Understanding Kierkegaard's Existential Philosophy

Summary of Lecture on Søren Kierkegaard's Philosophy

In this lecture, we explored the life and philosophical theories of Søren Kierkegaard. Born in 1813 in Copenhagen into a well-off bourgeois family and being heavily influenced by a strict Protestant ethic, Kierkegaard studied theology and was initially engaged to Regina Olsen, although he later broke off the engagement. He furthered his studies in Berlin and due to his inheritance, was able to dedicate his life to writing. Kierkegaard produced works under various pseudonyms, with notable works including “Fear and Trembling” and “The Sickness Unto Death.” Throughout his life and in his writings, Kierkegaard opposed the revolutionary fervors of his time, criticized the Danish Lutheran Church, and explored deep introspective thoughts on sin, duty, and isolation. He distinguished three existential stages of life: the aesthetic, ethical, and religious stages, emphasizing the anguished and despairing human condition and the individual’s solitary confrontation with existential themes. He died young at 42 in 1855.

Kierkegaard's Philosophical Framework

Existential Stages

1. Aesthetic Stage

   • Life is perceived as a series of unrepeatable moments that should be lived intensely.
   • Symbolized by the figure of Don Giovanni, representing the seducer whose existence centers around the fulfillment of desire, leading to inevitable boredom and despair.

2. Ethical Stage

   • Centers on stability and continuity, symbolized by the husband who embodies duty and fidelity.
   • Despite its focus on responsibility, this stage does not lead to peace as it is perpetually marred by sin, leading to a life of repentance.

3. Religious Stage

   • Exemplified by the Biblical Abraham, who acts beyond moral or common sense by faith alone.
   • Depicts the religious life as one of scandalous solitude, chosen in isolation and marked by a radical adherence to faith over communal norms.

Key Philosophical Concepts

1. Individuality

   • Emphasis on the individual as unique, facing existential problems alone.
   • Kierkegaard highlights the solitude necessary for confronting personal existential issues, contrasting it with the anonymity of the mass or crowd.

2. Anxiety and Despair

   • Anxiety is portrayed as stemming from the human condition facing sin and its possibilities.
   • Despair arises from the individual's inability to accept the finitude of existence or from the evasion from reality.

3. Faith as a Resolution

   • Faith offers a solution to the existential desperation cited by Kierkegaard.
   • Reflects Blaise Pascal’s idea of wagering on God’s existence to transcend individual finite conditions.

Critique of Hegelian Philosophy

• Kierkegaard critiqued Hegel’s emphasis on collectivity and logical history, offering a contrasting view that highlights the individual and the irreconcilable possibilities faced by humans.
• He opposed Hegel's dialectical motion that proposes synthesizing opposites, arguing instead that human anguish and despair arise from the very inability to reconcile these divergences.

This lecture provides a comprehensive look at Kierkegaard’s work and his critical stance on the philosophical and societal norms of his time, emphasizing individual experience and the radical choice of faith in the face of existential despair.