Søren Kierkegaard - The Ages Flashcards
Kierkegaard was famously a strong critic of which branch of philosophy?
Idealism
Kierkegaard blended which two styles of writing?
Philosophical and literary
What are the three main terms which encapsulate Kierkegaard’s philosophy?
‘Leap to faith’, ‘knight of faith’, ‘inwardness’
Who was known as ‘The Enemy’ of Kierkegaard?
Hegel
Hegel was the key name associated with what?
German idealism
Which two parts of Hegel’s philosophy was Kierkegaard strongly against?
‘Abstraction’ and ‘essentialism’
Kierkegaard argued Hegel’s philosophy separated the ‘Concept’ from the what?
The lived concerns of the individual
What does the prefix ‘para-‘ mean in the word ‘paradox’?
Against or beyond
What does the suffix ‘-doxa’ mean in the word ‘paradox’?
Common belief
As opposed to ‘idealist’ philosophy, Kierkegaard believes in ‘…’ of existence’.
Paradoxes
What are ‘paradoxes of existence’?
Aspects of existence that strike as absurd and beyond our control
What does existentialism ask, regarding the ‘paradoxes of existence’?
How can we respond to them?
Kierkegaard believed “…the paradox is the source of the thinker’s”…”.
Passion
Name at least three possible responses to the ‘paradoxes of existence’ (such as the Camus problem that when we ask big questions, the universe is silent).
Humour, despair, anxiety, depression, inwardness, passion, irony…
What are the two ages Kierkegaard contrasts?
‘The Age of Revolution’ and ‘The Present Age’
What five key words does Kierkegaard use to describe an ‘Age of Revolution’?
‘Immediate’, ‘passionate’/’enthusiastic’, ‘decisive’, ‘creative’, ‘heroic’
What does an ‘Age of Revolution’ desire?
To ‘overthrow everything, set everything aside’
Why does Kierkegaard claim an ‘essentially passionate’ ‘Age of revolution’ has ‘not nullified the principle of contradiction’? - Two Ages
Since it ‘can become either good or evil’
“decision is the little”…” - Two Ages
Magic word that existence respects
What does Kierkegaard argue will happen if an ‘individual refuses to act’?
Existence won’t help
Kierkegaard describes ‘reflection’ in one word as what?
Fruitless
The ‘either/or’ mindset ‘depends upon the individual’s’ what?
Impassioned desire
What halts us from making decisions and makes us lose our ‘essential enthusiasm’?
Our understanding of the consequences of an action
Kierkegaard describes the ‘either/or’ ‘disjunction’ as ‘impassioned’. What does he describe the ‘both, and’ ‘conjunction’ as?
Reflective
‘The Present Age’ is characterised by which nouns?
‘Reflection’, ‘relativism’, ‘day-dreaming’, ‘resentment’, ‘apathy’, ‘risk aversion’
Which three crucial concepts did Kierkegaard believe pertained to the ‘Present Age’?
‘Levelling’, ‘The Press’, ‘The Public’
Kierkegaard describes the ‘Present Age’ as a ‘Sensible, Reflecting Age’ and an age that is ‘prudentially relaxing…’ in what? - Two Ages
Indolence
Slavoj Zizek describes ‘The Decaffeinated Other’ as ‘…products deprived of their malignant property: coffee without caffeine, cream without fat, beer without alcohol.’…‘sex without sex’ (e.g., porn, sex bots) …’warfare with no casualties’ (e.g., drone strikes). These phenomena suggest our age has become even more what?
Risk averse
Kierkegaard argues the essence of the ‘Present Age’ involves what?
Levelling
To take the lead in ‘levelling’ is to…
Escape it
‘levelling’ is “… abstraction’s victory over”…”
Individuals
Who is responsible for ‘levelling’ according to Kierkegaard?
The Public
‘The Public’ is famously described by Kierkegaard in two words as a…
Monstrous abstraction
What is the main paradox of ‘The Public’?
It is ‘an all encompassing something that is nothing’
What are two more words similar to the word ‘illusion’ that Kierkegaard uses to describe ‘The Public’?
Mirage and phantom
‘levelling’ is achieved through what?
The Press
Kierkegaard believed when ‘empowered’, the ‘Present Age’ will be more influential on society than the ‘Revolutionary Age’ was. - True or false?
True
Kierkegaard thinks the ‘Present Age’ is what?
Risk averse
How would a passionate age react to an expert skater skating over a lake of thin ice who returned to land safely, according to Kierkegaard?
They would cheer and deify him
