Introduction to Kierkegaard: The Existential Problem
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 เม.ย. 2015
- Become a Supporting Member and get access to exclusive videos: academyofideas.com/members/
========
Recommended Readings:
Kierkegaard An Introduction: Stephen Evans - amzn.to/1qQawen (affiliate link)
Self Deception and Cowardice in the Present Age: John Mullen - amzn.to/1qQai75 (affiliate link)
Introduction to Kierkegaard: Peter Vardy - amzn.to/1TKuTnD
===================================================
In this 1st of 2 videos introducing Kierkegaard, we summarize some of his ideas (freedom, anxiety, dread, despair, subjective truth) that led to his title as the "father of existentialism".
===================================================
Support us on Patreon: / academyofideas
Get the transcript: academyofideas.com/2015/04/int...
===================================================
![ใจดำกับฉันก่อน - วงทัพห้า [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/I48wa4qurAU/mqdefault.jpg)
Become a Supporting Member and get access to exclusive videos: academyofideas.com/members/
========
Recommended Readings:
Kierkegaard An Introduction: Stephen Evans - amzn.to/1qQawen (affiliate link)
Kierkegaard's Philosophy: Self Deception and Cowardice in the Present Age: John Mullen - amzn.to/1qQai75 (affiliate link)
Introduction to Kierkegaard: Peter Vardy - amzn.to/1TKuTnD
Hey. May i know what software you use for making these videos. And of course, amazing channel. Have been learning a lot from these videos.
You should have a podcast on Spotify or whatever platform you prefer, would be awesome.
Best , the reason for me to open TH-cam . Will soon join site.
Hey..thank you.
Kierkegaard the only philosopher whom i could relate to religiously, existientially and ethicly.
A wise man indeed.
Ha Kou saaame
Agreed
He's definitely breaking stereotypes of Christianity.
My brother from another mother Kierkegaard
just meditate and say no to existencialism
I so wish I had read some of Kierkegaard's works when I was a teenager, because if I had, a lot of my life would have been a whole lot clearer to me
What age, you would have to be a very advanced reader if it were in your mid teens!??? God knows I failed!
Jetpack Rorschach no f*cking kidding. I agree 100%.
@@jamiemitchel7656 I'm reading a bit of Kierkegaard, and I'm 15
Ssuss Yam I’ve read in as a teenager back in the Soviet era and it did not help me... I found meaning in Religion... 20 years later I am back to philosophy and it give me more meanings than religion... to understand Kierkegaard one should live life first...
Jetpack Rorschach I was fortunate enough that my high school english teacher loved philosophy, and so when we were in our American literature unite, reading existentialist pieces like Moby dick, we discussed and explored these ideas of the self, the finite, and the infinite, to a respectable degree. It was definitely a formative period in my life, and I wish more people had teachers like the one I had.
"anxiety is a dizziness of freedom" (without possibility there would be no anxiety)
Or the illusion of freedom
@euler's identity y dough?
This is easily my favorite channel on all of TH-cam
It's like a much more precise and well researched version of School of Life's youtube channel. This is way better
Yess. I have a few favourites. But this one, this one is really important.
I'm telling reviewbrah
This channel quite literally saved my life.
The idea of self is still a mystery to me. A lot of conformists and crowd-pleasers talk about being 'themselves', but I think they would have made Kierkegaard giggle.
Greg Deane absolutely love this comment
Knowing that we still don't really know what consciousness is, it's not really surprising the idea of self is a mystery. My issue has always been with those who claim they or others need to be their "authentic self," I'm glad to see Kierkegaard didn't bother with that, as such an idea is worthless. We are and can be, anything, their is no authentic self, only the one you have chosen to be for a given time.
@@platoniczombie I wouldn't say that the idea of an authentic self is worthless; it provides a unifying structure to one's character. No doubt this concept may develop over time, as it's really a living 'archetype' and not some static idea, but it's still authentic/unique to the individual. As for being 'anything' in life, this was addressed in the first few minutes of the video - 'losing oneself in the infinite' generally leads to people achieving nothing.
@Samuel Eastlund Jealous?
@clariboia anal By the same token I could claim that the 'western idea of self' has led to the creative/exploratory/inventive/innovative aspects of the west. We can all sling mud at modern western civilisation and its decadence but to deny its incredible achievements would be disingenuous. And as far as I'm aware Schopenhauer did study eastern thought.
Make sure to donate to this man through his website so he can keep making these!
Also, I think if you enter Amazon through his website before you make your normal purchases a portion of the money goes to him.
I'm not a solicitor, just a huge fan who wants to see more of these videos!
Jacob Goldman I appreciate the comment and support! I also recently set up a Patreon page where one has the option to contribute any amount per video I create: www.patreon.com/academyofideas.
One of the things I appreciate most about these thinkers is that yes, I agree with and also feel their ideas, but that in the loneliness of embodying these ideas, I can look back over my shoulder or look ahead and see them trudging along all around me, their gazes cast down at the ground in front of them.
Paradoxically, even in walking alone, there are still companions.
Kierkegaard changed my life's path. I became utterly absorbed in him but still there was much beyond my comprehension.
I still love his journals.
Nice video.
The key to appreciating Fight Club more fully begins here.
holy shit I was just listening to the OST to Fight Club this sum Baader Meinhof shit going on
gtilp 🙄
Adults talking here on this site....go back to your Marvel movies little boy.
does fight club not simultaneously set an example for the repurcusssions of giving primary value to the subjectivity of one's experience as well ? as the "fight club" (as a community) lead to vandalism and destruction of the city and economy on a mass level. Does it not become extremely crippling for an already existing system on which the whole city or a state stands ?
@@paulevans8348 Stated like a true juvenile. Check yourself.
The existential problem is life is a horrific nightmare, but we must keep facing it
You can quit whenever
Face ourselves.
It depends on your beliefs, death might not be the ending, and living might mean you re giving a chance to taste and to challenge and learn… it’s a grateful thing to have🤔
It's videos like these that remind me why you're content is needed more than ever. Thank you
You are the voice of these great philosophers. They are thanking you for that. So am I.
My Philosophy teacher always told the class to read Kierkegaard's. I can now grasp this sense of his uniquely interesting character.
This is a great overview for Kierkegaard. It has really crated a solid foundation in understanding the premise of the basic ideas he puts forward. Awesome content!
Thank you for these posts! They open a window in my soul!
This is astonishing. A person listening to this suddenly awakens ! Thank you.
I hope you're making money from this great content
I hope you're supporting them on Patreon
I hate money...
I just hate
I just money
hope YOU are making something out of this... if not...
For me, there is something so true about Kierkegaard's perspective, even though it goes against some to the spiritual truths I have come to accept. His perspective, particularly about anxiety and despair, gives me some hope and some self-acceptance as well. I keep coming back to the realization of the truth behind all seeming opposites and paradoxes. It is all paradox to me; both existence and non-existence, self and non-self, someone and no-one, love and emptiness, clarity and recognized confusion, striving to come to rest in what simply is already.
Beautiful introduction to my favourite philosopher, you captured the same feeling I got when I read his works a while back.
But to see another human is to know that they to struggle with the same existential crisis. To know that both you and the other human share and have inherited the same world. To simply know that you are not alone in this crisis is the best comfort to have. To only think of one's self as though only you suffer these issues is denial, selfish, and destructive. It's not just your fight it's all of ours
This was actually incredibly insightful. I've been dealing with the existential anxiety for a while, and never learned how to handle it until recently after only gaining clarity here and there. Instead of running away from it, avoiding it, or hating myself, I learned to sit with it and understand it. What turned into a fear of fear morphed into peace. Anyway, this video actually helped me find a solution to it as I couldn't really find a purpose to aid it.
Lately this channel has been indispensable for me. It's been a shortcut to something I know I would have eventually figured out, but why wait too long? I've finally been at beautiful peace with the world around me and am excited to rejoin the world.
In a nutshell: thank you for your contribution.
Hey. I'm replying because I can deeply resonate with what you wrote. Literature and philosophy has been a great help for me in the inevitable existential anxiety that has arisen over the last years. I have a feeling you're an INFP too. Look it up if you're not familiar with the term.
Sending u love!
Soren was afraid of being
hurt! that's why he wouldn't
cast himself into a relationship
with with Regine, his sweetheart,
she in the end finally gave up
on him, and married another!
He wrote so much literature,
but never wrote about his mother?
I always wondered about that!
Greetings from Denmark ;-)
I noticed that many expositions of Kierkegaard fail to mention he was religious, and conversely religious people never mention him.
That's because his religiosity is often opaque.
Tim Horton although it is a crucial view of Christianity, especially in the modern world.
I've heard a few say his christianity is dangerous to christians that don't understand it and may cause them to lose their faith.
He wasn't one who cared much for the church, but celebrated the individual relationship to god, and his christianity came from just reading the bible, (mostly the gospels).
It's a very dangerous form of christianity to the modern christian faith indeed...
@@SerifSansSerif I find it quite appealing. I believe a strong mixture of community and individuality are needed in the journey of the Knight of Faith.
He was very religious indeed, but ended up disgusted by the church. His nephew stood at his burrial ceremony and scolded the church, because it was using his death to promote its own cause, whatever that's supposed to mean ha ha. Kierkegaard really did lose his self after the satire paper "The Corsair" outed him as an outsider, a nobody with a large pocket who was full of himself. He was much more, as we all know. :)
Great work. Love philosophy but the ideas are easily forgotten in the mundane, mechanistic and energy zapping day to day world we live in. So these videos are a lovely reminder of the power and beauty of human thought. Something society unfortunately tries to irradicate from the earliest opportunity.
Agree
This is a great introductory video. Kudos to you actualizing your self :)
This is brilliant !!!!!! Thank you so much, continue the great work.
Excellent work! Looking forward to the second part.
My favorite philosopher.
What I find especially fascinating about Kierkegaard's views on existentialism and religion is that he was really just resurrecting a dormant but always present perspective in Jewish/Christian thought. Specifically the book of Ecclesiastes is an existentialist perspective written >2000 years before the movement seemed to formally coalesce.
This is a really great intro. Well done.
Thoroughly enjoying your videos. Great summations of major ideas.
This is one of your best videos, IMO!
I am blown away. This literally who my personal philosophy most aligns with. Than you for the video and thank you Kierkegaard and most importantly, thank you GOD.
so amazing don't ever stop making videos. thank you
Dude,
Your videos are awesome, I have always been interested in philosophy and lately existentialism. You break down the concepts into great segments of positive knowledge. It would be cool if you did longer segments or more series of segments here and on your podcast. Rock on brother!
Thank you...these videos are very well put together, and not so animated that the style detracts from the substance. Keep em coming. Looking fwd to p2.
Kierkegaard, thanks for offering an answer to this unbearable state of anxiety about the self. I have been struggling with it all my life thinking something was wrong with me...or is it something wrong?😩😵 incredible content, I love this channel!
Strongest I ever felt the dread was after watching a MelodySheep video about the future of the universe. After a couple of weeks though it turned into that freedom you're talking about. It's like a pressure valve went off.
This was a greatly constructed video. Thank you for creating it.
A voice I didn't know
Now I have experienced
A voice with powerful communication
"If you don't have sauce, your lost; but you can also get lost in the sauce" - Gucci Mane
I've watched a lot of your videos on the topics of existentialism and finding meaning in life, or at least an identity. They've all been fascinating and can relate to them all. And they all offer their own solutions to how to escape or at least live comfortably with existentialism. But the one thing I find myself continually looking for, is not just how to find a way out of existentialism, for I have done it time and time again throughout my life, but, rather - what do you do when you become fatigued with trying? No one seems to have an answer for that.
Thats an awesome video and explanation of Kierkegaard my friend 👏
VERY interesting.. Thank you for your works.
It could be a great podcast series too!
Thank you so much for this life-illuminating content.
I'm 22 too, like when Kierkegaard realized all of this. It's really hard to experience (existential crisis) but very much freeing to realize and be self-aware of who I am and what I do and all of that human conditions.
This video is excellent as I found The Sickness Unto Death difficult to read, but I will give it a another try some time. Thanks for making and posting it on TH-cam.
the feel when this makes u get anxious
The part of indirect communication is something that I find very helpful in this video. I have to communicate a hard truth to a relative and I think that is the way to go. The plain truth can be too much. Thanks!
its funny. i watched so many life coach videos to help myself, went to psycchiatrist but then i find this channel and hit me harder then anything before. lot of things made clear for me. i am responsible of how i feel not my parents friends or anyone else. how i feel and what i will become depends only on me. i just subscribed to monthly membership and for all of you who watch this be kind and reword the man who shares knowledge time and effort to us.
Such a wonderful video to my all time favorite philosopher! Thank you Academy! Kiekerggard is so badass, our own Creative Writing department at my college has an entire class devoted just to him!
Can I ask what college that is?
This channel is of vital importance for the well-being of humanity
This is really great, thank you for making these videos.
Benjamin Andersson You're very welcome! Thanks for watching.
This is a really good introductory summary.
This video lit me up. Thank you ❤️
I appreciate your content. This greatly helps me get along.
Thank you very much I really learnt a lot from this although I have been trying to read Kierkegaard as his philosophy connects with my subjectivity a lot.i look forward to next presentation.
Love this episode, thank you so much!
this is brilliant. I should have got onto this guy ages ago
Thanks I've been meaning to revisit this
It's really interesting how much these ideas align with buddhist philosophy. Anxiety being a teacher, just as the dharma is. Lack of understanding in despair being the "worst misfortune". "Despair over the Earthly" being the same as the buddhist poison of attachment. It's almost like the ultimate truth of life is philosophy agnostic, and embedded within each one of us already. Like our soul thirsts for it, and we just have to look in the right place.
Beautiful collection of videos buddy
I just found this channel!! Such interesting topics and not too long.
I realy needed that! Maybe I'll once be able to overcome my despair and live as an induvidual with my anxieties, not against.
This is incredible thank you!
Great amazing mazing video, Best video about Kierkegaard, I have ever seen, Thanks
Thank you very much for this Video. I am eager for the second part. Especially the paintings go very well with the content and underline the message. Would you mind writing down the names of the paintings in the description. I know most of them are well know, but for the ones I dont know you really would do me a favor.
Thanks for your work! :)
Philosophy has always been my biggest interest but is so hard to study myself
your videos really help me a lot in understanding their ideas!
Brilliant stuff mate
Wow what an amazing video. Thank you so much
Good shit bro, ty for this knowledge.
Fantastic! Thank you! 😊❤
This is really good.
'mastered irony' is a superb sentiment.
Kierkegaards description of the finite and infinite is such a brilliant antecedent of the psychological phenomenon known today as "splitting"
Impressive work 💕💕💕🙏🙏🙏
Wauw!! Thank you so much for this. This is really needed in my fight with despair and depression. As a Dane I feel a bit embarrassed in admitting that I haven't read Kierkegaard - only read about his works. Well actually this is not entirely true - in reality I don't give a damn about nationalities. I just wish I had studied a bit into Kierkegaard earlier in life. But then again; I might not have understood him without my own experiences. Anyways; thank you for this great video.
Thanks man, great job a truly "guide for the perplexed". I promptly will go look for your older videos. I hope in the next video you summarize the repetition concept. Coz that had me kind of disturbed.
Fascinating stuff.
The will to kindness creativity and peace brought about by such altered consciousness over time
Thank you !
So here are the notes: facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=890094061121139&set=a.409712675825949.1073741828.100003616618834&type=3
But I'll also post them here.
Søren Kierkegaard is the Father of Existentialism. Basically it works like this. Lets start with some basic terms.
*Infinite -* This refers to a conceptual state of being, and the possibilities of what a person could be. Love, inspiration, potential, eternity, actualization, hope, ambition, achievement, and so on.
Basically: Head in the clouds.
*Finite -* This refers to a practical state of being, and what actually is right now. Relationships, owning a house, having a job, paying the bills, filing a mortgage, and so on.
Basically: Feet on the ground.
Humans are a synthesis of opposites in this manner:
Infinite = finite
temporal = eternal
freedom = necessity
But among these, a balance of infinite and finite are the focus.
*Self -* Is the balancing the finite and the infinite properly, in order to live a happy life. You don't want your head in the clouds so that you never get settled and take on responsibility, but you don't want to only always be looking at the ground ahead of you and miss all the wonders.
*Dread -* Is the feeling of both attraction and repulsion at realizing your infinite potential. This causes a lot of anxiety. This is often linked to the "mid-life crisis", where someone suddenly becomes aware of all the things they could potentially have done, and can still do.
*Despair -* the act of giving up on the infinite and picking a boring life to avoid feeling dread. According to Kierkegaard, being unaware of this is worse than being aware of it. The more aware you are of the infinite, the more "dread" you will feel - but this also means you're closer to actualizing a balance between finite and infinite - and thus achieving the right balance for a happy life.
The above is not all-encompassing... for example, risk-aversion is not entirely explained by dread and despair, as Kierkegaard defined them. He's only explaining them in the context of the situations put forward.
Everyone still on board so far?
Okay, consider that you have a box. In the box are all items that make you who and what you are.
For example: I'm a woman, a survivor, a sister, a teacher, a mental health specialist, an athlete, and so on. Having numerous things in my box that help define who I am gives me a more distributed sense of self. If I had only a few things in the box - say, it was mostly just me being an athlete - then I would focus most of my resources on just that one thing, which would also eventually become a liability. Anytime someone insulted me for not being the best athlete, I would take it overly-personal and be greatly bothered. If I have more items that define who I am, I can more easily accept that I might not be the absolute best at any one of them.
Moreover, you want a mix of items that is both finite and infinite. Having a range of only finite (remember: earthly) items is better than having only a few finite items, but it's best of all to have a range of finite and infinite items that contribute towards your sense of self.
Now then...
Existentialism puts forward that humans have free will for the reason that if we did not, then we could not make choices between the finite and infinite, and therefore there would be only despair.
Hard-determinist will put forward that a person makes choices only due to their history, their experience, their thoughts, and what they're currently feeling, and if any of these change, then the choices change, so hence no free will.
The mistake is to think that any of those items mentioned are somehow separate from myself. What am I, other than a composite of different things, including my history, experience, thoughts and feelings? All of these are in flux, but that's because I'm always changing. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle later comes along and reinforces free-will even further, but I'm trying to keep this as a simple guide, so we'll stop there.
TL;DR for this section - you have free will, and can make choices between things like the finite and infinite and what you do with your life!
Okay, more terms! Kierkegaard divided folks up into different categories.
*Philistine =* This guy is non-thinking, unexamining, and goes along with the crowd. Does not really use critical thinking or examines their choices, believes whatever is popular, does whatever others are doing. Basically: a Hillary supporter.
*Aesthete =* this is someone who first becomes aware of the "self", and begins trying out new life experiments and new roles. They realize they have life choices, and begin exploring. In practical terms this may happen anytime a person experiences a serious change in life - such as experimenting with new relationship rolls after transitioning, or even after a job promotion. An Aesthete can settle back into being a Philistine if they're not careful.
An important note to insert in here: according to Kierkegaard, relationships always diminish freedom. Having more relationships means you cannot simply go where you want, when you want, how you want. If you're an employee, you must adhere to the schedule of others in some sense. Same with marriage.
*Vulgar Aesthete =* someone who uses only freedom for base pleasures. Leads to over indulgence and boredom.
*Refined Aesthete =* goes between novel sources of enjoyment, and tries out new things. Described as having a "fanatical hope of an endless journey from star to star". This is better than being a Vulgar Aesthete, but they're both still in the same boat.
Both still lead to despair... it's an imbalance of self, as it lies more towards the infinite, and by definition may also be an effort to avoid "dread".
*Ethicist =* Described as the "holiest thing of all is unifying power of personality" - and hence a continuous identity is most important, as this is the groundwork for relationships, rather than the focus being on relationships, which then mandate a particular form of behavior from you, thus putting you towards the finite and ruining balance of self.
Ethicist is different from Philistine, because they are self aware, examined, and fit themselves into the social order in a way that they can use their individuality to the greatest extent.
Another way of looking at it:
*Ethicist =* has job, wife, and kids because he is self examined, and this is what he really wants.
*Ideal Ethicist =* has done it all perfectly and everyone admires them.
The problem with ethicist is that it doesn't go far enough in examination, and relies on examining self and fitting into society. It does not then examine society and the world at large. You can be an Ideal Ethicist in Nazi Germany and have it work out fine... well, for you at least.
Now up to this point, I had some thoughts. And I guess I'll make these in another post.
So here's a few thoughts.
1.
Kierkegaard broke off his marriage because being married would kill the thrill that attracted him to her.
But this ignores that being with her provides a kind of satisfaction that, while not an intense infatuated thrill, is something that can only be experienced with dedication and commitment. It's okay if this isn't for you - but it is there, and is real. And it's not proper to say that this must be avoided, because isn't the whole point here to have a *balance* between finite and infinite?
He could still love her as a wife rather than as a girlfriend, it's just love in another way, which for a lot of people would be even more deep and meaningful, because you're loving the actual her - including all of her faults - not just the idealized image of her.
Further, you could get married and find little ways to keep the thrill going. Poly marriages are one way of doing this. They provide both people with the chance to keep experiencing the chase that they want to feel, which provides the "thrill".
2.
...... okay, I actually had like, 5 more questions, but in the process of reviewing my notes again, most of them have been answered. And in fact now the answers seem rather obvious. So I guess I won't need to post them. There is still one though.
What would you call someone who is self examined, and fits themselves
into a social order in a way that inflicts maximum harm that destroys
humanity? ......... maybe Flowey?
Uhm, mate, i love your videos, thank you for this, this is one of the most usefull things i have ever found on the internet, what you are saying this video is stuff i have noticed during my lifetime, but there isnt many people you can talk to about it, and lets be real, people don't really wish to know themselves let alone be conscious, anyway ty for the video.
yup, try your best to tell them, then leave it, and just focus on actualizing the self. Pick something and live it.
Another gem
Holy shit that was a lot for 14 minutes. Thank you for this great content
Kierkegaard is Deep, Profound, Insightful.
Wow, this is so true
You are my favourite chanel on philosophy. Thank you so much especially in Nietzsche and Shopenhauer.
It is important to remember that this video is infotainment and goes down too easily to be an actual life changer.Its great that you like it, now go read the books or find a free lecture series on existentialism. Watching this video is not the same as putting in very real effort and time to learn-actually sacrifice and struggle to understand. Unfortunately, it is not possible to achieve any personal growth through passively watching these little videos alone. There are no quick and easy shortcuts.I wish there were😅
I can relate to the anxiety and to an extent it is always with me. For me self- actualization is the most important journey each human being can travel. It is not easy and it would be more secure and comfortable to follow a crowd or tribe. I believe an individual can still be part of a community and still follow a solitary path of self-discovery.
Could you elaborate how do you deal with your anxiety? Thanks for sharing
@@recuerdos2457 /I am taking antidepressant for my anxiety, eliminating processed food and sugar from my diet and work out a minimum of 60 minutes a day. I eat an anti inflammatory diet too. My caffeine intake is also very small. Make your health and wellbeing a priority especially with what is going on in the world. God bless you. 🌻
That 6:40 zoom. Lol. P.S. love every bit of this presentation, and the others as well.
Superior content!
we fall back on the actions of others not out of choice but out of limitation
Finally! Great video. Thanks!
I love philosophy
I tried reading Fear and Trembling but the writing style and archaic language was too much. I thank you for this video
I think of altered collective consciousness through psychology and language in individual self's material and physical dermopathy