Abstract
Abstract Kierkegaard understands the human self as a process of becoming that is situated in a dialectical relation between sin and faith. The chief task of each human being is to become a true self, instead of assuming a fraudulent identity. This authentic selfhood is grounded in the possibility to be oneself, a condition that is established in faith. Yet this achievement of true selfhood presupposes a state of sin in which the self is regarded as necessarily existing. Thus the aim of this essay is to demonstrate how Kierkegaard argues for a novel modern conception of the self as a dynamic interplay between possibility and necessity, sin and faith, in his attempt to respond to the spiritlessness of his age by vindicating the truth of Christianity.
Highlights
In our present age a widespread phenomenon, found but not exclusively among young people, is the quest for self-discovery, or expressed more colloquially, “finding oneself”
Kierkegaard understands the human self as a process of becoming that is situated in a dialectical relation between sin and faith
The chief task of each human being is to become a true self, instead of assuming a fraudulent identity. This authentic selfhood is grounded in the possibility to be oneself, a condition that is established in faith
Summary
In our present age a widespread phenomenon, found but not exclusively among young people, is the quest for self-discovery, or expressed more colloquially, “finding oneself”. Kierkegaard contrasts what he calls the “first ethics” of the Greeks, who did not entertain the notion of sin, with the “second ethics” of Christian dogmatics that recognizes the reality of sin, in particular original sin, and the impediment it poses to the realization of the good in human life.[18] This discussion brings to the fore Kierkegaard’s conviction that Socrates, despite his genius and exemplary character, failed to understand truly who he was and did not achieve genuine self-knowledge because he did not recognize the reality of sin and how it influences one’s self-knowledge. It is from the vantage point of faith that we will be able to gain a more complete picture of what sin is and by extension what the self is
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