Conceptual Fear · A Lethal Illness

Author: S?ren Kierkegaard
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Danish philosopher S?ren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) criticized Hegel and Western traditional philosophy, as well as Christian ethical teachings, which led to a crisis in European intellectual circles. Kierkegaard succinctly summarized his theoretical stance: "My existence must be experienced; it must be existent; thinking and existence are different; existence is a form of action, not a form of thought, and it is a form of action that must be related to thought. This thought associated with action is 'subjectivity of thought,' 'truth is subjectivity,' and 'existence is the discovery of subjective truth' (D. Palmer, An Introduction to Kierkegaard)." Kierkegaard's propositions laid the foundation for the influential philosophical thought in human social history—"existentialist truth." His masterpiece, The Scientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments (1846), was regarded by European philosophers as the "Bible of existentialism." Kierkegaard was thus recognized as the bridge from Hegel to existentialism and the founder of the existentialist philosophical school. Under his influence, his protégé Jean-Paul Sartre also became a master of existentialist philosophy. The Concept of Anxiety is an important component and fundamental proposition of Kierkegaard's "subjectivity of truth." Kierkegaard's theory of "subjective consciousness" directly arose from his concept of "anxiety." Therefore, the book is a must-read for exploring the depths of Kierkegaard's existentialist philosophical thought. The Concept of Anxiety is attributed to a pseudonym, Vigilius Haufniensis, and was published in 1844. Kierkegaard's original intention was to examine the Christian doctrine of original sin from a psychological perspective and to critique Christian ethics. As a result, academia once regarded The Concept as a psychological work (see George Brandes's letter to Nietzsche, 1881). In fact, this was a misinterpretation. Fear was merely a "subject of reflection" chosen by the author, meaning that through the metaphysical interpretation of the fear phenomenon in psychological pathology, the book demonstrated how an individual should pursue truth through faith and freedom. His initial purpose was to critique Christian interpretations of "sin" and "guilt" by using the psychological process of human cognition of truth. Therefore, it is not denied that Kierkegaard's reflection on the concept of fear has psychological significance, as he acknowledged, "Fear is a quality of the dreaming spirit, and in itself it belongs to the realm of psychology" (p. 62 of this book). If the reflection on fear remains only at the psychological level, its significance is merely directed toward theological dogmatics, that is, examining the concept of "sin" based on the qualitative nature and origins of the fear concept. Kierkegaard was fully aware of this point. The psychological state of "discovery of fear" can only reflect the "tolerance of sin" toward fear (p. 21), and it cannot fulfill the critique of Christian ethics. For this reason, Kierkegaard had to give "fear" a new definition and consideration. In critiquing Hegel's discourse on "sin," Kierkegaard discovered a cognitive logical relationship between "sin" and "anxiety": "The fall of sin is not an occurrence caused by some necessity on the part of the conscious subject, but rather a sin committed within the 'possibility of freedom'; the 'possibility of freedom' manifests in the individual as 'anxiety' (p. 35)." For example, Adam's eating of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden and his subsequent sexual transgression were acts of possibility; when he realized the sinfulness of his actions, he experienced anxiety. The cognitive relationship between sin and anxiety confirms that as a conscious subject, humans cannot "escape anxiety," and "anxiety is a form of ignorance determined by the spirit" (p. 66). Kierkegaard's reflections and the discovery of this cognitive logic elevated the consideration of the "anxiety" concept from a psychological qualification to the level of philosophical ontology. The interpretation of the "anxiety" concept thus became one of the most important philosophical propositions in existentialism. The origin of the anxiety concept is "sin." This is a presupposition of Kierkegaard's existentialist philosophy in epistemology. This presupposition is expressed through the story of Adam. Adam and Eve's eating of the forbidden fruit gave rise to lustful impulses, and "sin" became the reality of their sexual behavior. Throughout history, human beings have regarded acts of lust as "guilty," and individuals have developed a yearning for their own state of being, which is the origin of "anxiety." The "sin" of the individual and the "transmitted sin" of the collective in history manifest a "possibility of anxiety." Sin enters anxiety, and sin carries anxiety with it. Kierkegaard's use of biblical metaphors has a dual meaning. First, the Christian "original sin" is not entirely free from the realm of psychology; it can serve as an interface for psychological pathology to explore the connection between psychological states and ethics. Second, anxiety is the "synthesis" of the human soul and body, and it is the starting point for understanding the connection between human behavior and human consciousness. This is also the path Kierkegaard took in elevating psychological analysis to philosophical epistemological consideration. For this reason, Kierkegaard, through psychological analysis of the biblical doctrine of "sin," indirectly entered the philosophical reflection on the essence of anxiety. His expression of this reflection is: the individual, through actions, sets the possibility of sin; while the individual's anxiety begins with the entry of sin into the world, marking the individual's cognitive process of the world and existence. This also means that Kierkegaard's expression reveals a cognitive process of existentialism: when the individual is in a state of non-perfect existence, they often express a yearning, longing, or expectation to reveal themselves; and when they feel unfamiliar with their state of existence, they create a "fear." Therefore, the individual cannot escape anxiety, and anxiety exists within oneself; to save oneself, one must transcend anxiety and know oneself. To transcend anxiety, it is necessary to emphasize self-awareness, that is, the importance of the individual's spirit (or faith). This is the other philosophical meaning expressed by Kierkegaard's analysis of the differences in anxiety. Kierkegaard distinguished between subjective anxiety and objective anxiety. The former refers to the individual's state of being, while the latter refers to the reflection of "guilt" by the world (including the collective). The individual's understanding of the world is primarily expressed through the expression of subjective anxiety. To this, Kierkegaard explained as follows: subjective anxiety exists as a latent ideology and is closely related to the essence of the individual. When a person makes a volitional choice, anxiety becomes prominent in their consciousness. According to his interpretation, the following understanding can be drawn: anxiety itself does not have an ultimate meaning. When people are in a subconscious state of anxiety, they must make a choice—to either keep anxiety within their inner world, enduring the pressure of fear and feeling restless torment, or to choose transcendence and enter the realm of freedom, where they can cognize the world at a higher spiritual level. The only thing that can truly transcend and eliminate anxiety is the spirit, or faith. Kierkegaard strongly emphasized, "Only faith can abandon fear without reservation" (p. 78). Going further, there is the difference in anxiety between men and women, which expresses the difference in the "synthesis" of the individual's spirit. When discussing subjective anxiety, Kierkegaard frequently cited the psychological phenomenon that women are more fearful than men. This psychological phenomenon analyzes and demonstrates another fact: when facing anxiety, women appear more "weak." For example, an innocent girl will feel anxious when stared at by a man with desire, whereas a woman staring at a boy will only feel aversion. The difference in anxiety awareness between women and men lies in the fact that men have a stronger "spiritual quality." When women choose between spirit and nature, they often choose nature, enduring the pressure of anxiety. Women's submission to anxiety is due to their rejection of "spirit" (faith), or a "spiritual absence," and as a result, the individual will "sink into anxiety" (p. 98). This analysis is also Kierkegaard's counterargument. He explains that once a person loses faith or lacks a spirit, they cannot manifest self-awareness or transcend anxiety. Obviously, emphasizing the role of faith (including human will and spirit) in transcending anxiety confirms the origin of Kierkegaard's philosophical thought, that is, "existentialist truth" is "subjectivity of truth." In elaborating the concept of anxiety, Kierkegaard also introduced the concept of the "instant." Although anxiety exists in the instant, its philosophical significance connects the past and the future. People's understanding of the psychological process of anxiety also highlights the subjective cognitive process of the individual toward existence and the world. In this way, Kierkegaard's reflection on the phenomenon of anxiety and its interpretation of subjective cognition of the world have a complete meaning. Philosophically speaking, the instant is a transitional category between movement and stillness, not existing in time. The transition from singularity to diversity, and from identity to difference, in philosophical ontology all involve the concept of the "instant." It includes the realm of history and the historically presupposed knowledge of the instant. Kierkegaard's use of the concept of the "instant" was to understand the philosophical significance of "anxiety" in both the "past" and the "future" of existence. Kierkegaard said, "Anxiety is a moment in the life of the individual" (p. 123). The "future" of life is possible for time, and people's cognition connects "anxiety" with the "future." The "past" of life is the past misfortune that causes fear, and past fear may "be repeated in the future." Here, Kierkegaard used the fairy tale The Foolish Man Who Learned to Fear from the Brothers Grimm to express his thought: everyone must undergo an adventure of "learning to fear," so that they will not lose themselves because of "never having feared" or "never having sunk into fear" (p. 233). The moment of anxiety connects the past and the future, and it is the process that people should and must experience in cognizing the world and existence. An individual who has experienced fear will learn how to examine themselves in the most vulnerable moment of life. Kierkegaard humorously said that humans can "fear," and "the deeper the fear, the greater the person." The concept of anxiety is one of the many existentialist survival concepts that Kierkegaard elaborated. He defined "existence" as "spirit," and "spirit" is identical to "self." One of his famous axioms is, "Man is spirit," and "spirit is self." The core discourse of The Concept of Anxiety is "to be a person," and the purpose of being a person is to become "self." The analysis of the concept of anxiety lies in answering: what is self? How does one become self? Without fear, there would be no self; by learning to fear, self-awareness and the possibility of freedom are achieved. As an existence, humans should find self and save self through faith, transcending fear. The Concept of Anxiety is regarded by European philosophers as a classic that discusses "self" and explains how to "become self." It is one of the most important philosophical works of the 19th century, as Nietzsche considered it (see Niels Thomsen, Misfortune and Happiness). Contemporary Danish philosopher Niels has evaluated The Concept of Anxiety as a work of outstanding merit, comparable to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. It established Kierkegaard's academic status in European philosophy. Sartre, in particular, held his mentor in high esteem and was often overwhelmed by his penetrating philosophical reflections. Sartre frankly shared his experience: "The title of the book The Concept of Anxiety is a paradox. 'Anxiety' is not a concept, but it is the non-conceptual foundation of all concepts." "It draws me to understand the self that is the source of all concepts."