S. Kierkegaard Early Existentialism

Religious Practices in Denmark Kierkegaard’s critique on Hegel’s Philosophy concerns not only with the theoretical interests, but also with the practical and concrete situation of his time. In that time Hegelianism dominated not only the academic field, but also the religious practices of the Christianity in Denmark. The religious practices that Kierkegaard criticized were ‘religious formalism and ritualism’. The Christianity became an objective religion with detail ritual procedure and objective dogmas. And the people don’t care of their very subjective faith and commitment to this Christian faith. Kierkegaard saw Hegel’s abstractionism being responsible for this spiritual decadence.

Critique on Hegel’Abstractionism Kierkegaard argues that with his dialectics of spirit Hegel has abstracted all thing and despised man as concrete human person. The real in Hegel’s philosophy is not the experience of the concrete individual, but the abstract idea. Hegel views also the collective (we, our time, nation, mass etc.) as higher and more real than the individual and particular. Kierkegaard criticizes Hegel that he has reduced man as individual to be an element of crowd. Man loses his authenticity.

What is ‘Existence’? The concept of existence can be applied only on man as individual. Only “I’ can exist and can not be reduced to the other realities like society, economy, idea etc. To exist means to live not mechanically, but consciously, personally and subjectively. In other word to exist means to live authentically. Existence (that-ness) is not essence (what-ness), because essence is abstract and universal.

Existential Dialectics Kierkegaard disagrees with Hegel’s dialectics of idea and proposes his own view of dialectics that he called ‘existential dialectics’. Not like Hegel’s dialectics, existential dialectics runs not automatically or mechanistically according to abstract system. Its phases are achieved through ‘existential leap’, i.e. decision. Existential leap is based on the either-or-decision, not on synthesis of both…and….

Three existential stages 1. Aesthetical stage: the individual is confused with his sensuality and his thirst on pleasure. The hero of this stage is Don Juan. With the boredom the individual experiences crisis and is challenged to leap into the higher stage. 2. Ethical stage: the individual obeys the universal ethical principle of bad and good. He relays himself on his reason. The hero here is the tragic hero like Socrates. According to this hero the human weakness can be superseded by human will. He doesn’t know the sin. 3. Religious stage: the individual believes in God as the paradox and hopes on His mercy. He makes a commitment to God and enters the relationship with the absolute. The hero here is Abraham that sacrifices Isaac for God sake. The faith of Abraham is the true commitment to the paradox of life.