In his 1849 work The Sickness unto Death, Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard presents an individualized and fairly gloomy view of the self. He believed that the self is comprised of despair, which is for Kierkegaard a state of being for all, rather than a feeling. Almost all people face despair in their lifetime, and while it seems like quite an undesirable life, it serves as means of personal growth, a key component of ultimately becoming one’s best self. But through his focus on the individual, Kierkegaard omits any ideas about being social. While it is important to foster individuality and develop the self, it is not worth doing it at the expense of being social.
Before considering how the self can cultivate, it is important to know how Kierkegaard …show more content…
He wrote that “the self is a conscious synthesis of infinitude and finitude, which relates to itself, whose task it is to become itself, which can only be done in the relationship to God” (Kierkegaard, 59). In order to free ourselves of despair, we must sustain all forms of despair, and work to institute a link with God. This is a long process that may take a lifetime to complete, which is why this despairing process is quite challenging. As Kierkegaard said himself, “the self must be broken down to become itself” (Kierkegaard, 96). It’s a lot of work for just one’s own individual self. This begs the question of should we diligently stick to developing our individuality at the expense of being social?
Throughout his work, Kierkegaard refrains from mentioning the self in relation to another person. The self, it seems for Kierkegaard, should cease from being social. In reference to his example about the girl losing the loved one, it seems that Kierkegaard thought negatively of social relationships in relevance to the self, since the self will become too attached to the other, and lose focus on the task of enriching the self (because the people are most likely unconsciously in despair). It distracts us from seeing our
Before considering how the self can cultivate, it is important to know how Kierkegaard …show more content…
He wrote that “the self is a conscious synthesis of infinitude and finitude, which relates to itself, whose task it is to become itself, which can only be done in the relationship to God” (Kierkegaard, 59). In order to free ourselves of despair, we must sustain all forms of despair, and work to institute a link with God. This is a long process that may take a lifetime to complete, which is why this despairing process is quite challenging. As Kierkegaard said himself, “the self must be broken down to become itself” (Kierkegaard, 96). It’s a lot of work for just one’s own individual self. This begs the question of should we diligently stick to developing our individuality at the expense of being social?
Throughout his work, Kierkegaard refrains from mentioning the self in relation to another person. The self, it seems for Kierkegaard, should cease from being social. In reference to his example about the girl losing the loved one, it seems that Kierkegaard thought negatively of social relationships in relevance to the self, since the self will become too attached to the other, and lose focus on the task of enriching the self (because the people are most likely unconsciously in despair). It distracts us from seeing our