Who is Seren Kierkegaard? First of all, this is a person whose name everyone knows, but few people understand what he is famous for. Often, wanting to seem smarter, more educated, more erudite than they really are, young people refer to his last name, completely not understanding what they mean. Especially when this very last name is pronounced or spelled incorrectly. So, who is he really?
Biography. Young years.
Seren Kierkegaard (date of birth May 5, 1813) was born in Copenhagen (Denmark) in a peasant family. He was the youngest in the family and the late child of his father. His parent was experiencing economic downturns and booms, and at the time of his departure to another world, he did not deprive his offspring of an inheritance. The family was religious and all children were brought up in reverence and love for God.
At the age of 17, Kierkegaard Seren enters the university to study theology, philosophy and psychology. For eight years, he plunges into a crazy cycle of events related to student life. In 1838, a sharp change in worldview took place, and idle amusements ceased to interest the future philosopher. Seren Kierkegaard, whose photo just captured the moment of rethinking those values that were laid down in him from childhood, is drastically changing his view of the world. In particular, he criticizes his faith in God and his immortal soul. In order to find new landmarks and understand Catholicism, Kierkegaard Seren decides to return to the roots and re-studies the Bible and Greek philosophy.
Transition to maturity
His research brings certain results in two years - the title of candidate of sciences in theology. At the same time, the social status of the young man is changing, he is engaged to his girlfriend and is preparing to become a pastor. In parallel, Kierkegaard Seren is finishing work on a dissertation for a master's degree in philosophy, the basis for which was Hegel's dialectic and general ideas of the Reformation, considered from the point of view of irony and Socratic dogma.
Family troubles and philosophical revelations
In 1841, the philosopher leaves the hope of becoming a family man, since he cannot find himself, he doubts his religious views and decides that he will only burden his bride with this. The engagement was canceled, and the girl was rejected. Avoiding scandal, the young man leaves for Berlin. Based on his conclusions and feelings, he writes the philosophical work “Eli-Ili”, which addresses issues of ethics and aesthetics. But to the publisher in 1843 it comes signed by a pseudonym, and not by its real name - Seren Kierkegaard. Years of life in Germany help a man to come to his senses, but as soon as he returned, a chance meeting with a former lover ignited a former passion again. But after a short time, the man again escapes to Berlin and publishes two new manuscripts at once, allegorically narrating about his love. This was the moment when the philosophy of Seren Kierkegaard began to take shape. But even before the release of his books, the philosopher learns that his ex-bride is getting married. That makes him sober.
The period of criticism and rejection of reality
In addition to fans, Kierkegaard Seren receives critics who unflatteringly respond on the pages of the Corsair magazine about his works. In response to this, the philosopher publishes an article in which he tries to shame and humiliate his critics. This greatly harms his authority in the eyes of society, offensive caricatures and evil jokes appear. Shortly after this, another book comes out of print, where Seren Kierkegaard’s philosophy is described on hundreds of pages, from the very beginning of his creative and scientific career to the final conclusions.
Death in poverty
For many years, Kierkegaard appeared in his books as a preacher, expositor of the foundations of the Christian faith, while he himself, not being its follower. At least he thought so. In 1855, the philosopher founds his own newspaper, but manages to publish only 10 issues before he becomes mortally ill. At the age of 42, Seren Kierkegaard, whose biography shows that even in such a short period of time, you can achieve significant success in philosophy and theology, speak out about this in your works, get critical and laudatory reviews, die in Denmark. He left behind only money for burial and unfinished work.
Attitude towards existentialism
The Danish philosopher Seren Kierkegaard, often called the father of existentialism, in his works acted as a fierce critic of rationalism and a follower of the subjective approach to philosophy. In his opinion, this was what distinguished it from science based on generally accepted facts. The main question that every person asks himself is: “is my existence necessary?” - has thousands of different answers. The philosopher argued that passion is subjectivity, and is reality for each individual person. And that the subject for consideration is to take a unique, unique individual who will show his view of the world.
Abstract thinking
Based on Kierkegaard’s complex position on this issue, it can be concluded that he considered only that thing which does not allow itself to be thought to exist. After all, as soon as we begin to think about something, we intervene in the natural process of the course of things. So, this object ceases to exist, turning into another, already changed by observation. Therefore, in
existential philosophy, the main way of knowing the world around was not considered fiction, but the experience of events, things, the course with them, without interrupting their existence.
Freedom and independence
Kierkegaard argued, contrary to Hegel, that social history is one continuous tape of necessary events. That is, the characters who went down in history had no choice but to do so, and not otherwise. The inner world of a person is subordinate only to him, and what is happening in him should in no way relate to external circumstances. Making every day, hour, instant, a new inner choice, a person approaches the Absolute, which is higher than the surrounding world. But at the same time, each decision must be held accountable. If the moment of choice is postponed by a person until an indefinite time, then circumstances make him for him, and thus the person loses his self.
Philosophy of despair
Coming into a state of despair, a person loses faith in himself and seeks to get rid of this feeling. And for this it is necessary to remove oneself from being so that despair is gone. But it’s impossible to run away, leave, eliminate yourself. A person does not realize his great destiny as a spiritual unit, but this is more a universal state than an exception to the rule. And, according to Kierkegaard, this is good. Because only a desperate person can find the strength in himself to move on, to heal himself. This is the very horror that makes our souls suitable for exaltation.
Ways of being
Kierkegaard Seren identified two ways of the individual's existence: ethical and aesthetic.
Aesthet, according to the philosopher, lives the way nature created him. He accepts his weaknesses and strengths, the imperfection of the world around him and his own significance in it, tries to feel and accept as much as possible. The main direction of the existence of "aesthetics" is pleasure. But given that such a person is always guided by external circumstances, he is never free internally. Another disadvantage in the existence of an esthete is that he does not manage to achieve a state of complete satisfaction. There is always something more to strive for, the pursuit of hedonistic pastime. The esthetician loses his sense of self, being dissolved in the external world and forgetting about the internal world. In order to feel himself whole again, he needs to make an informed choice.
A person who has chosen the ethical side voluntarily deprives himself of his freedom and pleasure to “go with the flow” along with the outside world. He equips his reality by making an informed choice, makes an effort over his essence to fit his existence into the framework that he himself has determined. In fact, a person creates himself anew, does not alter under circumstances, but does not nurture his natural features, but adjusts them to his chosen reality.
About kindness
Philosophy claims that the struggle and unity of good and evil are relative. Each of our choices determines the scales that will be filled more. Kierkegaard believed that good in a person is due to freedom, and not vice versa. After all, when you are internally free, you are free to choose whether to be kind or not to you. This is the position of an esthete. An ethical man initially accepted the rules of morality and cannot transgress them. Even when he does not want to be kind, his chosen reality pushes him to certain actions.
Awareness of Faith
Kierkegaard considered the “knighthood of faith” to be the highest stage of human existence. It was even higher than ethical rules, because it proceeded from the adoption of God's providence, and not from the moral code. Ethics is a public concept, faith is individual, individual. And considering his life from such a position, a person understands that each individual has a duty to God, and sometimes it is necessary to violate ethical laws to pay off this debt.
It is known that in Christian morality, despair is a form of sin, but if it takes the form of repentance before God and leads to healing, it is welcomed among the knights of faith. Kierkegaard understood faith as the highest ability of man, without denying the reason and morality, which help to achieve an understanding of divine revelations.
A special role was given by the philosopher to consciousness. He believed that only through consciousness can a person regain his self, reject despair, survive the moral "death" and will be reborn like a phoenix. He also had one of the pillars of faith and freedom. It was achieved in a harmonious balance between the finite and the infinite, material and spiritual. Maintaining balance helps a person to remain himself.
The meaning of Kierkegaard's philosophy
Contemporaries of the philosopher could not appreciate it. Then the thinking of the Reformation prevailed, I wanted renewal, novelty, and not immersion in myself and ethical-aesthetic choice. Seren Kierkegaard's philosophy was briefly retold in newspapers and magazines, without being lost in essence, which distorted the meaning of what was said. There were many who wanted to throw a stone at the Danish thinker. But he himself believed that this negative fame would benefit those who were truly interested in his teachings. After all, it is important that they understand his books, and not try to imitate him and relish the events of his life. Seren Kierkegaard, whose philosophy was often criticized, was able to touch the hearts of a later generation.
After two world conflicts that took place in the twentieth century, people again turned to the works of Kierkegaard and found in them what they were looking for, otherwise looking at the world around them. They knew despair and found the strength in themselves to be reborn from the ashes. This is exactly what the great philosopher Seren Kierkegaard wrote about.