Contemporary Period

Soren
Keirkegaard
Meet the Group

Ethan John M. Marc Alexi Huit Marwin Christopher L. Tilog

Escobido Muharram
BACKGROUND OF
THE THEORIST
SOREN KIERKEGAARD
He was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social
critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be
the first existentialist philosopher
He was born on May 5, 1813 in Copenhagen, Denmark
Kierkegaard was born to an affluent family in Copenhagen.
His parents were Ane Sørensdatter Lund Kierkegaard and
Michael Pedersen Kierkegaard.
As a child, Kierkegaard followed his father’s beliefs, which was
heavily influenced by his father’s devotion to Wolffian
Rationalism.
From 1821 to 1830 Kierkegaard attended the School of Civic
Virtue, Østre Borgerdyd Gymnasium when the school was
situated in Klarebodeme, where he studied Latin and history
among other subjects.
He studied theology at the University of Copenhagen.
 SOREN KIERKEGAARD
Much of his philosophical work deals with the issues of
how one lives as a "single individual", giving priority to
concrete human reality over abstract thinking and
highlighting the importance of personal choice and
commitment.
His psychological work explored the emotions and
feelings of individuals when faced with life choices
Some of Kierkegaard's key ideas include the concept of
"subjective and objective truths“
By the mid-20th century, his thought exerted a
substantial influence on philosophy, theology, and
Western culture in general
He died on November 11, 1855 in Copenhagen, Denmark
PARADIGM SHIFT:
MODERN
TO
CONTEMPORARY
 QUESTION:
have you ever asked
yourself,
”what is my purpose in
this world?’
 PARADIGM SHIFT: MODERN TO
CONTEMPORARY PERIOD
Modern Period was human-centered, or Anthropocentric which
is the ethical belief that humans alone possess intrinsic value.
• Ethics Of Principle
• Utilitarian
• Deontology
• Passion

Contemporary Period:
“In man’s pursuit for his duty and passion, he starts to find
meaning towards his existence”
 PARADIGM SHIFT: MODERN TO
CONTEMPORARY PERIOD
We exist because we are “doing
something to our being alive”

Existentialism states that our lives have no inherent

meaning or purpose, but rather it is the purpose we
create for our lives that gives them a sense of
meaning.
Ethical Theory of
Soren Kierkegaard

ESCOBIDO, ETHAN JOHN & TILOG, CHRISTOPHER

 Existentialism
Existentialism is a philosophy The notion of the absurd contains
that emphasizes individual the idea that there is no meaning
existence, freedom and in the world beyond what meaning
choice. It is the view that we give it. This meaninglessness
humans define their own also encompasses the amorality
meaning in life, and try to or "unfairness" of the world.
make rational decisions
despite existing in an
irrational universe or the
absurd.
 - Kierkegaard defined boredom as a
Boredom, sense of emptiness, and not just an

Anxiety, absence of stimulation but an absence

of meaning.

and -He stated "I do not even suffer pain…

Pain itself has lost its refreshment for
Despair me. If I were offered all the glories of the
world or all the torments of the world,
one would move me no more than the
other; I would not turn over to the other
side either to attain or to avoid."
Boredom, -Anxiety (angest) is both the attraction
to and the repulsion from the
Anxiety, nothingness of future possibilities. For
Kierkegaard, anxiety is unfocused fear
and arising from the experience of human
freedom and responsibility.
Despair -According to Kierkegaard, anxiety
informs us of our choices, our self-
awareness and personal responsibility,
and brings us from a state of un-self-
conscious immediacy to self-conscious
reflection.
Boredom, -Despair is not just an emotion, in a
deeper sense it is the loss of self, i.e., it

Anxiety, describes the state when one has the

wrong conception of oneself.
and -Kierkegaard argues that the human

Despair self is a composition of various aspects

that must be brought into conscious
balance: the finite, the infinite, a
consciousness of the "relationship of
the two to itself," and a consciousness
of "the power that posited" the self.
3 Stages of Existence
Boredom, anxiety, and despair are the human psyche’s
major problems, and Kierkegaard spends most of his
writing diagnosing these three ills. People are bored when
they are not being stimulated, either physically or
mentally. Kierkegaard's works showcases stages of
existence that an individual passes through; the aesthetic,
the ethical, and the religious. Each of these “stages on
life’s way” represents competing views on life and as such
potentially conflicts with one another.
The Aesthetic
Aesthetic life is defined by intellectual
Aesthetic enjoyment, sensuous desire, and an
as the First inclination to interpret oneself as if
one were "on stage."
Stage on
Life’s Way Increasing one’s aesthetic pleasures is
one way to combat boredom, and
Kierkegaard described many methods
of doing so.
The Ethical Ethical
The second level of existence is the
as the ethical. This is where an individual
Second begins to take on a true direction in
life, becoming aware of and personally
Stage on responsible for good and evil and
Life’s Way forming a commitment to oneself and
others. One's actions at this level of
existence have a consistency and
coherence that they lacked in the
previous sphere of existence.
 Religious
The In the religious life, one is ruled by
total faith in God. One can never be
Religious as truly free, and this causes boredom,

Third Stage anxiety, and despair. True faith

doesn’t lead to freedom, but it relieves
on Life’s the psychological effects of human

Way existence. Kierkegaard claims that the

only way to make life worthwhile is to
embrace faith in God, and that faith
necessarily involves embracing the
absurd.
 Kiekegaard's Idea on
Self

Becoming aware of our true self is our

For Kierkegaard, the human self (or what
true task and endeavor in life—it is an
Kierkegaard also called "spirit") is
ethical imperative, as well as preparatory
composed of two parts, physical and
to a true religious understanding.
mental, neither of which, by itself, is a
Individuals can exist at a level that is less
self. Kierkegaard considers the "mental
than true selfhood. We can live, for
part" of the human self to be eternal,
example, simply in terms of our pleasures
infinite (i.e. abstract), full of possibility
—our immediate satisfaction of desires,
and the "physical part" to be temporal,
propensities, or distractions. In this way,
finite, and necessary.
we glide through life without direction or
purpose. To have a direction, we must
have a purpose that defines for us the
meaning of our lives.
 Applying Kierkegaard's ethical
Application of theory involves engaging with the
three stages of life (the aesthetic,
the Ethical ethical, and religious) and taking
Theory personal responsibility for one's
choices and actions
Application of the Ethical Theory

Aesthetic Ethical
An example of an individual in the
An example of an individual in
aesthetic stage may be someone
the ethical stage may be
who constantly seeks out new
experiences and pleasures someone who has developed
without regard for the a strong sense of moral
consequences or impact on values and principles
others.
Application of the Ethical Theory

Religious
An example of an individual in the religious
stage may be someone who has
developed a strong sense of faith and
spiritual commitment.