Ideas of Søren Kierkegaard, by Theme

[Danish, 1813 - 1855, Born in Copenhagen.]

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1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 2. Invocation to Philosophy
16000 Fixed ideas should be tackled aggressively
1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / d. Philosophy as puzzles
7578 I conceived it my task to create difficulties everywhere
1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 7. Despair over Philosophy
22087 Philosophy fails to articulate the continual becoming of existence [Carlisle]
1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 8. Humour
22047 Wherever there is painless contradiction there is also comedy
1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 5. Linguistic Analysis
16012 Philosophy can't be unbiased if it ignores language, as that is no more independent than individuals are
3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 2. Defining Truth
22092 Kierkegaard's truth draws on authenticity, fidelity and honesty [Carlisle]
3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 3. Value of Truth
15999 Pure truth is for infinite beings only; I prefer endless striving for truth
3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 8. Subjective Truth
16005 I recognise knowledge, but it is the truth by which I can live and die that really matters
22094 Subjective truth can only be sustained by repetition [Carlisle]
5651 Traditional views of truth are tautologies, and truth is empty without a subject [Scruton]
20313 The highest truth we can get is uncertainty held fast by an inward passion
7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 5. Reason for Existence
16007 I assume existence, rather than reasoning towards it
10. Modality / A. Necessity / 2. Nature of Necessity
16013 Nothing necessary can come into existence, since it already 'is'
16. Persons / B. Nature of the Self / 2. Ethical Self
20742 The real subject is ethical, not cognitive
16. Persons / B. Nature of the Self / 3. Self as Non-physical
16002 The self is a combination of pairs of attributes: freedom/necessity, infinite/finite, temporal/eternal
20. Action / B. Preliminaries of Action / 2. Willed Action / d. Weakness of will
22098 Socrates neglects the gap between knowing what is good and doing good [Carlisle]
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / e. Human nature
22086 The most important aspect of a human being is not reason, but passion [Carlisle]
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / g. Love
15998 Perfect love is not in spite of imperfections; the imperfections must be loved as well
16003 If people marry just because they are lonely, that is self-love, not love
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 1. Existentialism
7579 While big metaphysics is complete without ethics, personal philosophy emphasises ethics
7581 Speculative philosophy loses the individual in a vast vision of humanity
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 2. Nihilism
22090 For me time stands still, and I with it [Carlisle]
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 3. Angst
21909 Ultimate knowledge is being anxious in the right way
22096 Anxiety is not a passing mood, but a response to human freedom [Carlisle]
22097 The ultimate in life is learning to be anxious in the right way
20758 Anxiety is staring into the yawning abyss of freedom
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 4. Boredom
9305 The plebeians bore others; only the nobility bore themselves
21910 Our destiny is the highest pitch of world-weariness
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 5. Existence-Essence
5650 Reason is just abstractions, so our essence needs a subjective 'leap of faith' [Scruton]
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 6. Authentic Self
22095 There are aesthetic, ethical and religious subjectivity [Carlisle]
20314 People want to lose themselves in movements and history, instead of being individuals
7582 Becoming what one is is a huge difficulty, because we strongly aspire to be something else
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 7. Existential Action
20747 What matters is not right choice, but energy, earnestness and pathos in the choosing
16001 Life may be understood backwards, but it has to be lived forwards
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 8. Eternal Recurrence
22093 Life is a repetition when what has been now becomes
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / d. Representative democracy
16009 When we seek our own 'freedom' we are just trying to avoid responsibility
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 7. Communitarianism / b. Against communitarianism
22091 Kierkegaard prioritises the inward individual, rather than community [Carlisle]
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 2. Divine Nature
7586 God does not think or exist; God creates, and is eternal
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 6. Divine Morality / a. Divine morality
16006 Either Abraham rises higher than universal ethics, or he is a mere murderer
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 6. Divine Morality / d. God decrees morality
7577 Abraham was willing to suspend ethics, for a higher idea
28. God / B. Proving God / 3. Proofs of Evidence / d. Religious Experience
20312 God cannot be demonstrated objectively, because God is a subject, only existing inwardly
28. God / C. Attitudes to God / 2. Pantheism
7580 Pantheism destroys the distinction between good and evil
29. Religion / B. Monotheistic Religion / 4. Christianity / a. Christianity
16008 The best way to be a Christian is without 'Christianity'
20735 We need to see that Christianity cannot be understood
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 1. Religious Commitment / e. Fideism
22088 Faith is like a dancer's leap, going up to God, but also back to earth [Carlisle]
7583 Faith is the highest passion in the sphere of human subjectivity
7584 Without risk there is no faith