Søren Kierkegaard Essay Example for Free

Sren Kierkegaard Essay1. Some existentialist do believe in graven image and some do non. Being an existentialist does not necessarily involve denying the possibility of a higher power. Existentialism is a philosophical position that advocates 1) the individuals downright freedom and full capacity to determine its place in the world 2) the individual as indefinable, as outside of all systems and totalities. The individual is provided delineate on the basis of what they do, and with each action they depart who they are. For Sartre, at least, we keister only define what a person is when they substantiate died. Existentialism is said to lead astray with Soren Kierkegaard, who is a Christian existentialist. For Kierkegaard, the tender-hearted individual is outside of all systems, and is irreducibly singular. He is a Christian existentialist because he claims that a personal relationship with immortal is the highest accomplishment of tender-hearted human soma. As an existe ntialist, he opposes what he calls Christiandom, which is basically organized religion in which the individual loses itself in a group mentality. Religion is a personal event for Kierkegaard, not a common one. Christian existentialism relies on Kierkegaards understanding of Christianity.Kierkegaard argued that the universe is fundamentally paradoxical, and that its greatest paradox is the transcendent br oppositehood of immortal and kinds in the person of Jesus Christ. He also posited having a personal relationship with God that supersedes all prescribed moralities, social structures and communal norms, since he asserted that following social conventions is essentially a personal aesthetic filling made by individuals. Kierkegaard proposed that each person must feign independent choices, which then constitute his existence. Each person suffers from the concern of indecision until he commits to a particular choice about the way to live.Kierkegaard also proposed iii rubrics wit h which to understand the conditions that issue from distinct life choices the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious. 2. In this scenario, the shopping mall of humanity, including both its end or conclusion and the means to that end are all regulate by God. Even though humans have free choice, they cannot change their God-given essence. A person might try to change his or her divine purpose of knowing and loving God by finding her true happiness in the purpose of such things analogous a talent or a habit.But if at that place heart is made in the image and likeness of God, there heart will be restless until it rests in God. Furthermore, if one accepts there true purpose as the knowledge and love of God plainly then tries to pass on up their own means or design for stretch that goal, that attempt will also likewise fail. The essence is God-created as to both the overall purpose of humanity and the general means to that goal, and human freedom cannot change human nature. Sa rtre uses this example of the paper-knife in order to explain the difference between existence preceding essence and essence preceding existence for everything else.Because the paper-knife has a pre-decided essence of opening letters or cutting apart the pages of a book, its useless when there are no books around. valet de chambre, on the other hand, can never be put in this position, since man has no pre-determined essence. So human beings can never be useless because they never had a previous defined use. 3. If God has created man and his nature, man cannot claim the primacy of his existence. Therefore, if existentialism makes human life possible in the aforementioned sense it cannot treat the question of God as a purely theological or academic issue.On the contrary, the way how we resolve the question whether God exists or not will determine the character of human self-understanding and the general condition of man in the world. Sartre says that the problem of Gods existence is not the issue for existentialism. What he means by this is not that existentialism is not concerned in the question but that it has already resolved it given the need of man to regain himself as the creator of his own world. Or better to say, human universe proves that man is responsible for himself. In other words, nothing can save him from himself, not even a valid proof of Gods existence.On the other hand, if we believe that God has created man in his own image then, according to Sartre, we have to admit that human essence, as conceived by God, precedes existence. The reasoning will have the following pattern If God exists, the essence precedes existence. God exists. Therefore essence precedes existence. 4. Sartre explains the priority of human existence in this way Man first exists, turns up, appears on the scene, and only then defines himself. Sartre does not want to say that eating and dormancy is more important than whateverthing else which is a kind of luxury in life.He admits the biological priority of basic functions but claims that what is built upon it is by far more decisive. As Sartre says later on, every man performs an absolute act in breathing, eating, sleeping or behaving in either way whatever, but this act does not constitute human essence who we are, only a configuration within which an already present existence shapes its own essence. To be sure, man exists like a configuration before he can be defined by any concept and hence his existence should be the basis for any posterior definition of his nature, not the other way round.But his nature is that he does not have a nature, at least initially when he appears in the midst of other beings. Therefore biological life does not equal human existence nor essence. The point here is that what man is (the traditional nature of man) is not determined by any pre-existing essence, not even the biological nature. Man himself decides whether he is going to be a grumpy and nasty person or a kind a nd caring infividual, a miserable creature or an energetic and optimistic human, a murderer or an artist, an obedient subject or a free spiritSartre phrases the statement (a) existence precedes essence as synonymous with (b) subjectivity must be the starting point. This is obvious from the fact that he accompanies the former with an or existence precedes essence, or, if you prefer, subjectivity must be the starting point. 5. Sartre phrases the statement (a) existence precedes essence as synonymous with (b) subjectivity must be the starting point. This is obvious from the fact that he accompanies the former with an or existence precedes essence, or, if you prefer, subjectivity must be the starting point. There are several difficulties with this though. First, even if we follow Sartres expectation to accept his or between the two propositions as indicating a synonymous meaning it remains questionable . Subjectivity is obviously taken in the Hegelian sense, as the core of autonomy an d self-reflection. Second, while the rival (b) is really faith blind, (a) is not. On the contrary, theists cannot accept it if it entails the non-existence of God. 6. Sartre calls this Subjectivity but explains his meaning to avoid misunderstanding.Subjectivity We mean that man exists first and he is capable of realizing this. He uses his will to make conscious decisions and he is held responsible for his actions because his existence and free choice precedes his essence. Subjectivism can mean that an individual chooses and makes himself . In the second sense, it means that it is unaccepted for man to transcend human subjectivity. 7. The anguish results from the direct responsibility toward others who are affected by our actions. ANGUISH. It is in anguish that we become conscious of our freedom. My being provokes anguish to the extent that I distrust myself and my own reactions in that situation. We must make some choices knowing that the consequences will have profound effects on others like a commander sending his troops into battle. In choosing for ourselves we choose for all humankind. We experience anguish in the face of our subjectivity, because by choosing what we are to do, we choose for everyone. When you make a decision you are saying this is how anyone ought to behave given these circumstances. Many people dont feel anguish, but this is because they are fleeing from it. If you dont feel a sense of anxiety when you make decisions, its because you are forgetting about your total and deep responsibility toward yourself and all of humanity. 8. Our choices are a sham for the way everyone should choose. If we deny this fact, we are in self-deception. If we say, Everyone will not act as I have done, then we are giving a popular value to the denial. There are no omens there are no signs by which to decide. We are responsible for ourselveswe are the sole authority of our lives. We cannot give up this responsibility except through self-deception or bad faith.Because man is free and at the same time responsible. A man who involves himeslf cannot escape the signature of immense, deep and total responsibility for his actions and for other men. Man is responsible not only for the person he chooses to be but also for other men. He stakes himself out by choosing both himself and all mankind. His actions are inevitably actions of a lawmaker. Man is constantly in anguish not because he makes day-by-day trivial choices but, as Sartre stated in the discussion following the lecture, (a) because his original choice is constant but uncertain and (b) there is no justification for the choice made.9. Quietism is the attitude of people who say, Let others do what I cant do. The doctrine I am presenting is the very opposite of quietism, since it declares, There is no reality except in action. Moreover, it goes further, since it adds, Man is nothing else than his plan he exists only to the extent that he fulfills himself he is therefore nothing else than the ensemble of his acts, nothing else than his life. adept of the biggest objections was that it was a pessimistic philosophy that encouraged people to dwell in quietism of despair .In his essay, Existentialism is a Humanism, Sartre attempts to prove that existentialism is probably the to the highest degree optimistic doctrine available to modern man by attempting to answer other objections brought against existentialism. However, I do not believe that Sartre is completely successful at presenting his doctrine as optimistic and giving valid responses to the many objections. 10. Sartre writes, Values in actuality are demands which lay claim to a foundation. (Ibid. p.46) But if the foundation of determine were found in facts, then what would be valuable would be determined by facts and my will would not be in control of its own value my will would not be master of itself. But if my will is the source of value, then this foundation is a foundation that can be changed at any time and it is possible for me to have no values whatsoever. It follows that my freedom is the unique foundation of value and that nothing, absolutely nothing justifies me in adopting this or that particular value, this or that particular scale of values. As a being by whom values exist, I am unjustifiable.My freedom is anguished at being the foundation of values while itself without foundation. You cant judge sincere choices, but you can judge self deceit. For example when someone blames their actions on their passions or determinism, implying that they could not patron what they did and so are not responsible. Or when someone says that certain values are incumbent on us, i. e. the values, or duties, impose themselves on us so we have to follow them, we have no choice. If someone chooses to deceive himself you cant judge this morally, but can judge it as an error.Furthermore you can judge it morally, because freedom can have no end but itself. To value anything is to choose i t. So if we were not free to choose anything there could be no values. So freedom is the foundation of all values. So to value anything we are thereby valuing freedom itself. But we cannot value our own freedom without valuing others freedom. So if someone else denies that they are free, they are denying something that we value, and so we can judge them morally. Satre argued that existentialism was a kind of tough optimism.First to realise that there is no god taking care of our action or guiding us. Subjectivism leads to a forlornness and then the despair of being responsible for our own actions and probabilities gives way to freedom. The realization that what we strain for ourselves is up to us. When we realise and accept this state of existence we are left with only possibilities. What we do with them can become a kind of despair but hope and change is always possible. The fact man is condemned to be free. It is from this existence that we create an essence for ourselves and no t the other way round.It is a anti-fatalism and pro-determinism. By asseverate that human action is futile, if not impossible, existentialism invites people to remain in a state of desperate quietism, resigned and passive. Existentialism itself ends up in a kind of contemplative bourgeois philosophy (just observing the world) lagging behind the demand of Marx 11th Thesis on Feuerbach which stipulates that philosophy should change the world not only look at it. The word bourgeois in the charge was linked to luxury in the sense of being redundant and unnecessary.