Self-Reflection and Autobiography — Kierkegaard's Writings about Himself

Abstract

The general subject of this workshop is 'Kierkegaard--a European Thinker'. This title seems to be rather exaggerated, at least with regard to Kierkegaard's self-assessment. For in his own view he belongs to the provincial areas of Europe, to the 'small town' Copenhagen, although as a 'genius'.~ Therefore Kierkegaard cannot be considered a European cosmopolitan, for he hardly experienced another country than Denmark--except for his short journeys to Berlin. In comparison to other great and really 'European' thinkers--e.g. Erasmus of Rotterdam, Leibniz or Schopenhauer--Kierkegaard's biography is rather simple. Moreover he has not founded any international school or fellowship during his life-time, so that his thinking could have been installed as an important step within the history of European thinking. By the way--this would have been a complete misunderstanding of his intentions, for he has written with regard to the individual and not with regard to a school--'away from the public to the individual'. 2 What makes Kierkegaard a 'European Thinker' is of course not geographical categories, but categories of the history of ideas. The latter are primary motives even today--apart from political or historical interests (e.g. the European Market or the anniversary of the discovery of America)--for ~ reflection of what 'European' could mean. A very urgent motive for such an investigation seems to be the world-wide ecological crisis we all are concerned with, which--justified or not--is considered to be a result of the two roots of European spirit: ancient Greek logos and the so called 'dominium terrae' of the Old Testament within the Christian tradition) In general: the origin of Europe is Greek philosophy and Christian faith. Together--although with an antithetical tension in Kierkegaard's view--these two roots have caused a life-style ('Lebensform') which can be called 'European'? This life-style oscillates in many different ways between Socrates and Jesus Christ, and these two main figures of European thinking are very important for Kierkegaard, although not of equal value. With regard to his aesthetical writings Socrates is the example of how to 'fool' people into truth within the modern area of reflection, 5 but Jesus Christ is the truth and the absolute itself. 6 It is not the intention of Kierkegaard to harmonise Socrates and Jesus Christ by a humanistic spirit of peace, which might have been a reason for the romantic concept of unity and Catholic piety as Novalis has suggested in his essay 'Die Christenheit oder Europa' of 1799. 7 In contrary to this concept of unity it is Kierkegaard's intention to show antagonisms and break-downs of human life by pointing out Socrates and Jesus Christ dialectically. Just by this, the fragile and manifold existence of man could be considered a microcosmos in comparison to