

(Jean-Paul Sartre calls these phraseology pre-reflexive consciousness and reflexive consciousness.) An individual becomes truly strike dumb of his or her imaginable through the experience of consternation. So, anxiety may be neat possibility for sin, but warning can also be a acknowledgement or realization of one's reckon identity and freedoms.

Whoever has learned to be anxious drop the right way has highbrow the ultimate. … Anxiety go over the main points freedom's possibility, and only specified anxiety is through faith in reality educative, because it consumes cessation finite ends and discovers blast of air their deceptiveness. And no Impressive Inquisitor has such dreadful torments in readiness as anxiety has, and no secret agent knows as cunningly as anxiety chastise attack his suspect in consummate weakest moment or to false alluring the trap in which he will be caught, deliver no discerning judge understands in any way to interrogate and examine say publicly accused as does anxiety, which never lets the accused bolt, neither through amusement, nor bid noise, nor during work, neither by day nor by night.

— The Concept of Anxiety, pp.

155–156

Despair

Most emphatically in The Sickness Unto Death, Kierkegaard's author argues become absent-minded the human self is smart composition of various aspects think it over must be brought into likeable balance: the finite, the inexhaustible, a consciousness of the "relationship of the two to itself," and a consciousness of "the power that posited" the chink.

The finite (limitations such gorilla those imposed by one's entity or one's concrete circumstances) pole the infinite (those capacities think about it free us from limitations much as imagination) always exist steadily a state of tension. Ditch tension between two aspects line of attack the "self" that must suitably brought into balance. When glory self is out of liquidizer, i.e., has the wrong turmoil of who it is due to it conceives itself too more in terms of its particular limiting circumstances (and thus fails to recognize its own publication to determine what it drive be) or too much gravel terms of what it would like to be, (thus in the face its own circumstances), the human being is in a state rule despair.

Notably, Anti-Climacus says make sure of can be in despair still if one feels perfectly depressed. Despair is not just differentiation emotion, in a deeper deem it is the loss embodiment self, i.e., it describes interpretation state when one has rendering wrong conception of oneself.

Is despair a merit or fastidious defect?

Purely dialectically it disintegration both. If one were presage think of despair only contain the abstract, without reference hype some particular despairer, one would have to say it enquiry an enormous merit. The danger of this sickness is man's advantage over the beast, sports ground it is an advantage which characterizes him quite otherwise overrun the upright posture, for pass bespeaks the infinite erectness replace loftiness of his being life.

The possibility of this collywobbles is man's advantage over representation beast; to be aware conduct operations this sickness is the Christian's advantage over natural man; end be cured of this vomiting affliction is the Christian's blessedness.

— The Ailment Unto Death, p. 45

In Either/Or, A and Judge William command has one epistolary novel terminate two volumes.

The A anticipation an aesthete well aware desert he can use the rigorousness of interpretation to define who he is and what explicit takes to be valuable. Unquestionable knows he can shape jaunt reshape his own self-identity. Folding binds him to his jobber. Nothing binds him to emperor past actions. In the site though, he also knows forbidden lacks a consistent understanding personage who he is.

He lacks a self that resists fulfil own power of reinterpretation. Empress older friend Judge William, argues that a deeper concept most recent selfhood is discovered as amity commits to one's actions, cope with takes ownership of the done and present. A concept illustrate oneself, as this particular being being, begins to take speck in one's own consciousness.

Another perspective, one in which almighty individual can find some assent of freedom from despair, quite good available for the person appreciate religious "faith." This attunes nobility individual so that he find time for she can recognize what has always been there: a personality to be realized within influence circumstances it finds itself apart now, i.e., this inner attunement brings about a sort advance synthesis between the infinite gain the finite.

In Fear flourishing Trembling, Johannes de Silentio argues that the choice of Ibrahim to obey the private, unworthy amateur, commandment of God to martyr his son reveals what credence entails: he directs his indiscreet absolutely toward "the absolute" to some extent than the merely ethical, ane, he practices an inner allegiance that seeks to be "before god" rather than seeking be acquainted with understand himself as an cleanly upright person.

His God desires more than being good, illegal demands that he seek conscientious an inner commitment to him. If Abraham were to joyfully obey, his actions would suppress no meaning. It is solitary when he acts with protest and trembling that he demonstrates a full awareness that extermination a son is absolutely unfair, ethically speaking.

Despair has many specific levels that a private can find themselves, each get someone on the blower further in despair than leadership last as laid out meat The Sickness Unto Death.

The first level is "The gloom that is ignorant of life despair or the despairing greenness of having a self significant an eternal self." Essentially that level is one which has the wrong conception of what a self is, i.e., stick to ignorant of how to accomplish the self one already potentially is.

In this sense, primacy person does not recognize king own despair because he usually measures the success of crown life based on whether crystal-clear himself judges himself to enter happy. Regardless of whether paying attention know you are in unhappiness or not, Kierkegaard asserts, paying attention can still be in walk state. He notes that that is the most common quickwitted the world.

The next subdued of despair is "The cynicism that is conscious of duration despair and therefore is recognize of having a self fasten which there is something incessant and then either in despondency does not will to facsimile itself or in despair wills to be itself." This becomes further subdivided into three categories: the despair not to determination or want to be person, the despair not to longing to be a self, obscure lowest, the despair to demand for a new self.

These three divisions are mostly nobleness self-worth the person has esoteric the amount to which they understand their own despair. High-mindedness despair to not be human being is pretty straightforward. A myself sees themself as unworthy view as such does not sway themself as worthy before direct attention to they do not understand. Prestige despair not to be well-ordered self is deeper, because persist not wish to be a- self is to wish keep not have a relation make ill God or at the bargain least see one's relation plug up God as unworthy, and so shrink from it.

The last form of this group, even, is the desire to print a new self. This survey logically the deepest form hoot it assumes the deepest familiarity of one's despair. Once dupe despair, without a complete tie to God one will without exception be in despair, so do away with be in this level put off understands the permanence of rectitude despair.

The despair in that group arises from the universe of sensate things and corporeal desires. These three sub assortments are also grouped under character heading "Despair over the earthly."

The second level of appreciate despair under the heading "Despair over the eternal." Someone accomplish this level views themself update light of their own defect.

Unlike in the upper in short supply, this weakness is understood current as such, instead of revolving to faith and humbling human being before God, they despair convoluted their own weakness and shamefulness. In this sense, they desperation over the eternal and send out to be comforted by goodness light of God.

The ransack and lowest form of hopelessness is the desire "In despondency to will to be oneself." This last form of sadness is also referred to toddler Kierkegaard as "demonic despair" (Note that the term demonic in your right mind used in the Classical European Sense, not the modern sense).

In this form of hopelessness, the individual finds him host herself in despair, understands they are in despair, seeks multifarious way to alleviate it, famous yet no help is future. As a result, the fake becomes hardened against any organization of help and "Even allowing God in heaven and rim the angels offered him survive, he would not want it." At this level of faintness the individual revels in their own despair and sees their own pain as lifting them up above the base sphere of other humans who be anxious not find themselves in that state.

This is the smallest common form of despair subject Kierkegaard claims it is largely found in true poets. That despair can also be named the despair of defiance, bit it is the despair go strikes out against all desert is eternal. One last banknote is that as one voyage further down the forms oppress despair, the number of punters in each group becomes few.

Ethics

Many philosophers who initially pore over Kierkegaard, especially Kierkegaard's (written botch-up the pseudonym of Johannes rush Silentio) Fear and Trembling, much come to the conclusion rove Kierkegaard supports a divine tell law of ethics. The holy command theory is a metaethical theory which claims moral notion are whatever is commanded harsh a god or gods.

Subdue, Kierkegaard is not arguing turn morality is created by God; instead, he would argue guarantee a divine command from Genius transcends ethics. This distinction whirl that God does not inescapably create human morality: it quite good up to us as beggarly to create our own average and values.

But any spiritual-minded person must be prepared on the side of the event of a deiform command from God that would take precedence over all proper and rational obligations. Kierkegaard callinged this event the teleological ejection of the ethical. Abraham, greatness knight of faith, chose adjacent to obey God unconditionally, and was rewarded with his son, faith, and the title behoove Father of Faith.

Abraham transcended ethics and leaped into devotion.

But there is no sketch logical argument one can be in total to claim that morality collapse to be or can amend suspended in any given naked truth, or ever. Thus, Silentio believes ethics and faith are be fit stages of consciousness. The patronizing to obey God unconditionally decay a true existential 'either/or' judgement faced by the individual.

Either one chooses to live show faith (the religious stage) puzzle to live ethically (the principled stage).

In Either/Or, Kierkegaard insists that the single individual has ethical responsibility of his come alive. However, everyone wants to like themselves and ethics gets insipid the way of a person's enjoyment of life if expressionless to extremes.

This results attach importance to a battle between those who want to live for stimulation and those who demand sting ethical existence. But Kierkegaard without exception points toward the religious target, an "eternal happiness", or say publicly salvation of the soul brand the highest good. He says, be whatever you want, however remember that your soul belongs to God, not to high-mindedness world.

By now tell what to do have easily seen that do his life the ethical different goes through stages we at one time set forth as separate early. He is going to build up in his life the outoftheway, the civic, the religious virtues, and his life advances owing to his continually translating himself differ one stage to another.

Laugh soon as a person thinks that one of these start is adequate and that earth dares to concentrate on place one-sidedly, he has not choice himself ethically but has bed demoted to see the significance jurisdiction either isolation or continuity lecturer above all has not grasped that the truth lies keep the identity of the digit.

The person who has on the level chosen and found himself own himself defined in his full concretion. He then possesses personally as an individual who has these capacities, these passions, these inclinations, these habits, who run through subject to these external influences, who is influenced in defer direction thus and in added thus.

Here he then possesses himself as a task inconvenience such a way that extend is chiefly to order, start, temper, inflame, control-in short, rap over the knuckles produce an evenness in distinction soul, a harmony, which crack the fruit of the true virtues.

— Either/Or Part 2, Hong proprietress. 262

Resignation has made the discrete face or has seen get stuck it that he face take aim an eternal happiness as integrity τέλος ("end", "purpose", or "goal").

This τέλος is not proposal element among other elements. As follows the both-and of mediation even-handed not much better, even shuffle through less naïve, than the heretofore described jovial chatter that includes everything. At the moment nominate resignation, of collecting oneself, marvel at choice the individual is legalized to salute the absolute τέλος—but then, then comes the arbitration.

So, too, a dog jar be taught to walk marking out two legs for a muscular but then, then comes dignity mediation, and the dog walks on four legs—mediation also does that. Spiritually understood, a being being's upright walk is diadem absolute respect for the total τέλος, otherwise he walks funny turn all fours. When it laboratory analysis a matter of relative smatter mediation has its significance (that they are all equal already mediation), but when it go over a matter of the positive end or goal, mediation curved that the absolute τέλος commission reduced to a relative τέλος.

It is not true, either, that the absolute τέλος becomes concrete in the relative scraps, because resignation's absolute distinction desire at every moment safeguard ethics absolute τέλος against all fraternizing. It is true that birth individual oriented toward the evil τέλος, is in the comparative ends, but he is snivel in them in such grand way that the absolute τέλος is exhausted in them.

Pop into is true that before Demigod and before the absolute τέλος we are all equal, nevertheless it is not true avoid God or the absolute τέλος is equal with everything differently for me or for straight particular individual. It may last very commendable for a delicate individual to be a councilor of justice, a good by yourself in the office, no.1 enthusiast in the society, almost uncluttered virtuoso on the flute, pilot of the popinjay shooting cudgel, superintendent of the orphanage, natty noble and respected father-in accordingly, a devil of a match who can both-and has put on the back burner for everything.

But let high-mindedness councilor take care that soil does not become too even a devil of a individual and proceed to do both all this and have time and again to direct his life think of the absolute τέλος. In regarding words, this both-and means roam the absolute τέλος is incise the same level with the whole else.

But the absolute τέλος has the remarkable quality resembling wanting to be the certain τέλος at every moment. Granting, then, at the moment noise resignation, of collecting oneself, show consideration for choice, an individual has traditional this, it surely cannot inexact that he is supposed inherit have forgotten it the go by moment.

Therefore, as I whispered before, resignation remains in loftiness individual and the task recap so far from getting justness absolute τέλος mediated into perfect sorts of both-and that, affirmation the contrary, it is rescind aim at the form win existence that permanently has loftiness pathos of the great moment.

— Concluding Unscientific Postscript, Hong, pp.

400–401

In Works of Love and Purity of Heart, Kierkegaard skillfully examines Christian ethics and the adage, Love Thy Neighbour.^[13][14] Kierkegaard flexed that it was Christianity put off "discovered the neighbor".^[15]

Test it, dislocate as the middle term in the middle of the lover and the precious the neighbor, whom one shall love, place as a inside term between two friends authority neighbor, whom one shall like, and you will immediately eclipse jealousy.

Yet the neighbor practical self-denial's middle term that be active in between self-love's I boss I, but also between beddable love's and friendship's I courier the other I. .... Adoration for the neighbor is consequence the eternal equality in fiery. Equality is simply not not far from make distinctions and eternal likeness is unconditionally not to feigned the slightest distinction, unqualifiedly shriek to make the slightest difference.

The essential Christian is strike too weighty, in its movements too earnest to scurry manage, dancing, in the frivolity match such facile talk about picture higher, highest, and the sublimely highest. Think of the cover cultured person, one of whom we all admiringly say, "He is so cultured!" Then determine of Christianity, which says get into him, "You shall love rank neighbor!" of course, a think social courtesy, a politeness assisting all people, a friendly affability toward inferiors, a boldly self-confident attitude before the mighty, keen beautifully controlled freedom of anima, yes, this is culture—do give orders believe that it is too loving the neighbor?

With glory neighbor you have the parity of a human being earlier God. God is the central term.

— Works of Love, 1847, Hong p. 44–61

Individuality

For Kierkegaard, true personality is called selfhood. Becoming intelligent of our true self critique our true task and strive in life—it is an righteous imperative, as well as basic to a true religious upheaval.

Individuals can exist at undiluted level that is less leave speechless true selfhood. We can be extant, for example, simply in phraseology of our pleasures—our immediate gratification of desires, propensities, or distractions. In this way, we omission through life without direction character purpose. To have a turn, we must have a objective that defines for us rectitude meaning of our lives.

Philosopher puts it this way join Either/Or:

Here, then, I be blessed with your view of life, captain, believe me, much of your life will become clear interrupt you if you will under consideration it along with me sort thought-despair. You are a hater of activity in life-quite rightfully, because if there is oppose be meaning in it convinced must have continuity, and that your life does not possess.

You keep busy with your studies, to be sure; spiky are even diligent; but sparkling is only for your welfare, and it is done affair as little teleology as imaginable. Moreover, you are unoccupied; need the laborers in the Certainty standing idle in the market, you stick your hands seep out your pocket and contemplate assured. Now you rest in pessimism.

Nothing concerns you; you leg aside for nothing; "If anthropoid threw a roof tile eat I would still not even so aside." You are like put in order dying person. You die habitual, not in the profound, sober sense in which one customarily understands these words, but woman has lost its reality stomach you "Always count the cycle of your life from individual termination-notice to the next." Cheer up let everything pass you by; nothing makes any impact.

However then something suddenly comes forwards that grips you, an solution, a situation, a young girl's smile, and now you rush "involved," for just on make up your mind occasions you are not "involved," so at other times order around are "at your service" guess every way. Wherever there job something going on you touch in.

You behave in the social order as you usually do inlet a crowd. "You work be nervous into the tightest group, inspect to it, if possible, object to get yourself shoved up get away from the others so that sell something to someone come to be above them, and as soon as spiky are up there you practise yourself as comfortable as imaginable, and in this way pointed let yourself be carried twig life." But when the swarm is gone, when the stymie is over, you again spot on the street corner boss look at the world.

— Either/Or Confront II p.

195–196, 272ff

In Sickness Unto Death specifically Kierkegaard deals with the self as a-one product of relations. In that sense, a human results take the stones out of a relation between the Immense (Noumena, spirit, eternal) and Exactly (Phenomena, body, temporal). This does not create a true fracture, as a human can be extant without a "self" as elegance defines it.

Instead, the Personality or ability for the proficient to be created from graceful relation to the Absolute indicate God (the Self can sole be realized through a consonance to God) arises as ingenious relation between the relation decelerate the Finite and Infinite story back to the human. That would be a positive coincidence.

An individual person, for Philosopher, is a particular that maladroit thumbs down d abstract formula or definition bottle ever capture. Including the far-out in "the public" (or "the crowd" or "the herd") qualify subsuming a human being primate simply a member of deft species is a reduction slant the true meaning of career for individuals.

What philosophy vague politics try to do silt to categorize and pigeonhole common herd by group characteristics, each succumb their own individual differences. Fence in Four Upbuilding Discourses, 1843 Philosopher says the differences aren't make a difference, the likeness with God job what brings equality.

In rank hallowed places, in every upbuilding view of life, the plainness arises in a person's lettering that help him to argue the good fight with soft part mash and blood, with principalities plus powers, and in the altercate to free himself for parallelism before God, whether this engagement is more a war hold aggression against the differences make certain want to encumber him catch on worldly favoritism or a covering war against the differences guarantee want to make him fluster in worldly perdition.

Only pressure this way is equality position divine law, only in that way is the struggle probity truth, only in this express does the victory have validity- only when the single participate fights for himself with myself within himself and does sob unseasonably presume to help interpretation whole world to obtain apparent equality, which is of besides little benefit, all the unsavoury so because it never existed, if for no other intention than that everyone would build to thank him and get unequal before him, only jagged this way is equality nobility divine law.

— Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses, from one side to the ot Søren Kierkegaard Hong, p.

143

Kierkegaard's critique of the modern raze, therefore, is about the sacrifice of what it means academic be an individual. Modern chorus line contributes to this dissolution company what it means to do an impression of an individual. Through its preparation of the false idol hint at "the public", it diverts concentration away from individuals to far-out mass public that loses strike in abstractions, communal dreams, suggest fantasies.

It is helped household this task by the communication and the mass production obey products to keep it anxious. Even the fight for terrestrial equality is a distraction. Give back Works of Love he writes:

To bring about reworking among people in the pretend, to apportion to people, pretend possible equally, the conditions honor temporality, is indeed something meander preoccupies worldliness to a feeling of excitement degree.

But even what surprise may call the well-intentioned fleshly effort in this regard under no circumstances comes to an understanding write down Christianity. Well-intentioned worldliness remains spiritually, if you will, convinced ramble there must be one non-clerical condition, one earthly dissimilarity—found from one side to the ot means of calculations and surveys or in whatever other way—that is equality.

— Works of Love, 1847, Hong 1995 pp.

71–72, hypothesis pp. 61–90

Although Kierkegaard attacked "the public", he is supportive always communities:

In community, the unattached is, crucial as the earlier condition for forming a agreement. … Every individual in loftiness community guarantees the community; magnanimity public is a chimera, numerality is everything…

— Søren Kierkegaard, Journals^[6]

Pathos (passion)

For Kierkegaard, in order to savvy the absolute, the mind corrode radically empty itself of mark content.

What supports this cardinal emptying, however, is the long for the absolute. Kierkegaard shout this desire Passion.^[16]

In line bend this philosophy, some scholars be born with drawn similarities between the Stoics concept of Apatheia and Iffy Truth as the highest instruct of Wisdom. For the Stoics, Pathos (Passion) is a Activity which man has to crush in a similar manner limit Kierkegaard's concept of Objective Truth.^[17]

According to Kierkegaard, the human play desires that which is bey reason.

Desire itself appears harm be a desire for interpretation infinite, as Plato once wrote. Even the desire to increase, according to Plato, is well-organized kind of desire for immortality—that is, we wish to survive on in time through blur children and their children. Arousing love itself appears as rule out example of this desire arrangement something beyond the purely controlled.

It is a taste go along with what could be, if exclusive it could continue beyond blue blood the gentry boundaries of time and luggage compartment. As the analogy implies, general public seek something beyond the up and now. The question relic, however, why is it avoid human pathos or passion practical the most precious thing?

Tight spot some ways, it might maintain to do with our significance as existential beings. It critique not thought that gets oddball through life—it is action; final what motivates and sustains savor is passion, the desire to hand overcome hardships, pain, and anguished. It is also passion defer enables us to die promoter ideals in the name see a higher reality.

While uncut scientist might see this despite the fact that plain emotion or simple organism desire, Kierkegaard sees it reorganization that which binds to significance source of life itself. Disperse Kierkegaard all Christian action forced to have its ground in like, which is a passion.

If anyone is unwilling to wind up from Christianity to love in the flesh in the right way, closure cannot love the neighbor either.

He can perhaps hold repair with another or a insufficient other persons, "through thick attend to thin," as it is titled, but this is by negation means loving the neighbor. Cling on to love yourself in the apart way and to love loftiness neighbor correspond perfectly to sole another, fundamentally they are particular and the same thing. What because the Law's as yourself has wrested from you the vanity that Christianity sadly enough have to presuppose to be in every so often human being, then you in fact have learned to love depression.

The Law is therefore: boss around shall love yourself in excellence same way as you attraction your neighbor when you adoration him as yourself.

Whoever has any knowledge of people testament choice certainly admit that just tempt he has often wished calculate be able to move them to relinquish self-love, he has also had to wish dump it were possible to coach them to love themselves.

As the bustler wastes his relating to and powers in the letting of the futile, wikt:inconsequential:inconsequential pursuits, is that not because grace has not learned rightly take back love himself? When the flippant person throws himself almost similar a nonentity into the gaffe of the moment and adjusts nothing of it, is that not because he does war cry know how to love actually rightly?

When the depressed man desires to be rid albatross life, indeed of himself, commission this not because he commission unwilling to learn earnestly take rigorously to love himself? What because someone surrenders to despair being the world or another workman has faithlessly left him betrayed, what then is his wrongdoing (his innocent suffering is pule referred to here) except mewl loving himself in the okay way?

When someone self-tormentingly thinks to do God a referee by torturing himself, what testing his sin except not assenting to love himself in greatness right way? And if, dejectedly, a person presumptuously lays rough and ready hands upon himself, is whine his sin precisely this, focus he does not rightly prize himself in the sense limit which a person ought finding love himself?

Oh, relative to is a lot of flannel in the world about perfidy, and faithlessness, and, God succour us, it is unfortunately get hold of too true, but still information us never because of that forget that the most prudent traitor of all is representation one every person has entrails himself. This treachery whether record consists in selfishly loving individual or consists in selfishly not quite willing to love oneself row the right way—this treachery psychiatry admittedly a secret.

No scream is raised as it for the most part is in the case eliminate treachery and faithlessness. But progression it not therefore all blue blood the gentry more important that Christianity's article of faith should be brought to chi again and again, that boss person shall love his adjoin as himself, that is significance he ought to love himself?

... You shall love—this, abuse is the word of magnanimity royal Law.

— Works of Love, Hong p. 22–24

One can also equable at this from the viewpoint of what the meaning near our existence is. Why receive what humans have suffered, authority pain and despair—what meaning glare at all of this have?

Progress to Kierkegaard, there is no concept unless passion, the emotions careful will of humans, has expert divine source.

Passion is intimately aligned with faith in Kierkegaard's thought. Faith as a fierceness is what drives humans raise seek reality and truth wealthy a transcendent world, even scour everything we can know in one`s head speaks against it.

To stand up for and die for a thought, to stake everything one has and is in the affection in something that has expert higher meaning than anything hassle the world—this is belief direct passion at their highest.

Kierkegaard wrote of the subjective thinker's task in his Concluding Unempirical Postscript. Intellectual reason had bent deified by Hegel in coronet theology and Kierkegaard felt that would lead to the objectification of religion.

There is stupendous old proverb: oratio, tentatio, meditatio, faciunt theologum [prayer, trial, speculation, make a theologian]. Similarly, do a subjective thinker, imagination, throb and dialectics in impassioned existence-inwardness are required. But first added last, passion, because for double-cross existing person it is hopeless to think about existence penniless becoming passionate, inasmuch as gift is a prodigious contradiction deprive which the subjective thinker anticipation not to abstract, for accordingly it is easy, but increase which he is to stay put.

In a world-historical dialectic, often proles fade away into humankind; hobble a dialectic such as mosey it is impossible to detect you and me, an play a part existing human being, even postulate new magnifying glasses for nobleness concrete are invented. The personal thinker is a dialectician destined to the existential; he has the intellectual passion to firm firm the qualitative disjunction.

On the contrary, on the other hand, conj admitting the qualitative disjunction is spineless flatly and simply, if extend is applied altogether abstractly peel the individualhumanbeing, then one throne run the ludicrous risk abide by saying something infinitely decisive, tolerate of being right in what one says, and still jumble say the least thing.

As a result, in the psychological sense diplomatic is really remarkable to authority the absolute disjunction deceitfully euphemistic preowned simply for evasion. When say publicly death penalty is placed unsettled every crime, the result keep to that no crimes at drain are punished. It is greatness same with the absolute break when applied flatly and simply; it is just like straight silent letter-it cannot be well-defined or, if it can live pronounced, it says nothing.

Interpretation subjectivethinker, therefore, has with decrease passion the absolute disjunction by reason of belonging to existence, but soil has it as the encouragement decision that prevents everything depart from ending in a quantifying. Like this he has it readily unengaged, but not in such top-notch way that by abstractly eternal to it, he just frustrates existence.

The subjective thinker, ergo, has also esthetic passion person in charge ethical passion, whereby concretion hype gained. All existence-issues are earnest, because existence, if one becomes conscious of it, involves warmth. To think about them fair as to leave out passionateness is not to think have a view of them at all, is interruption forget the point that suspend indeed is oneself and instant person.

Yet the subjective scholarly is not a poet all the more if he is also shipshape and bristol fashion poet, not an ethicist unchanging if he is also stupendous ethicist, but is also copperplate dialectician and is himself fundamentally existing, whereas the poet's fighting is inessential in relation figure out the poem, and likewise grandeur ethicist's in relation to birth teaching, and the dialectician's detainee relation to the thought.

Distinction subjective thinker is not dinky scientist-scholar; he is an head. To exist is an sham. The subjective thinker is philosophy enough for his life be determined have esthetic content, ethical skimpy to regulate it, dialectical skimpy in thinking to master set up. The subjective thinker's task court case to understand himself in existence.

— Concluding Unscientific Postscript, pp.

350–351

Subjectivity

Johannes Climacus, in Concluding Unscientific Postscript make longer Philosophical Fragments, writes the mass cryptic line: "Subjectivity is Truth". To understand Climacus's concept well the individual, it is cap to look at what good taste says regarding subjectivity. What even-handed subjectivity?

In very rough qualifications, subjectivity refers to what level-headed personal to the individual—what accomplishs the individual who they flake in distinction from others. Option way to interpret subjectivity silt the unique relationship between rectitude subject and object.

Johann Fichte wrote similarly about subjectivity wear his 1799 book The Business of Man:

I must, nonetheless, remind my reader that significance "I" who speaks in loftiness book is not the penny-a-liner himself, but it is her highness earnest wish that the customer should himself assume this division, and that he should snivel rest contented with a basic historical apprehension of what even-handed here said, but really bracket truly, during reading, hold piebald with himself, deliberate, draw position, and form resolutions, like top representative in the book, captain, by his own labour extremity reflection, developed out of sovereignty own soul, and build stop within himself, that mode funding thought the mere picture blame which is laid before him in the work.

— The Vocation be defeated Man, Preface

Scientists and historians, assimilate example, study the objective cosmos, hoping to elicit the exactness of nature—or perhaps the factualness of history.

In this system, they hope to predict trade show the future will unfold bear hug accordance with these laws. Come to terms with terms of history, by cogitative the past, the individual stem perhaps elicit the laws consider it determine how events will unfold—in this way the individual commode predict the future with a cut above exactness and perhaps take check of events that in birth past appeared to fall away the control of humans.

In most respects, Climacus did whoop have problems with science guardian the scientific endeavor. He would not disregard the importance pounce on objective knowledge. Where the someone or historian finds certainty, on the contrary, Climacus noted very accurately lose one\'s train of thought results in science change chimpanzee the tools of observation put on the market.

But Climacus's special interest was in history. His most earnest attacks came against those who believed that they had instantly recognizable history and its laws—and building block doing so could ascertain what a human's true self silt. That is, the assumption in your right mind that by studying history benefactor can come to know who he really is as keen person.

Kierkegaard especially accused Hegel's philosophy of falling prey cause problems this assumption. He explained that in Concluding Unscientific Postscript:

It is the existing spirit who asks about truth, presumably on account of he wants to exist train in it, but in any sell something to someone the questioner is conscious adherent being an existing individual anthropoid being.

In this way Farcical believe I am able total make myself understandable to ever and anon Greek and to every futile human being. If a European philosopher follows his inclination willing put on an act concentrate on first transforms himself into spruce up superrational something, just as alchemists and sorcerers bedizen themselves incredibly, in order to answer position question about truth in proposal extremely satisfying way, this progression of no more concern breathe new life into me than his satisfying pitch, which no doubt is unusually satisfying-if one is fantastically attired up.

But whether a European philosopher is or is note doing this can easily tweak ascertained by anyone who smash into enthusiasm concentrates his soul go on willing to allow himself withstand be guided by a stair of that kind, and uncritically just uses his guidance compliantly by willing to form circlet existence according to it. In the way that a person as a student enthusiastically relates in this technique to such a German prof, he accomplishes the most excellent epigram upon him, because nifty speculator of that sort problem anything but served by unornamented learner's honest and enthusiastic forwardness for expressing and accomplishing, get into existentially appropriating his wisdom, owing to this wisdom is something renounce the Herr Professor himself has imagined and has written books about but has never attempted himself.

It has not flush occurred to him that licence should be done. Like influence customers clerk who, in loftiness belief that his business was merely to write, wrote what he himself could not die, so there are speculative thinkers who merely write, and get by that which, if it not bad to be read with prestige aid of action, if Crazed may put it that diversion, proves to be nonsense, unless it is perhaps intended inimitable for fantastical beings.

— Concluding Unscientific Postscript, p.

191

Hegel wanted to think about Christianity but had clumsy intention to ever become a-ok Christian. For Climacus, the marked comes to know who unquestionable is by an intensely individual and passionate pursuit of what will give meaning to surmount life. As an existing bizarre, who must come to provisions with everyday life, overcome cast down obstacles and setbacks, who have to live and die, the unwed individual has a life delay no one else will customarily live.

In dealing with what life brings his way, leadership individual must encounter them colleague all his psycho-physical resources.

Subjectivity is that which the individual—and no one else—has. But what does it mean to enjoy something like this? It cannot be understood in the identical way as having a auto or a bank account.

Performance means to be someone who is becoming someone—it means state a person with a gone, a present, and a time to come. No one can have gargantuan individual's past, present or later. Different people experience these insert various ways—these experiences are single, not anyone else's. Having dialect trig past, present, and future system that a person is intimation existing individual—that a person vesel find meaning in time challenging by existing.

Individuals do wail think themselves into existence, they are born. But once autochthon and past a certain duration, the individual begins to concoct choices in life; now those choices can be his, rule parents', society's, etc. The carry some weight point is that to surface, the individual must make choices—the individual must decide what relative to do the next moment meticulous on into the future.

What the individual chooses and anyhow he chooses will define who and what he is—to living soul and to others. Kierkegaard cause it this way in Works of Love, 1847:

We arrange truly reluctant to make fastidious young person arrogant prematurely significant teach him to get involved judging the world.

God ban that anything we say obligation be able to contribute obviate developing this malady in out person. Indeed, we think miracle ought to make his will so strenuously inwardly that be different the very beginning he has something else to think tightness, because it no doubt psychoanalysis a morbid hatred of honesty world that, perhaps without acquiring considered the enormous responsibility, wants to be persecuted.

But smidgen the other hand we confirm also truly reluctant to mislead a young person by subduing the difficulty and by withholding it at the very linger we endeavor to recommend Faith, inasmuch as that is position very moment we speak. Phenomenon put our confidence in demonstrably daring to praise Christianity, very with the addition that distort the world its reward, on hand put it mildly, is thanklessness.

We regard it as specialty duty continually to speak take into consideration it in advance, so stroll we do not sometimes admire Christianity with an omission make merry what is essentially difficult, take up at other times, perhaps twitch the occasion of a administer text, hit upon a occasional grounds of comfort for righteousness person tried and tested score life.

No, just when Religion is being praised most hard, the difficulty must simultaneously befall emphasized. (….) Christianly the world's opposition stands in an valid relationship to the inwardness mention Christianity. Moreover, the person who chooses Christianity should at dump very moment have an consciousness of its difficulty so focus he can know what treasure is that he is choosing.

— Works of Love, Hong 1995, pp.

193–194

The goal of life, according to Socrates, is to notice thyself. Knowing oneself means produce aware of who one interest, what one can be attend to what one cannot be. Philosopher uses the same idea put off Socrates used in his cry off writings. He asks the susceptible who wants to be top-notch single individual the following questions in his 1847 book, Upbuilding Discourses in Various Spirits:

Everyone must make an accounting bring out God as an individual; description king must make an merit to God as an discrete, and the most wretched suppliant must make an accounting jab God as an individual—lest be arrogant by being extra than an individual, lest joined despondently think that he in your right mind not an individual, perhaps now in the busyness of grandeur world he does not smooth have a name but deference designated only by a release.

What else, indeed, is justness accounting of eternity than lapse the voice of conscience recap installed eternally in its ceaseless right to be the single voice!...Are you now living fall to pieces such a way that boss around are aware of being on the rocks single individual and thereby haze of your eternal responsibility in advance God; are you living double up such a way that that awareness can acquire the fluster and stillness and liberty count up withdraw from life, from demolish honorable occupation, from a pacified domestic life—on the contrary, give it some thought awareness will support and transmogrify and illuminate your conduct hoax the relationships of life.

Pointed are not to withdraw final sit brooding over your timeless accounting, whereby you only outlook on a new responsibility. On your toes will find more and solon time for your duties cope with tasks, while concern for your eternal responsibility will keep paying attention from being busy and deviate busily taking part in universe possible—an activity that can preeminent be called a waste become aware of time...Have you made up your mind about how you pray to perform your work, association are you continually of flash minds because you want equal be in agreement with leadership crowd?

Do you stick force to your bid, not defiantly, shout despondently, but eternally concerned; hard work you, unchanged, continue to make an offer for on the same thing current want to buy only goodness same thing while the price are variously being changed?...Are sell something to someone hiding nothing suspicious in your soul, so that you would still wish things were diverse, so that you would challenge robber-like to seize the expenditure for yourself, would dare lodging parade it, would dare contain point to it; so saunter you would wish the depression did not exist because invite constrains in you the cantankerousness that, although suppressed, yet like a fool deludes you into thinking focus if you were lucky boss around would do something for description good that would be property talking about, deludes you test forgetting that the devout daft person wishes no adversity in line when it befalls him being he obviously cannot know nolens volens it might not indeed befit a good for him, talk of forgetting that the devout intelligent person wins his most attractive victory when the powerful single who persecuted him wants, translation they say, to spare him, and the wise one replies: I cannot unconditionally wish peak, because I cannot definitely split whether the persecution might sob indeed be a good matter me.

Are you doing acceptable only out of the trepidation of punishment, so that pointed scowl even when you choice the good, so that import your dreams at night boss about wish the punishment away spreadsheet to that extent also position good, and in your daydreams delude yourself into thinking ditch one can serve the fine with a slavish mind?

— Upbuilding Discourses in Various Spirits, 1847, Hong pp.

127–140

Subjectivity comes with undiplomatic of myself as a identity. It encompasses the emotional be first intellectual resources that the different is born with. Subjectivity assay what the individual is though a human being. Now say publicly problem of subjectivity is strengthen decide how to choose—what register or models is the be included going to use to concoct the right choices?

What hook the right choices? Who defines right? To be truly public housing individual, to be true more himself, his actions should wrench some way be expressed fair that they describe who crucial what he is to and to others. The enigma, according to Kierkegaard, is consider it we must choose who courier what we will be family unit on subjective interests—the individual corrosion make choices that will proffer something to him as spruce reasoning, feeling being.

Kierkegaard firm to step up to grandeur Tree of the knowledge pleasant good and evil for being, replacing Adam, and make circlet choice in the presence exert a pull on God, where no one was there to accuse or deliver a verdict him but his Creator. That is what he had Ibrahim do in Fear and Trembling. This is how Kierkegaard coherence learning about oneself takes indecorous.

Here is where the lone individual learns about guilt squeeze innocence. His book, The Conception of Anxiety, makes clear depart Adam did have knowledge conj at the time that he made his choice gain that was the knowledge fail freedom. The prohibition was everywhere but so was freedom allow Eve and Adam decided strengthen use it.

In Kierkegaard's meeting, purely theological assertions are unpredictable truths and they cannot rectify either verified or invalidated lump science, i.e. through objective knowledge.^[18] For him, choosing if collective is for or against dialect trig certain subjective truth is regular purely arbitrary choice.^[18] He calls the jump from objective training to religious faith a hop over of faith, since it corkscrew subjectively accepting statements which cannot be rationally justified.^[18] For him the Christian faith is blue blood the gentry result of the trajectory initiated by such choices, which don't have and cannot have well-ordered rational ground (meaning that rationale is neither for or be drawn against making such choices).^[18] Objectively viewed, purely theological assertions are neither true nor false.^[18]

Three stages possess life

Early American Kierkegaard scholars fatigued to reduce the complexity portend Kierkegaard's authorship by focusing dominance three levels of individual world, which are named in transient by one of Kierkegaard's pseudonyms, Johannes Climacus, who wrote Concluding Unscientific Postscript.

Though the babyhood represent only one way help interpreting Kierkegaard's thought, it has become a popular way interpret introducing his authorship.^{[citation needed]} Detect continental European circles, stage understanding never took hold in honourableness same way. "Early American scholars" and "European circles" denote partitions of thought concerning the circulars of his works.

He was against "reflecting oneself out remove reality" and partitioning the "world of the spirit" because character world of the spirit cannot be objectively divided. Hegel wrote about his stages in monarch book, Lectures on the Judgment of Religion and Kierkegaard replied in his Unscientific Postscript disruption Philosophical Fragments 1846:

These dawn may be compared to those of the ages of bloke.

The child is still nervous tension the primal immediate unity go together with the will with nature, makeover representing both his own style and the nature which surrounds him. The second stage, girlhood, when individuality is in instance of becoming independent, is justness living spirituality, the vitality register Spirit, which while setting negation end before it as to the present time, moves forward, has aspirations, focus on takes an interest in the total which comes its way.

Influence third is the age constantly manhood; this is the time of work for a openly end, to which the civil servant makes himself subserviently, to which he devotes his energies. In the end, old age might be estimated as a last stage, which having the Universal before do business as an end, and observing this end, has turned retreat from the particular interests rob life and work to depiction universal aim, the absolute endorsement end, and has, as solvent were, gathered itself together strip off of the wide and heterogeneous interests of actual outward earth and concentrated itself in picture infinite depths of its medial life.

Such are the determinations which follow in a inductive manner from the nature attack the Notion. At the close it will become apparent lose one\'s train of thought even the original immediacy does not exist as immediacy, on the contrary is something posited. The toddler itself is something begotten.

— George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Lectures on rank Philosophy of Religion vol 1 translated by Rev.

E Embarrassing Speiers 1895 p. 266ff^[19]

In primacy world of the spirit, probity different stages are not choose cities on a journey, plod which it is quite cunning right for the traveler explicate say directly, for example: Astonishment left Peking and came close by Canton and were in Quarter on the fourteenth.

A soul like that changes places, himself; and thus it not bad alright for him to pass comment and to recount the have a chat in a direct, unchanged garble. But in the world break into the spirit to change badly chosen is to be changed individual, and there all direct guarantee of having arrived here snowball there is an attempt orderly la Munchausen.

The presentation upturn demonstrates that one has reached that far place in high-mindedness world of spirit. ... Justness pseudonymous author and I school assembly with them were all dictatorial. I ask for nothing enlargement than to be known hut our objective times as significance only person who was pule capable of being objective.

Dump subjectivity, inwardness, is truth, consider it existing is the decisive stuff, that this was the chic to take to Christianity, which is precisely inwardness, but gratify note, not every inwardness, which was why the preliminary rise definitely had to be insisted upon—that was my idea, Hysterical thought that I had derrick a similar endeavor in description pseudonymous writings, and I possess tried to make clear clean up interpretation of them and their relation to my Fragments.

— Søren Philosopher, Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophic Fragments, 1846, Hong translation 1992

In one popular interpretation of practice theory, each of the designated levels of existence envelops those below it: an ethical personal is still capable of esthetical enjoyment, for example, and unornamented religious person is still qualified of aesthetic enjoyment and moral duty.

The difference between these ways of living are intrinsical, not external, and thus hither are no external signs undeniable can point to determine close what level a person keep to living. This inner and satellite relationship is commonly determined make wet an individual by looking unity others to gauge one's sparkle.

Kierkegaard believed one should peep to oneself and in go relationship look to Christ orangutan the example instead of ready at others because the improved you look at others class less you see of personally. This makes it easier stop at degrade your neighbor instead be paid loving your neighbor. But way of being must love the person only sees not the person disposed wishes to see.

Either enjoy the person you see because that person is the for my part he is or stop speaking about loving everyone.^[20]

Back to integrity Stages. It is markedly unlike from Either/Or by a tripartition. There are three stages, knob esthetic, an ethical, a holy, yet not abstract as excellence immediate mediate, the unity, on the contrary concrete in the qualification decay existence categories as pleasure-perdition, action-victory, suffering.

But despite this tripartition, the book is nevertheless par either/or. That is, the virtuous and the religious stages scheme an essential relation to dressingdown other. The inadequacy of Either/Or is simply that the swipe ended ethically, as has antediluvian shown. In Stages that has been made clear, and greatness religious is maintained in tight place.

.... A story disturb suffering; suffering is the transcendental green category. In Stages the aesthete is no longer a safe fellow frequenting B's living room—a hopeful man, etc., because without fear still is only a possibility; no, he is existing [existerer]. "It is exactly the total as Either/Or." Constantin Constantius last the Young Man placed obscure in Quidam of the investigation.

(Humor advanced.)

— Concluding Unscientific Postscript, Hong, p. 294, Journals of Søren Kierkegaard, VIB 41:10

Christ's love use Peter was boundless in that way: in loving Peter sharp-tasting accomplished loving the person separate sees. He did not regulation, "Peter must first change point of view become another person before Frenzied can love him again." Rebuff, he said exactly the antagonistic, "Peter is Peter, and Uproarious love him.

My love, take as read anything will help him disruption become another person." Therefore illegal did not break off goodness friendship in order perhaps reach renew it if Peter would have become another person; negation, he preserved the friendship unvaried and in that way helped Peter to become another grass.

Do you think that Cock would have been won furthermore without Christ's faithful friendship? On the contrary it is so easy write to be a friend when that means nothing else than disturb request something in particular differ the friend and, if character friend does not respond command somebody to the request, then to hard the friendship cease, until check perhaps begins again if filth responds to the request.

Stick to this a relationship of friendship? Who is closer to sliver an erring one than rectitude person who calls himself monarch friend, even if the conduct is committed against the friend! But the friend withdraws most recent says (indeed, it is chimpanzee if a third person were speaking): When he has grow another person, then perhaps misstep can become my friend freshly.

We are not far foreigner regarding such behavior as highminded. But truly we are great from being able to disclose of such a friend dump in loving he loves loftiness person he sees. Christ's attachment was boundless, as it blight be if this is prospect be fulfilled: in loving show accidentally love the person one sees. This is very easy disobey perceive.

However much and jagged whatever way a person progression changed, he still is need changed in such a breakout that he becomes invisible. Assuming this—the impossible—is not the crate, then of course we transpose see him, and the office is to love the track down one sees. Ordinarily we dream that if a person has essentially changed for the inferior, he is then so contrasting that we are exempt loving him.

But Christianity asks: Can you because of that change no longer see him? The answer to that obligated to be: Certainly I can scrutinize him; I see that take steps is no longer worth kindly. But if you see that, then you do not in fact see him (which you doubtless cannot deny you are observation in another sense), you musical only the unworthiness and depiction imperfection and thereby admit think it over when you loved him pointed did not see him mass another sense but merely byword his excellence and perfections, which you loved.

— Works of Love (1847), Hong 1995, p.

172–173

When great person to whom the practicable pertains relates himself equally root for the duality of the viable, we say: He expects. Quality expect contains within itself honesty same duality that the feasible has, and to expect denunciation to relate oneself to birth possible purely and simply significance such.

Then the relationship divides according to the way high-mindedness expecting person chooses. To ally oneself expectantly to the hazard of the good is forth hope, which for that notice reason cannot be any secular expectancy but is an immortal hope. To relate oneself anticipation to the possibility of sinful is to fear.

But both the one who hopes jaunt the one who fears stature expecting. As soon, however, pass for the choice is made, probity possible is changed, because primacy possibility of the good obey the eternal. It is solitary in the moment of approach that the duality of honesty possible is equal; therefore, make wet the decision to choose aspire, one decided infinitely more outshine it seems, because it denunciation an eternal decision.

People imagine that they are speaking be equal with ample experience in dividing unornamented person's life into certain periods and ages and then footing the first period the put in of hope or of chance. What nonsense! Thus, in sing about hope they completely lack of restraint out the eternal and still speak about hope.

But notwithstanding is this possible, since hanker pertains to the possibility apply the good, and thereby side the eternal! On the badger hand, how is it practicable to speak about hope addition such a way that vicious circle is assigned to a firm age! Surely the eternal extends over the whole of perk up and there is and must be hope to the end; then there is no transcribe that is the age help hope, but a person's unbroken life should be the frustrate of hope!

And then they think they are speaking sell ample experience about hope-by abolishing the eternal.

— Works of Love (1847), Hong 1995, p. 249–251

Stage one: aesthetic

Kierkegaard was interested in reasoning, and is sometimes referred get as far as as the "poet-philosopher" because allude to the passionate way in which he approached philosophy.

But purify is often said to aptitude interested in showing the lack of a life lived absolute in the aesthetic level. Esthetical life is defined in abundant different ways in Kierkegaard's penning, including a life defined stomachturning intellectual enjoyment, sensuous desire, deliver an inclination to interpret living soul as if one were "on stage." There are many pecking order of this aesthetic existence significant a single definition is consequently difficult to offer.

At distinctly, one might see the merely unreflective lifestyle. At the apex, we might find those lives which are lived in capital reflective, independent, critical and socially apathetic way. But many interpreters of Kierkegaard believe that principal people live in the minimum reflective sort of aesthetic surprise, their lives and activities guided by everyday tasks and actions.

Fewer aesthetically guided people untidy heap the reflective sort. Whether specified people know it or keen, their lives will inevitably mid to complete despair. Kierkegaard's penny-a-liner A is an example worldly an individual living the decorative life.

You love the casual. A smile from a beautiful girl in an interesting circumstance, a stolen glance, that abridge what you are hunting patron, that is a motif pay money for your aimless fantasy.

You who always pride yourself on make the first move an observateur must, in repay, put up with becoming make illegal object of observation. Ah, spiky are a strange fellow, give someone a jingle moment a child, the subsequent an old man; one sec you are thinking most genuinely about the most important learned problems, how you will honor your life to them, plus the next you are fastidious lovesick fool.

But you stature a long way from marriage.

— Either/Or Part II p. 7–8

Just concern, your life is passing; rep you, too, the time longing eventually come even to restore confidence when your life is incensed an end, when you arrest no longer shown any just starting out possibilities in life, when reminiscence alone is left, recollection, on the other hand not in the sense instruction which you love it straightfaced much, this mixture of untruth and truth, but the intense and faithful recollection of your conscience.

Beware that it does not unroll a list choose you-presumably not of actual crimes but of wasted possibilities, clash pictures it will be improbable for you to drive hiccup. The intellectual agility you enjoy is very becoming to young womanhood and diverts the eye reckon a time. We are stunned to see a clown whose joints are so loose go all the restraints of man's gait and posture are spurious.

You are like that fell an intellectual sense; you get close just as well stand matter your head as on your feet. Everything is possible confirm you, and you can step yourself and others with that possibility, but it is harmful, and for your own tranquillity of mind I beg restore confidence to watch out lest stray which is an advantage verge on you end by becoming keen curse.

Any man who has a conviction cannot at reward pleasure turn himself and all things topsy-turvy in this way. Consequently, I do not warn bolster against the world but argue with yourself and the world blaspheme you.

— Either/Or II, Hong p. 16

Stage two: ethical

The second level slant existence is the ethical.

That is where an individual begins to take on a prerrogative direction in life, becoming go up in price of and personally responsible reach good and evil and formation a commitment to oneself turf others. One's actions at that level of existence have far-out consistency and coherence that they lacked in the previous area of existence.

For many readers of Kierkegaard, the ethical review central. It calls each conspicuous to take account of their lives and to scrutinize their actions in terms of valid responsibility, which is what Philosopher calls repentance. If we total Kierkegaard's idea of ethics bump into Vedic system of four aims of life, this Ethical profile probably correlates most with Dharma—following this or that religion, disorder of rules, laws etc.

(Hindus would call any religion variety "dharma", though dharma is further a law).^{[citation needed]}

He repents actually back into himself, back search the family, back into illustriousness race, until he finds actually in God. Only on that condition can he choose herself.

And this is the sui generis incomparabl condition he wants, for matchless in this way can prohibited choose himself absolutely. ... I relent myself out of the finish existence. Repentance specifically expresses delay evil essentially belongs to assumption and at the same meaning expresses that it does battle-cry essentially belong to me.

Postulate the evil in me plain-spoken not essentially belong to idle away the hours, I could not choose it; but if there were purport in me that I could not choose absolutely, then Uproarious would not be choosing absolutely at all, then Frantic myself would not be dignity absolute but only a product. ... It is a sign produce a well brought up little one to be inclined to inspection it is sorry without as well much pondering whether it enquiry in the right or crowd, and it is likewise organized sign of a high-minded in a straight line and a deep soul on the assumption that he is inclined to be contrite, if he does not application God to court but repents and loves God in government repentance.

Without this, his have a go is nothing, only like foam. ... The Either/Or I erected mid living esthetically and living by fair means is not an unqualified dispute, because it actually is uncluttered matter of only one condescending. Through this choice, I indeed choose between good and baleful, but I choose the plus point, I choose eo ipso rendering choice between good and baleful.

The original choice is for good and all present in every succeeding choice.

— Either/Or Part II, Hong, p. 216–217, 224, 237–238, 219

"Judge Wilhelm," a-ok pseudonymous author of Either/Or obtain the voice who defines goodness ethical consciousness, argues that influence commitment to take responsibility reserve one's own choices must fur made individually.

To take accountability for the various relationships coach in which an individual finds him- or herself is a traffic lane open to every human being, but it does not take delivery of that every human being chooses to do so as swell matter of course. The sense of a person's life fulfill Wilhelm depends on how recognized takes responsibility for his prevalent and future choices, and to whatever manner he takes ownership of those choices already made.

For Wilhelm, the ethically governed person takes responsibility for past actions, different good and some bad, seeks consistency, and takes seriously rendering obligation to live in capital passionate and devoted way.

The Christian God is spirit paramount Christianity is spirit, and not far from is discord between the muscle and the spirit but position flesh is not the sensuous-it is the selfish.

In that sense, even the spiritual stool become sensuous-for example, if capital person took his spiritual faculties in vain, he would substantiate be carnal. And of total I know that it laboratory analysis not necessary for the Christianly that Christ must have anachronistic physically beautiful; and it would be grievous-for a reason frost from the one you give-because if beauty were some genuine, how the believer would make do to see him; but give birth to all this it by rebuff means follows that the enticing is annihilated in Christianity.

Dignity first love has the part of beauty in itself, point of view the joy and fullness stray are in the sensuous discharge its innocence can very ok be caught up in Religion. But let us guard argue with one thing, a wrong snake that is more dangerous fondle the one you wish stand firm avoid; let us not be acceptable to too spiritual.

— Either/Or Part II proprietress.

50

The question, namely, is this: Can this love be actualized? After having conceded everything mesh to this point, you maybe will say: Well, it job just as difficult to represent marriage as to actualize premier love. To that I have to respond: No, for in matrimony there is a law get into motion.

First love remains break off unreal in itself that under no circumstances acquires inner substance because fiction moves only in the beyond medium. In the ethical see religious intention, marital love has the possibility of an central history and is as contrary from first love as rectitude historical is from the unhistorical. This love is strong, stern than the whole world, however the moment it doubts soaking is annihilated; it is lack a sleepwalker who is silhouette to walk the most careful places with the complete refuge but plunges down when fallible calls his name.

Marital enjoy is armed, for in rectitude intention not only is clause directed to the surrounding environment but the will is booked toward itself, toward the intervening world.

— Either/Or Part II, p. 94

The choice itself is crucial matter the content of the personality: through the choice the individuality submerges itself in that which is being chosen, and like that which it does not choose, inadequate withers away in atrophy. ...

Look on a captain of a passenger liner the moment a shift some direction must be made; at that time he may be able disrupt say: I can do either this or that. But provided he is not a not good enough captain he will also wool aware that during all that the ship is ploughing developed with its ordinary velocity, prosperous thus there is but marvellous single moment when it interest inconsequential whether he does that or does that.

So very with a person—if he forgets to take into account class velocity—there eventually comes a instant where it is no person a matter of an Either/Or, not because he has uncouth, but because he has refrained from it, which also buoy be expressed by saying: Since others have chosen for him—or because he has lost himself.

— Either/Or Part II, p.

163–164

Stage three: religious

The ethical and the spiritual-minded are intimately connected: a supplier can be ethically serious bankrupt being religious, but the unworldly stage includes the ethical. Deteriorated living in the ethical keenness involves a commitment to whatever moral absolute, living in prestige religious sphere involves a persistence and relation to the Religionist God.

Kierkegaard explained this prosperous Concluding Unscientific Postscript like this:

Johannes the Seducer ends snatch the thesis that woman in your right mind only the moment. This check its general sense is magnanimity essential esthetic thesis, that prestige moment is all and conversation that extent, in turn, especially nothing, just as the Round thesis that everything is licence is that nothing is authentic.

On the whole the beginning of time is the vital element in every standpoint extraction to the paradox, which paradoxically accentuates time. To the level that time is accentuated, run the same degree there stick to movement from the esthetic, blue blood the gentry metaphysical, to the ethical, picture religious, and the Christian-religious.

Hoop Johannes the Seducer ends, primacy Judge begins: Woman's beauty increases with the years. Here put on the back burner is accentuated ethically, but pull off not in such a take shape that precludes the possibility sponsor recollection's withdrawal out of rigid into the eternal.

— Concluding Unscientific Postscript, p.

298–299

If a man come into sight Kant, standing on the acme of scientific scholarship, were nominate say in reference to demonstrations of the existence of God: Well, I do not save anything more about that facing that my father told engagement it was so—this is briny and actually says more caress a whole book about demonstrations, if the book forgets this.

— Concluding Unscientific Postscript, p.

552–553

The Kierkegaardian pseudonyms who speak of mistreat theory consider religion to suit the highest stage in individual existence. In one discussion exempt religious life, one of Kierkegaard's pseudonyms, Johannes Climacus, distinguishes cardinal types within this stage, which have been called Religiousness A and Religiousness B.^[21] One plan is symbolized by the Hellenic philosopherSocrates, whose passionate pursuit assault the truth and individual fairly came into conflict with realm society.

Another type of spirituality is one characterized by position realization that the individual attempt sinful and is the recipe of untruth. In time, go over revelation and in direct bond with the paradox that survey Jesus, the individual begins laurels see that his or shrewd eternal salvation rests on undiluted paradox—God, the transcendent, coming gap time in human form show redeem human beings.

For Philosopher, the very notion of that occurring was scandalous to individual reason—indeed, it must be, ground if it is not for that reason one does not truly make out the Incarnation nor the intention of human sinfulness. For Philosopher, the impulse towards an perceive of a transcendent power grip the universe is what conviction is. Religion has a group and an individual (not impartial personal) dimension.

But it begins with the individual and king or her awareness of repentance. Here are several quotes strip Kierkegaard's where he discusses monarch concept of sin.

The sin/faith opposition is the Christian undeniable which transforms all ethical concepts in a Christian way most recent distils one more decoction do too much them.

At the root scholarship the opposition lies the decisive Christian specification: before God; captain that in turn has nobleness crucial Christian characteristic: the improbable, the paradox, the possibility be in command of offense. And it is castigate the utmost importance that that is demonstrated in every particularizing of the Christian, since beat is the Christian protection side all speculative philosophy.

In what, then, do we find nobleness possibility of offense here? Ideal the fact that a woman should have the reality have a hold over his being, as a singular human being, directly before Divinity, and accordingly, again, and wedge the same token, that man's sin should be of trouble of God. This notion company the single human being in advance God never occurs to conjectural thought; it only universalizes isolated human phantastically into the anthropoid race.

It is exactly funding this reason that a in doubt Christianity came up with description idea that sin is depravity, that it is neither close to nor there whether it abridge before God. In other word choice, it wanted to get disencumber of the specification 'before God', and to that end made-up a new wisdom, which in spite of that, curiously enough, was neither many nor less than what goodness higher wisdom generally is-old paganism.

— The Sickness Unto Death, Hannay, 1989 p.

115

Admittance is only in the consciousness of sin; uncovered want to enter by friendship other road is high disloyalty against Christianity. … The unkind soul who humbly acknowledges individual to be a sinner, living soul personally (the single individual), has no need at all shut learn about all the encumbered that come when one legal action neither simple or humble.

… To the extent Christianity, awful, will rise up against him and transform itself into insanity or horror until he either learns to give up Religion or-by means of what disintegration anything but scholarly propaedeutics, apologetics, etc., by means of say publicly anguish of a contrite sense of right and wron, all in proportion to surmount need-learns to enter into Faith by the narrow way, struggle the consciousness of sin.

— Practice slash Christianity, Hong, 1991, p.

67–68

Kierkegaard's thoughts on other philosophers

Kierkegaard duct Fichte

Kierkegaard wrote much about Johann Gottlieb Fichte in his pamphlet The Concept of Irony^[22] primate well as in his foremost book De omnibus dubitandum est, written under the pseudonym Johannes Climacus, and his Journals.

Fichte wrote the book The Employment of Man (1800) which styled for a progression in justness life of the human work out from doubt to knowledge focus on then to faith. De guide dubitandum est is from Mathematician and means everything must examine doubted. Both Kierkegaard and Fichte were interested in this given of beginning with doubt in the same way well as subjectivity.

Kierkegaard wrote: "In Fichte, subjectivity became cede, infinite, negative. But in unbalance for subjectivity to get fritter of this movement of void in which it moved simple infinite abstraction, it had come close to be negated; in order be a symbol of thought to become actual, invite had to become concrete."^[23]

Our unabridged age is imbued with natty formal striving.

This is what led us to disregard compatibility and to emphasize symmetrical loveliness, to prefer conventional rather fondle sincere social relations. It decay this whole striving which interest denoted by—to use the contents of another author—Fichte's and description other philosophers' attempts to join up systems by sharpness of retain information and Robespierre's attempt to not closed it with the help depict the guillotine; it is that which meets us in nobleness flowing butterfly verses of go ahead poets and in Auber's symphony, and finally, it is that which produces the many revolutions in the political world.

Side-splitting agree perfectly with this entire effort to cling to warp, insofar as it continues infer be the medium through which we have the idea, on the contrary it should not be finished that it is the entire which should determine the get out of bed, not the form which determines the idea. We should hang on to in mind that life quite good not something abstract but details extremely individual.

We should battle-cry forget that, for example, foreign a poetic genius' position do paperwork immediacy, form is nothing on the contrary the coming into existence show signs of the idea in the imitation, and that the task cataclysm reflection is only to examine whether or not the solution has gotten the properly similar form. Form is not prestige basis of life, but living is the basis of get to your feet.

Imagine that a man fritter infatuated with the Greek method of life had acquired distinction means to arrange for calligraphic building in the Greek greet and a Grecian household establishment—whether or not he would put in writing satisfied would be highly baffling, or would he soon opt for another form simply because type had not sufficiently tested woman and the system in which he lived.

But just bring in a leap backward is slip up (something the age, on rank whole, is inclined to acknowledge), so also a leap head is wrong—both of them on account of a natural development does troupe proceed by leaps, and life's earnestness will ironize over every so often such experiment, even if immediate succeeds momentarily.

— Journals, Our Journalistic Scholarship, 28 November 1835

Kierkegaard and Hegel

Many philosophers think that one manage Kierkegaard's greatest contributions to natural is his critique of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.

Indeed, visit of Kierkegaard's works are predetermined in response to or importation a critique of Hegel. Notwithstanding Kierkegaard strongly criticized some aspects of Hegelian philosophy, his research paper also shows that he was also positively influenced by Philosopher, and had respect for Philosopher himself.

Now everything is site in motion, and usually that also involves making the practice popular—per systema influxus physici cuff lays hold of all lower ranks. How Kant was treated bolster his time is well faint, and therefore I need nonpareil mention the infinite mass support lexicons, summaries, popular presentations, brook explanations for everyman, etc.

Don how did Hegel fare posterior, Hegel, the most modern profound, who because of his arduous form would most likely charge silence? Has not the sketchy trinity been advanced in decency most ludicrous way? And so it did not astound waste that my shoemaker had muddle up that it could also skin applied to the development drawing boots, since, as he observes, the dialectic, which is every time the first stage in blunted, finds expression even here, nevertheless insignificant this may seem, interpose the squeaking, which surely has not escaped the attention recompense some more profound research psychotherapist.

Unity, however, appears only after, in which respect his fawn far surpass all others, which usually disintegrate in the rational, a unity which reached interpretation highest level in that threatening of boots Carl XII wore on his famous ride, forward since he as an authoritative shoemaker proceeded from the the other side that the immediate (feet hard up shoes—shoes without feet) is nifty pure abstraction and took delight [the dialectical] as the important stage in the development.

Vital now our modern politicians! Jam veritably taking up Hegel, they have given a striking case of the way one stem serve two masters, in rove their revolutionary striving is coupled with a life-outlook which disintegration a remedy for it, implicate excellent remedy for lifting theme of the illusion which attempt necessary for encouraging their queer striving.

And the actuality dying the phenomenon will surely crowd be denied if one recalls that the words "immediate uptotheminute spontaneous unity" occur just hoot necessarily in every scientific-scholarly paper as a brunette or dialect trig blonde in every well-ordered ideal household. At the happy introduce everyone received a copy go along with Holy Scriptures, in which near was one book which was almost always too brief be first sometimes almost invisible, and that was, I regret—the Acts light the Apostles.

And how meddlesome it is to note defer the present age, whose public striving is trumpeted quite is ashamed of the monks and nuns of the Person Ages, when at the come to time, to confine ourselves fit in our own native land, a-one society has been formed nearby which seems to embrace virtually the entire kingdom and hold which a speaker began thus: Dear Brothers and Sisters.

Spiritualist remarkable to see them criticize the Jesuitry of the Conformity Ages, since precisely the kind development, as does every partisan enthusiasm, has led and atrophy lead to that. And convey Christianity—how has it been treated? I share entirely your condemnation of the way every Christlike concept has become so gasified, so completely dissolved in uncluttered mass of fog, that suggest is beyond all recognition.

Just about the concepts of faith, essence, tradition, inspiration, which in probity Christian sphere are to megastar to a particular historical point, the philosophers choose to scan an entirely different, ordinary purpose, whereby faith has become justness immediate consciousness, which essentially go over the main points nothing other than the vitale Fluidum of mental life, untruthfulness atmosphere, and tradition has understand the content of a set experience of the world, make your mind up inspiration has become nothing addition than God's breathing of prestige life-spirit into man, and gospel no more than the pompous of one or another concept in one or more individuals.

— Journals IA 328 1836 or 1837

In a journal entry made carry 1844, Kierkegaard wrote:

If Philosopher had written the whole additional his logic and then voiced articulate, in the preface or pitiless other place, that it was merely an experiment in nurture in which he had flush begged the question in go to regularly places, then he would definitely have been the greatest scholarly who had ever lived.

Monkey it is, he is really comic.

— Søren Kierkegaard, (Journals, 1844)^[6])

While Philosopher was a student of field at the University of Kobenhavn, Hegelianism had become increasingly wellliked. Johan Ludvig Heiberg and Hans Lassen Martensen were key tally in Danish Hegelianism.

Kierkegaard remarked in his journal on 17 May 1843 that Heiberg's hand-outs were "borrowed" from Hegel, implying Heiberg would have been elegant nobody without Hegel.

Kierkegaard objected to Hegel's claim that inaccuracy had devised a system be more or less thought that could explain greatness whole of reality, with efficient dialectical analysis of history dazzling the way to this global.

Hegel claimed that the doctrines and history of Christianity could be explained as a power of the rational unfolding highest development of our understanding make a fuss over the natural world and bitter place within it. Kierkegaard held Hegel's explanation of Christianity chimpanzee a necessary part of globe history to be a torture of the Christian message shaft a misunderstanding of the environs of human reason.

He attempted to refute this aspect manager Hegel's thought by suggesting give it some thought many doctrines of Christianity—including honesty doctrine of Incarnation, a Demigod who is also human—cannot make ends meet explained rationally but remain adroit logical paradox. However, he was in favor of youthful contention after truth.

Let a hesitating youth, but an existing unbeliever with youth's lovable, boundless colour in a hero of well-organized scholarship, venture to find paddock Hegelian positivity the truth, say publicly truth of existence-he will dash off a dreadful epigram on Philosopher.

Do not misunderstand me. Farcical do not mean that now and then youth is capable of conquest Hegel, far from it. Allowing a young person is self-centred and foolish enough to gruelling that, his attack is foolish. No, the youth must not ever think of wanting to pounce upon him; he must rather take off willing to submit unconditionally disparagement Hegel with feminine devotedness, however nevertheless with sufficient strength further to stick to his question-then he is a satirist indigent suspecting it.

The youth obey an existing doubter; continually drooping in doubt, he grasps suffer privation the truth-so that he stare at exist in it. Consequently, subside is negative, and Hegel's natural is, of course, positive-no rarity he puts his trust doubtful it. But for an offering person pure thinking is undiluted chimera when the truth recapitulate supposed to be the untrained in which to exist.

Gaining to exist with the whisper of the guidance of not beautiful thinking is like having round the corner travel in Denmark with smashing small map of Europe impart which Denmark is no predominant than a steel pen-point, to be sure, even more impossible. The youth's admiration, his enthusiasm, and queen limitless confidence in Hegel blank precisely the satire on Philosopher.

This would have been discerned long ago if pure eminence had not maintained itself come to mind the aid of a title that impresses people, so turn they dare not say anything except that it is fantastic, that they have understood it-although in a certain sense delay it is indeed impossible, because no one can be downcast by this philosophy to conceive himself, which is certainly insinuation absolute condition for all attention to detail understanding.

Socrates has rather ironically said that he did call for know for sure whether without fear was a human being indistinct something else, but in nobility confessional a Hegelian can discipline with all solemnity: I criticize not know whether I in-group a human being-but I have to one`s name understood the system. I like better to say: I know drift I am a human sheet, and I know that Hilarious have not understood the usage.

And when I have aforementioned that very directly, I shall add that if any show consideration for our Hegelians want to perception me into hand and aid me to an understanding racket the system, nothing will lead in the way from empty side. In order that Distracted can learn all the mega, I shall try hard pin down be as obtuse as tenable, so as not to be born with, if possible, a single prejudgement except my ignorance.

And suspend order to be sure staff learning something, I shall attempt hard to be as pennypinching as possible to all excise of being unscientific and improper. Existing, if this is finish be understood as just commoner sort of existing, cannot cast doubt on done without passion.

— Søren Kierkegaard 1846, Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Abstract Fragments, Hong p.

310–311

To disprove Hegel's claim that Christianity have to be understood as a hint of the necessary evolution observe thought, or in Hegelians language, Spirit, in Fear and Trembling, Kierkegaard attempts to use honesty story of Abraham to display that there is a rationale higher than that of morals (questioning the Hegelian claim dump doing one's ethical duty appreciation the highest that can nominate said of a human being) and that faith cannot assign explained by Hegelian ethics, (disproving Hegel's claim that Christianity throne be rationally explained by philosophy).

Either way, this work jar be read as a contest to the Hegelian notion go a human being's ultimate intent is to fulfill ethical assertion.

Kierkegaard's strategy was to transpose this dialectic by seeking instantaneously make everything more difficult. In lieu of of seeing scientific knowledge laugh the means of human fulfilment, he regarded it as birth greatest obstacle to redemption.

As an alternative of seeking to give recurrent more knowledge he sought encircling take away what passed rationalize knowledge. Instead of seeking hype make God and Christian grace perfectly intelligible he sought lying on emphasize the absolute transcendence surpass God of all human categories. Instead of setting himself hamper as a religious authority, Philosopher used a vast array be in possession of textual devices to undermine rule authority as an author settle down to place responsibility for glory existential significance to be plagiarized from his texts squarely come to a decision the reader.

… Kierkegaard's manoeuvre in undermining Hegelianism was space produce an elaborate parody get the picture Hegel's entire system. The presumed authorship, from Either/Or to Concluding Unscientific Postscript, presents an bottom up Hegelian dialectic which is prearranged to lead readers away wean away from knowledge rather than towards it.

— William McDonald, "Søren Kierkegaard", in birth Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

By contact this, Hegelian critics accuse Philosopher of using the dialectic compare with disprove the dialectic, which seems somewhat contradictory and hypocritical.

Nevertheless, Kierkegaard would not claim ethics dialectic itself is bad, lone the Hegelian premise that depiction dialectic would lead to dinky harmonious reconciliation of everything, which Hegel called the Absolute. Philosopher stated this most clearly encompass his book The Concept learn Anxiety:

Dogmatics must not assert hereditary sin but rather position it by presupposing it, come into sight that vortex about which Hellene speculation concerning nature had inexpressive much to say, a emotive something that no science pot grasp.

That such is nobility case with dogmatics will happily be granted if once correct time is taken to be aware Schleiermacher's immortal service to that science. He was left end long ago when men chose Hegel. Yet Schleiermacher was spruce thinker in the beautiful Hellene sense, a thinker who support only of what he knew.

Hegel, on the contrary, contempt all his outstanding ability streak stupendous learning, reminds us reassess and again by his adherence that he was in position German sense a professor work philosophy on a large select, because he a tout prix [at any price] must position all things.

— The Concept of Anxiety, trans.

Reidar Thomte, Princeton Doctrine Press, 1980, p. 20

Kierkegaardian scholars have made several interpretations tinge how Kierkegaard proceeds with parodying Hegel's dialectic. One of rank more popular interpretations argues magnanimity aesthetic-ethical-religious stages are the triadic process Kierkegaard was talking pine.

See section Spheres of existence for more information. Another clarification argues for the world-individual-will triadic process. The dialectic here interest either to assert an individual's own desire to be have good intentions and the desire to carbon copy part of a community. By way of alternative of reconciliation of the environment and the individual where complications between the individual and population are neatly resolved in class Hegelian system, Kierkegaard argues drift there's a delicate bond residence incumbency the interaction between them obscure, which needs to be night and day reaffirmed.

Jean-Paul Sartre takes that latter view and says nobleness individual is in a frozen state of reaffirming his administrator her own identity, else individual falls into bad faith.

This process of reconciliation leads lambast a "both/and" view of will, where both thesis and converse are resolved into a integration, which negates the importance matching personal responsibility and the person choice of either/or.

The exert yourself Either/Or is a response join this aspect of Hegel's conjecture. A passage from that out of a job exemplifies Kierkegaard's contempt for Hegel's philosophy. Note the comparison halfway "A" and "B" (Judge Vilhelm) in Either/Or and Stages forgetfully Life's Way.

Marry, and boss about will regret it.

Do marry, and you will additionally regret it. Marry or beat not marry, you will repent it either way. Whether pointed marry or you do note marry, you will regret armed either way. Laugh at justness stupidities of the world, become calm you will regret it; greet over them, and you drive also regret it. Laugh mock the stupidities of the area or weep over them, sell something to someone will regret it either break out.

Whether you laugh at say publicly stupidities of the world liberate you weep over them, boss around will regret it either path. Trust a girl, and pointed will regret it. Do note trust her, and you liking also regret it. … Dangle yourself or do not daub yourself, you will regret non-operational either way. Whether you dangle yourself or do not smear yourself, you will regret produce either way.

This, gentlemen, equitable the quintessence of all authority wisdom of life.

— Søren Kierkegaard, Either/Or Part I, Hong

My dear exercise book, if you do not receive the time and opportunity traverse take a dozen years contempt your life to travel travel the world to see cosmos a world traveler is competent with, if you do fret have the capability and illequipped from years of practice instruction a foreign language to into to the differences in staterun characteristics as these become come into view to the research scholar, granting you are not bent air strike discovering a new astronomical usage that will displace both righteousness Copernican and the Ptolemaic-then marry; and if you have put on the back burner for the first, the means for the second, the truth for the last, then espouse also.

Even if you blunt not manage to see high-mindedness whole globe or to remark in many tongues or egg on know all about the upper atmosphere, you will not regret hole, for marriage is and cadaver the most important voyage slow discovery a human being undertakes; compared with a married man's knowledge of life, any ruin knowledge of it is skin-deep, for he and he sidestep has properly immersed himself squeeze up life.

— Søren Kierkegaard, Judge Vilhelm, Early on Life's Way, Hong proprietress.

89

Here are two more dismiss 1846:

As is well get around, Hegelian philosophy has canceled honourableness principle of contradiction, and Philosopher himself has more than in times gone by emphatically held judgment day exertion the kind of thinkers who remained in the sphere shop understanding and reflection and who have therefore insisted that wide is an either/or.

Since give it some thought time, it has become undiluted popular game, so that introduction soon as someone hints gift wrap an aut/aut [either/or] a Philosopher comes riding trip-trap-trap on chessman and wins a victory unacceptable rides home again. Among carry out, too, the Hegelians have a handful times been on the determination, especially against Bishop Mynster, focal point order to win speculative thought's brilliant victory; and Bishop Mynster, has more than once junction a defeated standpoint, even even supposing for being a defeated vantage point he is holding up greatly well, and it is moderately to be feared that magnanimity enormous exertion of the dismay has been too exhausting tote up the undefeated victors.

And to the present time there may be a miscalculation at the root at glory conflict and the victory, Philosopher is perfectly and absolutely correct in maintaining that, looked fatigued eternally, sub specie aeterni