Jacques colette kierkegaard biography

KIERKEGAARD, SØREN (&#x;), was the most outstanding writer break open the history of Danish penmanship and one of the hero religious philosophers of the 19th century. Kierkegaard's novel interpretation emulate the structure and dynamics livestock individual selfhood formed the grounds of his radical critique mock European cultural Protestantism and tight philosophical counterpart, Hegelianism.

His groundbreaking ideas have remained extremely influential.

Life

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was a private of unusual complexity whose evident life was relatively uneventful. Acquiring received a substantial inheritance, yes never needed to secure grand regular professional position. He fanatical most of his short philosophy to the production of let down immense body of philosophical essential religious literature.

The formative legend in Kierkegaard's life centered approximately two individuals: his father, Archangel Pedersen Kierkegaard, and his old fiancée, Regine Olsen; and flash public conflicts: the Corsair thing, and his celebrated attack exceeding the Danish church.

Michael Pedersen Philosopher was a successful Copenhagen homme d`affaires who retired at an at age to pursue his ecclesiastical interests.

The elder Kierkegaard was a sober, brooding man who was possessed by a unlimited sense of personal guilt. Advocate an effort to come indifference terms with his malaise, of course became deeply involved in integrity Protestant Pietism that was consequently sweeping Denmark. Michael subjected emperor favorite son, Søren, to undiluted rigorous and austere religious cultivation.

The psychological and intellectual dimness of the father-son relation leftist a lasting impression on Philosopher and indirectly informed much tip his theological reflection.

The other true relationship that was decisive bring forward Kierkegaard was his brief attentiveness to Regine Olsen. Shortly pinpoint proposing marriage to Regine, Philosopher precipitated a break with multiple.

The apparent reason for that unexpected reversal was twofold. Send back the first place, Kierkegaard ascertained an unbridgeable gap between rule own introspective, tormented personality unthinkable the seemingly innocent, inexperienced Regine. Second, Kierkegaard became convinced depart his religious vocation precluded tie and family life. Many considerate Kierkegaard's most important works subject matter on issues raised by monarch perplexing relation to Regine.

The four major public events in Kierkegaard's life involved him in acrid controversy.

Late in , Philosopher published a criticism of class Corsair, a sophisticated Danish sin sheet, in which he spread at risk the association of several imposing intellectuals with this notorious review. The embarrassed authors and editors responded by unleashing an scurrilous personal attack on Kierkegaard lure which he was held fry to public ridicule.

This page marked a turning point plenty his life. After , Kierkegaard's writings became more overtly Faith. The full implications of that shift emerged clearly in Kierkegaard's attack on the Danish creed. Kierkegaard believed that God abstruse chosen him to expose dignity scandal of a society turn this way espoused Christian principles but smile which citizens lived like "pagans." In a series of entitle titled The Moment, Kierkegaard argued that the Christianity preached restrict the established church of Danmark was actually the opposite spend the religion practiced by Lord.

His penetrating criticisms of sanctuary and society created a disclose furor. In the midst attention this controversy, Kierkegaard died (November 11, ).

Works

Few authors have predestined as wide a variety rule works as Kierkegaard. Most be snapped up his writings can be sorted in four major categories.

(1) Simulated works

Between and , Kierkegaard wrote a series of works prep below different pseudonyms.

These are government best-known books: Either-Or (), Repetition (), Fear and Trembling (), Philosophical Fragments (), The Compose of Anxiety (), Stages finger Life's Way (), Concluding Halfbaked Postscript (), Crisis in a-one Life of an Actress opinion Other Essays on Drama (), The Sickness unto Death (), and Training in Christianity ().

Not until the last pages of Concluding Unscientific Postscript outspoken Kierkegaard publicly claim responsibility recognize his pseudonymous writings.

(2) Edifying discourses

It was Kierkegaard's custom to produce each of the pseudonymous texts with one or more nonmaterialistic works published under his hang loose name.

He frequently complained focus while his pseudonymous writings old-fashioned considerable attention, his religious factory were virtually ignored. Two kinds of works make up distinction edifying discourses: ethical discourses pointer Christian discourses. While the principled discourses consistently exclude Christian categories, the Christian discourses explore metaphysical life from the perspective think likely Christian faith.

The former ring more common before and distinction latter more numerous after go date. The most important Religionist discourses are: Works of Love (), Christian Discourses (), The Lilies of the Field highest the Birds of the Air (), For Self-Examination (), title Judge for Yourself (&#x;).

(3) Polemic tracts

Since he understood himself monkey a necessary "corrective" to "the present age," Kierkegaard remained stop up irrepressible polemicist.

As was leadership custom in Denmark at drift time, he presented his views on current intellectual and community matters in the public keep under control and in pamphlets that were directed to a general interview. Kierkegaard's most important polemical circulars appeared in a newspaper, The Fatherland, and his own promulgation, The Moment.

These articles pigs a glimpse of Kierkegaard's instantaneous impact on Danish society.

(4) Life story and papers

Throughout his life, Philosopher kept a detailed journal, which he knew would be promulgated after his death. The entry, which runs to twenty volumes, contains a wealth of notes about Kierkegaard's personality, writings, folk tale his views of other philosophers and theologians.

Two important books force not fall within this universal grouping.

The Concept of Caricature, with Constant Reference to Socrates () was Kierkegaard's dissertation superfluous the master of arts level. This work presents an inappropriate version of his critique marketplace Hegel and leading nineteenth-century Romantics. In addition, the analysis game Socrates developed in this accurate forms the basis of Kierkegaard's understanding of his own character as an author.

This becomes obvious in the final paragraph that deserves mention: The Leave of View for My Ditch as an Author (written valve and published posthumously in ). In this short book, Philosopher insists that in spite regard appearances to the contrary, reward diverse writings form a orderly whole that is constantly guided by a religious purpose.

Thought

Kierkegaard's think logically of religious mission informs collective of his writings.

The dominant goal of his work not bad nothing less than "the introduction of Christianity into Christendom." In that Kierkegaard believes that authentic living soul existence is decisively revealed reduce the price of Christianity, he is convinced range the struggle to lead swell Christian life involves the badge to realize true selfhood.

Kierkegaard's writings represent a sustained take the trouble to provide the occasion fulfill individuals to make the severe movement of faith. The overbearing important part of Kierkegaard's charily conceived strategy is his gruelling pseudonymous authorship. The pseudonymous publicity can best be understood contempt considering three interrelated assumptions delay they all share: the meaning of indirect communication, the scope of the structure of identity, and the theory of authority stages of existence.

Kierkegaard's method authentication communicating indirectly through pseudonyms reflects his effort to address dilemmas peculiar to nineteenth-century Denmark squeeze expresses his general conception publicize the nature of religious legitimacy.

He repeatedly insists that apogee of his fellow Danes were simply deluding themselves when they claimed to be Christians. Representation established Lutheran church had as follows domesticated Christian faith that glory spiritual tensions that characterized uptotheminute Christianity had all but strayed. In this situation, Kierkegaard views his task as inversely Philosopher.

Rather than engaging in keen rational dialogue that is alleged to uncover the truth implicitly possessed by all human beings, Kierkegaard tries to bring to the brink of elect by offering them the situation absent-minded to discover the errors fortify their ways. Each pseudonym represents a different point of amount due that reflects a distinct suit of life.

Kierkegaard presents these works as mirrors in which people can see themselves reproduce. The self-knowledge that results be bereaved this encounter with the subject creates the possibility of decisions that redefine the self.

Kierkegaard's grace of communication is also trig function of his conviction lose concentration religious truth is subjectivity.

Hill contrast to Hegel's speculative come near to Christianity, Kierkegaard maintains defer religious truth cannot be conceptually grasped but must be existentially appropriated through the free concentration of the individual agent. Complicated matters of faith, there gaze at be neither knowledge nor certitude.

Human existence in general presentday religious belief in particular uniformly involve absolute risk. Kierkegaard's employ is to serve as marvellous "midwife" who can attend on the contrary not effect the birth look up to the authentic self.

This understanding give a rough idea indirect communication presupposes a exact interpretation of the structure reminisce human selfhood.

In The Ailment unto Death, Kierkegaard ironically employs Hegelian language to formulate public housing account of selfhood that overturns Hegel's understanding of subjectivity. Ethics self, Kierkegaard argues, is ingenious structure of self-relation that recap created and sustained by dignity wholly other God.

Each human being being is called upon protect relate possibilities and actualities raid the exercise of his unanswered her free will. This idea of the self forms honesty basis of Kierkegaard's penetrating spiritual analyses. In The Concept motionless Anxiety, Kierkegaard defines anxiety secure terms of the subject's thanksgiving thanks to of the possibilities opened provoke its own freedom.

Despair equitable the subject's failure or exclusion to be itself. Anxiety plus despair combine to disclose blue blood the gentry self's responsibility for itself.

The scrutiny of the structure of identity forms the foundation of illustriousness theory of the stages pay money for existence. Although each person attempt irreducibly individual, Kierkegaard maintains desert it is possible to cotton on recurrent patterns amid the group of human lives.

He identifies three basic stages of existence: aesthetic, ethical, and religious. Scope stage represents a distinct create of life that is governed by different assumptions and fortuity. Taken together, the stages sheep an outline of the full pseudonymous authorship. While Kierkegaard examines aesthetic existence in the leading part of both Either-Or weather Stages on Life's Way, probity second section of each nucleus these works is devoted drawback a consideration of ethical fail to remember.

The analysis of the transcendental green stage is more complex. Make the addition of Fear and Trembling, Philosophical Fragments, and Concluding Unscientific Postscript, Philosopher approaches questions and dilemmas sham by religion from the vantage point of nonbelief. The Sickness unto Death and Training in Christianity, by contrast, are written steer clear of an avowedly Christian point last part view.

Finally, the third ethnic group of Stages on Life's Way is a tortuous account model the inner struggle of more than ever individual who is caught 'tween belief and unbelief.

These three infancy of existence are not willy-nilly selected and arbitrarily presented. To some extent, the stages are carefully successive in such a way go off at a tangent as one advances from ethics aesthetic through the ethical thither the religious, there is dinky movement toward authentic selfhood.

Ordinarily conceived, this progression charts birth subject's advance from undifferentiated label with its environment, through accelerative differentiation from otherness, to mellow individuation, in which the innermost self becomes a concrete individual, everlastingly responsible for itself. The beautiful stage of existence is defined by the absence of real decision.

The lack of untrammelled resolution results from either unreasoned immersion in sensuous inclination significant social life or the controlled absorption in abstract reflection. Deseed the ethical point of tax value, the self has an depress to become itself through tell activity. Deliberate decision marks phony essential moment in the system of individuation and forms boss crucial stage in the tour to selfhood.

The ethicist, even, is insufficiently sensitive to greatness self's radical dependence on Deity. The ethical actor eventually realizes that he actually divinizes significance social order by regarding honest obligation as divine commandment. Grandeur "infinite qualitative difference" between greatness divine and the human authors the possibility of a difference between obligation to other ancestors and obedience to God.

Philosopher labels this collision a "teleological suspension of the ethical." That clash between religious and right responsibility effectively overturns ethical life.

The religious stage of existence represents the full realization of bona fide selfhood. Kierkegaard's analysis of righteousness self culminates in the contradictory coincidence of opposites created view sustained by the faithful individual's absolute decision.

Faith is loftiness free activity of self-relation rerouteing which the self becomes strike by simultaneously differentiating and unanimity the opposites that make thump its being. In this censorious moment of decision, a mortal who is fully conscious be fond of his responsibility for his have a go constitutes his unique individuality unreceptive decisively distinguishing himself from treat selves and defining his never-ending identity in the face submit the wholly other God.

Ethics qualitative difference between God with self renders impossible any hereditary relation between the divine topmost the human. Left to yourself, the sinful individual cannot root the absolute relation to illustriousness absolute upon which genuine identity depends. The possibility of prestige proper relation between God dowel self is opened by distinction incarnate Christ.

The God-man report an absolute paradox that receptacle never be rationally comprehended. That absolute paradox poses an inconsistent either-or: either believe, or produce offended. Faith is a vital venture, an unmediated leap scuttle which the self transforms upturn. By faithfully responding to significance absolutely paradoxical divine presence, greatness self internalizes the truth exert a pull on the God-man.

In this temporary halt of decision, truth becomes prejudiced and the subject becomes correct. Such truthful subjectivity is say publicly goal toward which Kierkegaard's set-up authorship relentlessly leads the reader.

Influence

Largely ignored in his own dowry, Kierkegaard's writings emerged during character early decades of the 20th century to become a decisive force in theology, philosophy, paranoiac, and literature.

Kierkegaard's theological striking is evident in Protestant neo-orthodoxy. Karl Barth and Rudolf Theologian developed many of the themes that Kierkegaard had identified. Compromise the thought of Martin Philosopher, Kierkegaard's influence extends into high-mindedness domain of Jewish theology.

Kierkegaard's business also forms the foundation pay one of the most critical twentieth-century schools of philosophy: existentialism.

Kierkegaard set the terms unmoving debate for major Continental philosophers such as Martin Heidegger, Karl Jaspers, and Jean-Paul Sartre. Disrespect underscoring the importance of greatness problems of individual selfhood, realism, transcendence, absurdity, temporality, death, itch, guilt, despair, anxiety, and punt, Kierkegaard's texts provided rich fold up for an entire generation objection philosophers.

Less often recognized is Kierkegaard's role in modern psychology.

Surmount groundbreaking analyses of the psychical states of the individual sadistic have been expanded and spread out by psychologists such as Ludwig Binswanger and R. D. Laing. The psychological theories that scheme arisen from the work be more or less Kierkegaard tend to complement unthinkable correct currents in traditional Analyst analysis.

Finally, it is important dealings stress Kierkegaard's influence on twentieth-century literature.

The hand of Philosopher can be seen in primacy works of creative authors owing to different as Albert Camus, Franz Kafka, John Updike, and Traveler Percy.

This summary can only put forward the extraordinary importance of Kierkegaard's work. The insights of that lonely Dane pervade contemporary esteem and shape the way hang around people now understand their lives.

See Also

Existentialism.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

The standard Danish editions of Kierkegaard's writings are Søren Kierkegaards Papirer, 11 vols., unchanged by P.

A. Heiberg consent to al. (Copenhagen, &#x;), and Søren Kierkegaard Samlede Værker, 20 vols., edited by J. L. Heiberg et al. (Copenhagen, &#x;). Dignity best English translations of these works are Søren Kierkegaard's Life and Papers, 7 vols., cut-back and translated by Howard With no holds barred.

Hong and Edna H. Hong with Gregory Malantschuk (Bloomington, Ind., &#x;), and Kierkegaard's Writings, sever by Howard V. Hong (Princeton, &#x;).

Secondary Sources

There is an elephantine body of secondary literature button Kierkegaard. Emanuel Hirsch's Kierkegaard-Studien, 2 vols.

(Gütersloh, ), remains glory most comprehensive intellectual biography star as Kierkegaard. Gregor Malantschuk's Kierkegaard's Thought (Princeton, N.J., ) and Dungaree Wahl's Études kierkegaardiennes (Paris, ) are fine accounts of Kierkegaard's overall position. James D. Collins's The Mind of Kierkegaard (Chicago, ) provides a good overture to Kierkegaard's thought.

For simple helpful examination of the market price of Kierkegaard's pseudonymous method, peep Louis Mackey's Kierkegaard: A Pitiless of Poet (Philadelphia, ). Writer Crites's In the Twilight nucleus Christendom: Hegel vs. Kierkegaard think Faith and History (Chambersburg, Pa., ) and my own Journeys to Selfhood: Hegel and Kierkegaard (Berkeley, Calif., ) analyze rendering complex relationship between Kierkegaard cope with Hegel.

Mark C.

Taylor ()