My Views on The Philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard

Though there is a large amount of philosophers in the world, the one who most intrigued me was Søren Kierkegaard. As a philosopher you must believe many things and question everything. Therefore, Kierkegaard has many theories but the one I most support is choosing to obey God unconditionally and to live by faith or by being ethical. As a result, an individual is fully responsible for its own actions and choosing what lifestyle to take on. I believe God plays a huge role in this aspect of life. I also believe that a person can live in both ways. For example, I believe myself to be one who lives both by faith and by being ethical. My beliefs are that if I do good, I will be rewarded with good. On the other hand, I believe in “if it is meant to be, it will be.” In this paper I will thoroughly explain why I agree with Kierkegaard’s theories and believe that all of the people who believe in God and the “higher power” can agree with this great philosopher.

As a philosopher, he phases situations in which some people agree with him and some disagree. Kierkegaard was known as “the father of existentialism” for believing a person can be free and yet still be responsible for determining their actions which represent the goodness of their own will, of course it would then have a consequence. In Sophies world, and ‘existential’ thinker is described as “… a thinker who draws his entire existence into his philosophical reflection.” Also, mentioned in Sophie’s World, “And moreover, every single one of us is a unique individual who only lives once.” explains how one must choose wisely how they will continue to live their life, simply because they are only granted one opportunity. On the other hand, I will also discuss his text The Concept of Anxiety and Works of love.

The Concept of Anxiety is a book which was written in 1844, it describes having the freedom to choose what you want to do. His work emphasizes how faith and religion are manipulated by one’s knowledge and beliefs. Individuals’ feelings then come in to play, wether they feel a certain guilt about commitment of sin. Kierkegaard believes anxiety to be an “unfocused fear,” which he then describes when setting the example of a man standing on the edge of a tall building/cliff, and how he feels a sudden urge to throw himself intentionally off of the edge, but also feels frightened of falling. That depicts how even when we have the opportunity to choose, what we can do we base our answers on what we believe may be right. “Christianity was both so overwhelming and so irrational that it had to be an either/or. It was not good being ‘rather’ or ‘to some extent’ religious…” this phrase comes into play to everyone’s lives differently. Because I am a strong believer of God, if I was in this situation, I might feel that same urge but would know how to differentiate right from wrong. I would know that if I do such thing I was committing a life sin and eventually go to “hell.” As well, I believe the higher power takes place in situations when I choose to do good and do things out of heart. In the end, I am always rewarded with good.

Kierkegaard also mentions that anxiety is a way for humanity to be saved. How so? Anxiety only helps us find out about what truly matters to us and makes a difference in our lives. I can agree with all that is stated in this text because I have felt that sudden urge, however I know right from wrong. Also, it is true that anxiety helps us find out what is most important to us and what we are most frightened about. We can then prioritize what is most important to us and use it as a coping method for this so called feeling “anxiety.”

Furthermost, in Kierkegaard’s text, Works of Love, it explains how love is encountered and how it cultivates significant relationships with God, one another and ourselves. Kierkegaard mentions how we all must believe in love no matter what the darker origins of it are. Love is real and it is something beautiful that all must feel. Similarly, the saying “you must love yourself before you love someone else” comes in handy. In order to form relationships and be confident you need to care for yourself. I believe you will never be fully content with loving someone else if you have yet to love yourself and accept yourself just as you are. For example, he uses the metaphor of “The tree is known by its fruits. It is true that the tree is also known by its leaves, but the fruit is still the essential mark.” I interpret this as how an individual will essentially be most known for what is on the outside rather than the inside. If you think about this phrase, the tree is mainly made up of the leaves, just like a person is made up of mostly their heart. However, the tree is only considered beautiful because of the fruits that are given to the world. It is only considered beautiful by what it gives, not who it actually is. Naturally everything is given their value because of their appearance.

An additional example in his text, is what he depicts Christian love to be. He states that it is a circumstance of conscience which is the complete opposite or preferential love. Christian love is based on your choices in which you are conscious and use your own moral compass. It is mentioned that you choose to not commit cruel acts for your own good, simply because you know God will reward you because he is who determines and acknowledges all that you do. This relates to his theory of existentialism and of choosing to live by faith or ethically. As known, love requires a lot of work such as devotion, patience, and responsibility from an individual. To love someone is our duty, however it does not limit to sex, skin color or their religion. We must accept another human being just as they are. We all desire love and that is exactly why we must all must keep an open-mind and see past the flaws one may have. “Yet the person who loves believes all things” Once again, I find myself agreeing with Kierkegaard because I have once been involve before and see how true it is that love blinds yet open opens your eyes at the same time. When l love, I open my eyes and see the world differently. Suddenly, everything appears to be so much different, both positively and negatively all depending in the relationship you are. Your world can close or either it may just begin opening to different point of views. I say this all because of personal experience.

Unfortunately, I do disagree with one of Kierkegaard’s ideas. He indicates that God views us all as “one” however, I think otherwise. I believe everyone is different. No matter how small a detail may be, no one can be you and that is your power. It is claimed that God sees the poor and the rich the same, female and male the same, and that this is exactly why “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” I believe this to be a very important topic, simply because of the currents event being seen today. I wish life could truly work this way, but unfortunately a large amount of racism and discrimination is going on. In my beliefs, if God created us all with the same amount of love, then why can’t we all be loved equally? However as time progresses, the world only seems to continue to create stereotypes and place people into different categories. As for me, I can admit that I have seen individuals differently simply because they do not look like me. That does not mean I do not treat them with love and respect, but it only emphasizes how I do not agree with Kierkegaard at all. Everyone has different powers and characteristics that make them unique and great.

Finally, Kierkegaard has so many valid points that make me agree and appreciate him as a philosopher, but has one thought which I definitely disagreed with. Not everyone is the same person, or is even remoteIy close to being treated the same as one another. Though it may be a small detail, it makes a huge difference in individuals characteristics. Having done this research and explore his text, I only found myself to strengthen my beliefs. His texts were truly eye openers. As I started I knew all people similar to me with similar beliefs would highly interact and support this philosopher. I am in love with life and myself, which lets me know I am ready to love everything else that is coming my way. I now know I must do thorough research before I can be sure of my own stance. I am happy to know that there is someone who I share similar beliefs to, Søren Kierkegaard.