What Is Søren Kierkegaard Critical Of The Aesthetic Life

Robert Oshodin

Quest for Values

Dr. Osman

May 28th , 2014

Søren Kierkegaard Sigmund Freud

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Kierkegaard is critical of the aesthetic life due to the fact that it is a simple concern of daily tasks and other pleasures such as art, music, or literature; it is a way to escape any kind of proper responsibility or commitment. The aesthete only lives for themselves and has little to no concern about how the impact society. Kierkegaard critique stems from his belief that there are only three stages of life. First is the Aesthetic stage, second is the ethical stage, and third is the religious one. Each stage enables a gradual progress to the point where the individual can achieve more, rather than remaining stagnant in the first stage of solely seeking aesthetic pleasures. Boredom remains a major obstacle for the aesthete simply because all they desire is pleasure, whether it be physical, emotional or psychological. When they are “bored”, this means the excitement that they once felt has been drained; what had once before quenched their desire no longer has the same effect because they have become accustomed to it. This is a problem because pleasure is the aesthete’s primary objective. If this drive is unfulfilled then, to an extent, their life becomes dull and monotonous. The way to deal with this boredom is to juggle between pleasures. For example, an aesthete may enjoy playing the violin and shift to painting. In this way, the aesthete does not have lasting periods of boredom will not have a reason to consider their lives dull. Instead they fluctuate through hobbies and find excitement by whatever means necessary. Seducing someone would terrorize us enough to realize that the aesthetic life is essentially brought about through our ...

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...ual tendencies by repressing them. He claims that this will be better for society and allow for better coexistence between people. Freud used free association so that we would be able to relate anything which came into our mind, regardless of how irrelevant or embarrassing. By just stating whatever is on one’s mind Freud was able to find what we are like and further analyze the root of our problems. He believed that we would eventually verbalize what our unconscious mind was storing and he would then be able to treat us. Freud stated that the Oedipus complex is essential for maturation. It is a process that must occur in males and (Electra complex) in females. It is critical for the child to identify with being in competition with other males and a fixation for mating with females during this stage. If they do not then they may become homosexual or pedophiles etc.