Conceptual fear. A fatal illness

Author: S?ren Kierkegaard
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
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 real; 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 related to 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), is regarded by European philosophers as the "bible of existentialism." Kierkegaard is 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 arises 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 Vigilius Haufniensis and was published in 1844. Kierkegaard's original intention was to examine the Christian problem 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 the "object of reflection" chosen by the author. Through the metaphysical interpretation of the fear phenomenon in psychological pathology, it demonstrated how an individual should pursue truth through faith and freedom. His initial purpose was to critique the Christian interpretation of "sin" and "guiltiness" 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" (This book, p. 62). If the reflection on fear remains only at the psychological level, its significance is merely directed toward theological dogmatics, that is, to examine the concept of "sin" based on the qualitative nature of the fear concept and its causes. Kierkegaard was fully aware of this point. The psychological state is "to discover fear," and its examination results can only reflect the "tolerance of fear for sin" (p. 21), unable to complete the critique of Christian ethics. Therefore, Kierkegaard had to give a new definition and consideration to "fear." 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 misconduct were acts driven by possibility; when he realized his actions were sinful, he experienced fear. The cognitive relationship between sin and anxiety confirms that as a conscious subject, humans cannot "escape anxiety." "Anxiety is a form of ignorance determined by the spirit" (p. 66). Kierkegaard's reflections and the discovery of 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 driven by sexual impulses as "guiltiness," and individuals have developed a yearning for their own state, 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 the Bible as a metaphor has a dual meaning. First, the Christian "original sin" is not entirely outside the realm of psychology; it can serve as an interface between psychological pathology 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 to elevate psychological analysis to philosophical epistemological consideration. Therefore, through a psychological analysis of the biblical doctrine of "sin," Kierkegaard indirectly entered into 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 an 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 current state of existence, they create a "fear." Therefore, individuals cannot escape anxiety, and anxiety exists within themselves; to save themselves, they must transcend anxiety and know themselves. 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 implication expressed by Kierkegaard's analysis of the differences in anxiety. Kierkegaard distinguishes between subjective anxiety and objective anxiety. The former refers to the individual's current state, while the latter refers to the reflection of the world (including the collective) on "guiltiness." The individual's understanding of the world is primarily expressed through the expression of subjective anxiety. To this, Kierkegaard explains as follows: subjective anxiety exists as a latent ideology and is closely related to the essence of the individual. When a person makes a willful choice, anxiety will become 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 keep anxiety within their inner world, enduring the pressure of fear and feeling restless torment; or to choose transcendence, entering the realm of freedom, and cognizing the world from a higher spiritual level. The only thing that can truly achieve "transcendence" and eliminate anxiety is the spirit, or faith. Kierkegaard strongly emphasizes, "Only faith can abandon fear without reservation" (p. 78). Taking it one step 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 cites the psychological phenomenon that women are more fearful than men. This psychological phenomenon analyzes and demonstrates another fact: when facing fear, women appear more "weak." For example, an innocent girl will feel fear when a man stares at her with desire; conversely, a woman will only feel aversion when staring at a boy. The difference in the awareness of fear 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 fear. Women's submission to fear is due to their rejection of "spirit" (faith), or a "spiritual absence," and as a result, the individual will "sink into fear" (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 fear. Obviously, emphasizing the role of faith (including human will and spirit) in transcending fear confirms the origin of Kierkegaard's philosophical thought, that is, "existentialist truth" is "subjectivity of truth." In elaborating the concept of anxiety, Kierkegaard also introduces the concept of the "instant." Although anxiety exists in the instant, its philosophical implication 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" is to understand the philosophical significance of "anxiety" in both "the past" and "the future" of existence. Kierkegaard says, "Anxiety is an instant in the life of the individual" (p. 123). The "future" of life, for time, is possible, and people's cognition connects "anxiety with the future." The "past" of life is the past misfortune that causes fear, and the past fear may "be repeated in the future." Here, Kierkegaard uses the fairy tale The Foolish Man Who Learned to Fear from the Brothers Grimm as a metaphor to express his thoughts: everyone must go through an adventure of "learning to fear," so that they will not lose themselves because they have "never feared" or "never sunk into fear" (p. 233). The instant of anxiety connects the past and the future, which 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 instant of humanity. Kierkegaard humorously says, "Humans can 'fear,' and the deeper the fear, the greater the person becomes." The concept of anxiety is one of the many existentialist survival concepts that Kierkegaard elaborates. He defines "existence" as the spirit, and the spirit is identical to the self. One of his famous axioms is, "Humans are the spirit," and "the spirit is the self." The core discourse of The Concept of Anxiety is "to be a person," and the purpose of being a person is to become the self. The analysis of the concept of anxiety lies in answering: what is the self? How does one become the self? Without fear, there would be no self; by learning to fear, the self gains the possibility of cognitive freedom. As an existence, humans should find the self and save the self through faith, from fear. The Concept of Anxiety is regarded by European philosophers as a classic that discusses "the self" and explains how to "become the 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 evaluates 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 Concept of Anxiety is a paradox. 'Anxiety' is not a concept, but it is the non-conceptual foundation of all concepts. It attracts me to understand the self that is the source of all concepts."