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Alex Murphy Professor Izrailevsky Intro to Philosophy November 23, 2013 Soren Kierkegaard, Passion, and False Christianity Soren Kierkegaards discontent with the Christian church, determination to step aside listless conformism, and a distinct melancholy struggle all rang familiar in my ears. Kierkegaard is a deeper thinker than I am, without question, but reading about him, I saw that many of his ideas have presented themselves to me in my own thoughts and I couldnt help but want to meet the man. His ideas werent perfect, in fact, his writing contained many paradoxes, but I propose that his epistemology still serves purpose to us today. I will briefly present Kierkegaard and the life that molded him, suggest that our modern world has as much authenticity as Kierkegaards, and, finally, analyze his opinion of Christianity. Kierkegaard was one of the first thinkers associated with Existentialism, a kind of philosophy that emphasizes questions of meaning and choice as they relate to the individual. In contrast, most philosophers of the past have agreed that bias and opinion make for weak arguments. Kierkegaard disagreed entirely. He believed that it was impossible to be impartial, and thought the claim itself was insulting and

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ugly. Kierkegaards unique perspective was refined by a few key experiences in his early life, his need for authenticity, and with a three-stage path to God. Kierkegaards life was shaped by heartbreak and despair. His father, Michael Kierkegaard, was a deeply religious man who, as a young boy, committed an act of blasphemy and later an act of lust when he had sex with his housemaid. Michael lived in a world of syrupy melancholy and guilt, which had a profound effect on Soren. In fact, Soren broke engagement with the love of his life, Regina Olsen, in part because he believed his depression would hurt her. Its not hard to imagine a young Kierkegaard, looking to Socrates for an answer to his adolescent angst, throwing a fist in the air and crying, What good is this philosophy if it doesnt help me right now? Its this very sentiment that sums up his ideas about philosophy and objectivity. He firmly believed, if its not useful to me, as an individual, in my day-today life, then it serves no purpose at all. Another important facet of Kierkegaards philosophy was his dedication to authenticity. He felt that the Christian community that he lived with ignored the needs of the people to meet the needs of the church. His neighbors were sluggish and uninterested. So, Kierkegaard made a call for passion. He demanded honest, courageous individuals who never made excuses. The Old Testament and Shakespeare were of constant inspiration to him, because we live in a wretched time, or a disappointing time, which is inferior to living in a wicked time. At least the wicked are awake and humanat least the wicked are capable of sinning.

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Always a religious man, Kierkegaard believed that existingto him, synonymous with living truthfullyby becoming a subject, required knowing God. He separated the plane of existence into three categories: Aesthetic, Ethical, and Religious. The Aesthetic man has done little but find some dissatisfaction with the crowd, yet his life is still ruled by pleasure and plagued by boredom and frustration. The Aesthetic man will commit to some things, but not fervently, because he doesnt believe his choices matter. Most of us live on the Aesthetic stage, until we finally embrace the hopelessness that frightens us and brave the storm of unpleasantness that stands there. Next, the Ethical man is a man who has learned to make commitments to his community. The Ethical man understands that principled commitment serves his aesthetic desires more substantially than an Aesthetic life. Most importantly, the Ethical man is earnestHe understands that the right way of living is not so much choosing the correct option, as it is the fervent energy with which he chooses the correct option. Plaguing the Ethical man, though, is his choice to make mankind his judge, which Kierkegaard compares to this to a man, by himself, trying to decide if he is being reasonable. It cant be done and we must go to a higher stage. Finally, the religious stage is the only one that rises above true despair. WE need a judge and human judgment is always plagued by a lack of conviction. To

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move on, man must leap towards God. The Religious man must reach past notions of right and wrong and do what God asks, and he must do it on his own. He knows that, in order to exist, he must believe in God and at the same time understand that there is no way of proving Gods existence. It is this faith that is key to transcending hopelessness and learning to exist. Kierkegaard insisted that the modern world doesnt have enough authentic passion. He said that the bureaucratic existence that surrounds us diminishes the individual to nothing but a flimsy, opinionless conformist. We choose to live a crowdlife afraid of alienation. The word passion is used more often today, than it was in Kierkegaards. It describes perfumes and cheap checkout lane books and has affectively been watered down. Does that imply that our world is passionless, because we use the word so regularly? I dont think so. In my day-to-day existence, I dont often witness authentic passion, but I do recognize it in my world. I have convictions and values that when agitated, release life in me, often to the dismay of my family or friends. I believe that passion is hard to find as ever, but is alluded to and sold more frequently than ever in our modern world. Kierkegaard remains relevant. Kierkegaard claims that Christianity is not a title that can be earned through accomplishment, but rather is an inner condition: a subjective one. Our world is

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sure that faith constitutes belief. I say yes to God so he IS there. Kierkegaard argues that faith means you cannot know for sure, you can only hope. Kierkegaards Christian is authentiche is a Christian who lives honestly and courageously in the moment, refusing excuses, and not relying on institutions for purpose. Many Christians rest their entire faith on the feeling of community that they experience in a church. Many Christians set their values right in the hands of their minister with complete and utter faith. Authentic Christianity is an inward condition, though. No other man can be made responsible for our connection to God. A relationship with God is subjective. A list of accomplishments can get you no closer to God than can building a tower to heaven. Certainly a church can be a place of real faith, but more often a church is as bureaucratic and institutionalized as any corporation. An authentic Christian knows himself and his faith with no external help. Kierkegaards legacy lies in the few authentic individuals we may chance to meet. In a world surrounded by billboards advertising carbonated sodas that will lift our spirits, artists who entertain us with nothing more than their narcissism and excess, and churches that disparage gay military funerals, we must relish any authentic passion that we do find. Fanaticism and self-servitude masquerade as passion buzzes around our ears at every moment attempting to distract us from individual fulfillment. We must strive to choose personal reflection over the cheap

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labeling that comes in a crowd and we must commit to finding an answer to Kierkegaards demand, Give me a reason for which I can live and die.