Friday, May 11, 2012

3 of 4 Philosophers (Kierkegaard)

Kierkegaard
  • Existentialism: our being as 'subjective individuals' is more important that what we have in common objectively with other human beings (essence)
  • More important to search for personal truths than the ultimate 'truth'
  • Reasoned truth not relevant to our everyday lives
  • Three stages of life's way
    • Aesthetic stage: living in the moment; slave to desires; our senses
    • Ethical stage: living by the law of morals
    • Religious stage: road to redemption
  • Meaning of existence
    • Escaping the despairs of life and striving for happiness is what gives life meaning
    • Absolute faith can overcome the meaninglessness of your existence
  • Confrontation with existential dread -- obsessive, unavoidable fact of death
  • Insignificance of life
  • Problem of fear
  • Meaning is embedded in a broader sense of God's plan; human life is full of suffering
  • Morals are universal; we know things innately that are morally right and wrong; because of permeating wonder of faith, we have the 'teleological suspension of the ethical'; Abraham, when going to sacrifice his son, goes against his moral law to obey God; faith goes beyond morality
  • Morals are objective; moral law comes from God
  • Sees beauty of individual; every person has anxiety and fears
  • Ubermensch: recognize own weakness and fallibility but put faith in something greater than oneself; strength to put oneself into unknown

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