The Father of Existentialism: Soren Kierkegaard

1053 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Merits and demerits of existentialism

During the late 19th and 20th centuries, several philosophers debated on the doctrine differences that all philosophical thinking begin with the human in terms of thinking, acting and feeling. The fundamental concepts of the externalist philosophers are that they believed that the existence of human conditions is the main problem to share similar ontology. Soren Kierkegaard is considered to be the father of existentialism. Although, he did not use the word ‘existentialism’, but initially the concept that no society or religion is the main cause that leads an individual to live a life with sincerity or passionately. It is perhaps his own beliefs and feeling that makes him to feel that way (Wartenberg). Similarly, Martin Buber (1878-1965) is well known for his philosophy of dialogues including I-Thou relationship and I-It relationship. Different philosophers have presented their explanations to describe the relationship of a man with the life such as Martin Buber, Steve Biko, axel Barnes, Karl Barth, William James, Soern Kierkegaard, John Macquarrie, etc. This paper aims to compare, contrast, and evaluate the philosophies of Soern Kierkegaard and Martin Buber.
Soern Kierkegaard’s philosophy mainly emphasizes on three main conditions of human that are anxiety, boredom and despair. His writings have emphasized on diagnosing the main cause of these conditions that drives physical and mental states of a human to get engaged in spiritual and religious beliefs (Wartenberg). On the contrary, Martin Buber studies the relationship between humans and the way they are related to the world. He states that the human views objects with respect to their functions in order to assess them. According to Kierkegaard, every living organism including ...

... middle of paper ...

...t being religious is through the relationship of a human being with others (Wartenberg). The sense of viewing others on the basis of their usefulness and objectivity eventually restrains the meaning of I-thou and makes it I-It. According to Kierkegaard, being religious is an individual’s personal commitment and dedication towards God that is often distracted with the presence of churches and falsely people around them. On the contrary, Buber highlights that the God does actually come to life; He actually helps people in terms of objects or other human being. In the both cases, the presence of God is materialized that is either by means of satisfaction that is personal or interpersonal.

Works Cited

Stewart, J. B. (2011). Kierkegaard and Existentialism. Burlington: Ashtage Publishing Company.
Wartenberg, T. E. (2013). Existentialism. Oxford: Oneworld Publications

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Kierkegaard's Two/Or: A Fragment Of Life

    1890 Words  | 4 Pages

    How to live one’s life is a question faced by any human being with relatively normal cognitive functioning. Some find beauty in every day life, reveling in something as simple as the gentle shaking of leaves dancing to the whispered song of the wind, or waking up to someone they have decided to spend the rest of their lives with. Others only see the mundane and the tedious, growing bitter and resentful as a relentless existential crisis latches on to the deepest parts of their psyche, casting a grim and ominous shadow over every thought and action. This probing question of how to live is at the forefront of Soren Kierkegaard’s “Either/Or: A Fragment of Life.” The aforementioned views are, indeed, reflected in the fragmented perspectives provided by Kierkegaard’s fictional characters, “A” and “Judge Wilhelm,” who perhaps reflect Kierkegaard’s own divided views. Love and companionship are at the crux of how to live for both A and Wilhelm, despite the glaring contrast between A’s calls for a hedonistic,

    Read More

  • Before I Fall Existentialism Essay

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hamann, G.E. Lessing and his teacher of philosophy… Poul Martin Moller.” (William McDonald). Despite being one of the greatest philosophers, Kierkegaard had a simple, boring life which most humans can probably relate to; however, he also used his time wisely which resulted in his rise of becoming a very influential philosopher. Kierkegaard’s contributions to existentialism would be “the opening up by Kierkegaard of this terra incognita of man’s inner life will come to play a major role for later existentialist.” (Douglas Burnham).

    Read More

  • Kierkegaard And Existentialism

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    Existentialism is a philosophical movement rooted in the work of the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, who lived in the mid-1800s. The movement gained popularity in the mid-1900s thanks to the work of the French intellectuals Jean-Paul Sartre, and Albert Camus, including Sartre’s Being and Nothingness (1943). According to existentialists, life has no purpose, the universe is indifferent to human beings, and humans must look to their own actions to create meaning, if it is possible to create meaning at all. Existentialists consider questions of personal freedom and responsibility.Existentialism, better classified as a movement rather than a doctrine of philosophy, emerged in the mid to

    Read More

  • Comparing and Contrasting Nietzsche’s Preparatory Human Being and Kierkegaard’s Knight of Faith

    1475 Words  | 3 Pages

    Take a minute to relax. Enjoy the lightness, or surprising heaviness, of the paper, the crispness of the ink, and the regularity of the type. There are over four pages in this stack, brimming with the answer to some question, proposed about subjects that are necessarily personal in nature. All of philosophy is personal, but some philosophers may deny this. Discussed here are philosophers that would not be that silly. Two proto-existentialists, Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche, were keen observers of humanity, and yet their conclusions were different enough to seem contradictory. Discussed here will be Nietzsche’s “preparatory human being” and Kierkegaard’s “knight of faith”. Both are archetypal human beings that exist in accordance to their respective philosopher’s values, and as such, each serve different functions and have different qualities. Both serve the same purpose, though. The free spirit and the knight of faith are both human beings that brace themselves against the implosion of the god concept in western society.

    Read More

  • Erich Fromm: Psychoanalysis and Religion

    562 Words  | 2 Pages

    Erich Fromm in his psychoanalytical approach to religion is distinct from the earlier works of Sigmund Freud. Fromm defines religion as “any system of thought and action shared by a group which gives the individual a frame of orientation and an object of devotion.” Fromm argues that irreligious systems including all the different kinds of idealism and “private” religions deserve being defined as a “religion.” Based on Fromm’s theory, it is explained that there is no human being who does not have a “religious need,” almost every part of human life reflects religious need and its fulfillment, in fact he states it to be “inherent” in man.

    Read More

  • Nietzsche’s Concept of Eternal Recurrence

    1227 Words  | 3 Pages

    Guignon, B. C. and Pereboom, D. (eds). (2001). Existentialism: Basic Writings. Indianapolis, IN: Hacket Publishing.

    Read More

  • Civilization and Its Discontents, by Sigmeund Freud

    851 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the first two chapter of the book, Freud explores a possible source of religious feeling. He describes an “oceanic feeling of wholeness, limitlessness, and eternity.” Freud himself is unable to experience such a feeling, but notes that there do indeed...

    Read More

  • Human Response to Death in The Seventh Seal, by Ingmar Bergman

    2001 Words  | 5 Pages

    classicmoviescripts/script/seventhseal.txt. Internet. 4 May 2004. Blackham, H. J. Six Existentialist Thinkers. New York: Harper, 1952. Choron, Jacques. Death and Western Thought. New York: Collier Books, 1963.

    Read More

  • Man's Search For Meaning Rhetorical Analysis

    1928 Words  | 4 Pages

    Existentialists believe that “to live is to suffer; to survive is to find meaning in the suffering”. Despite all the horrific experiences in the concentration, Viktor Frankl is determined to not lose the significance of his life and succumb to the cruelty of his situation. With the use of three literary techniques- argumentation, rhetoric, and style- Frankl gives his proposition warrant that a man will not find meaning in his life by searching for it; he must give his life significance by answering questions life asks him.

    Read More

  • Concept of Anxiety by Soren Kierkegaard

    1753 Words  | 4 Pages

    In The Concept of Anxiety, S�ren Kierkegaard deals with human anxiety about the possibility posed by freedom as it relates to sinfulness and spiritual progress. This paper will show that Kierkegaard?s concept of the moment and his prescription for inwardness, both in the context of spirituality, are connected. Importantly, inwardness depends on the moment and the possibility of transition that does not take place in time, transition that seems sudden if spotted from a temporal perspective. First, this paper will make sense of Kierkegaard?s concepts of time, eternity, and the moment, which will be an interpretation taken from his discussion at the first part of chapter three. Second, it will explain what his concept of inwardness is and what it means for human life, which will be based on text from chapter four, section two, subsection two (?Freedom Lost Pneumatically?). Finally, it will use those points to explain the connection between the moment and inwardness and then point out the importance of that connection.

    Read More

  • Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein

    2160 Words  | 5 Pages

    To begin, a brief outline of Kierkegaard's background and philosophy is germane. He was a Danish philosopher, literary figure, and ardent Christian living in the 19th century. As was mentioned above, his self-proclaimed intent was to examine what it means to be a Christian and how precisely to become one. Hence all of Kierkegaard's works (Either/Or; A Sickness Unto Death; Concluding Unscientific Postscript; Fear and Trembling being among the most notable) have a decidedly religious flavor to them. For his ada...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Christianity And Islam

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    Religion is an organized collection of beliefs and cultural systems that entail the worship of a supernatural and metaphysical being. “Religion just like other belief systems, when held onto so much, can stop one from making significant progress in life”. Together with religion come traditions that provide the people with ways to tackle life’s complexities. A subscription to the school of thought of great scholars

    Read More

  • A Critical Review Of Humanistic And Existential Psychology

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first article for review by Viktor Frankl, an existential psychologist, Logotherapy and Existentialism, was written in 1967. Existentialism approach emphasizes the individual as being responsible for their actions and destiny by way of exercising

    Read More

  • Personal Dialogue and Reality: I and Thou by Martin Buber

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Buber’s “I and Thou” delivers a philosophy of private dialogue as it describes how personal dialogue can outline the character of reality. The book’s main theme is that life could also be outlined by the manner in which people tend to interact in dialogue with one another, with nature, and with God. According to Buber, a person might have two attitudes: I-Thou or I-It. I-Thou is a subject-to-subject relationship, whereas I-It is a subject-to-object relationship.

    Read More

  • I and Thou, by Martin Buber

    1010 Words  | 3 Pages

    In these three sections he tackles the relationship we currently have with objects and people and the type of relationship we should have. He expands on this idea, explaining that we have been engaging the world through the objectification of things and people in the way we interact with them. He then gives a different perspective on how we should engage the world in a healthier way, which does not macro-objectively rob anyone or anyone we engage with. The first section of the book examines the condition of humans through the psychology of the individual man. Buber, through his writing, forms his theory that man has two ways in which they engage the world.

    Read More

More about The Father of Existentialism: Soren Kierkegaard

Open Document