Introduction to Kierkegaard: The Religious Solution

In this video we summarize Kierkegaard's 3 life-views, the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious, and their appropriateness for the eradication of despair. We investigate his ideas on faith, and portray the individual he called the "knight of faith".
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Recommended Readings:

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[Mfhollander]

Kierkegaard is amazing. His words changed my life in an infinitely better way. This is an excellent video. Thank you!

[feleciacoleman]

BARS. Wow I watched this twice, and dissected almost every quote the second time in order to reaaally absorb and understand. This is the best argument I’ve heard for having faith. My fav takeaways -

I love how kierkagard admits and owns how absurd faith is. If only religions had this same point of view... instead they often talk about faith like it’s absurd to NOT have it. It’s 100% absurd to have it. And he owns this like armor. Beautiful.

I love how he talks about essentially constantly pushing yourself to the edge in order to keep your faith.. because you don’t have faith if you actually know the outcome. “Faith is a risk”, so we must continue to put ourselves in risky positions in order to have faith. Fascinating perspective.

I love how he talks about having an absolute relationship with the absolute and a relative relationship with the relative. As a lover of stoicism, it’s not surprise that this speaks to me. This is ultimate goalssss. To be in the world and enjoying things but the be able to say to a thing- it’s over. This thing has ended. I can let this go fully. I do not need to hold on to things that want to let go. Keirkagard would add, that I can let go, because I can have faith that I will have it again. Beautiful.

One of my fav videos on the channel!!

[Peter-gmei]

Incredibly better than school of life’s video on Kierkegaard, most people think “ becoming religious and having faith” is a comfort blind thing, and well it is for the majority. but in fact in his view it’s the only thing to do if you wish to live, he was angeixty filled all the time it seemed. the definition of God has expanded a lot in my lifetime, and I can say, well with much abstractness as possible, to deny God is to deny the self

[aletoledo]

Best philosophy channel on the internet

[luckyleo]

I'm one foot into the religious sphere.

God bless everyone searching for meaning in life so that they won't have to live in despair.

[shubhjeetful]

Sometimes, I feel Kierkegaard wrote all his philosophy because he knew that some 200 years late, a boy in India would see himself transformed through those inspired words. Thank you, Mr. Kierkegaard.

[athena]

Possibly my favorite Philosopher. Thank you for this video it was amazingly well done.

[elvicsolgb]

Perhaps the reason we can't readily agree with what Kierkegaard wants us to do, which is to make a 'leap of faith' by the virtue of the absurd, is because we are too used to give 'Reason' a firm hold over us. Faith is absurd, he says; it tramps reason and it requires great personal courage to do the 'leap'. And when confronted to make such a choice we shudder at such a prospect. Our reason rebels to the thought that we have to suspend it in order to do 'the leap'.

[reneoslizlok]

Wow! I have browsed the words of these giants of philosophy, feeling a strange sense of despair, for I know that without God all rationalisation is just that ... rationalisation, a sort of puerile justification. But then I heard this summary of Kierkegaard & a light appeared at the end of a long tunnel. Now I have a way out. Thank-you Kierkegaard & thank you 'Academy of Ideas', but most of all thank-you Christ for leading me here!

[kaseybrown]

So now, the final part of this has always been difficult. But continuing from the notes I did in the last video...

The ethicist basically will still fall back into despair when they realize the limits of their state of being; that their method is great for fitting into society, but all worldly things can still be taken from them at any moment. And again, realizing that you're in despair could be a good thing, as that's your way out.

There's still a few more terms.

*Faith =* opposite of despair, defined as: identifying / relating with a transcendent source, and thus attaining a balance of finite and infinite factors.

Essentially the "transcendent source" is your conceptualization of the infinite (go back and see notes on previous video if needed for terms like "infinite"). For me, personally, this is articulated in a system of virtues, such as wisdom, grace, discernment, honor, and so on. A core set of these make up an ideal, fitting into the infinite, which is what I identify with. These are important, because unlike the finite, or worldly things, they cannot ever be changed or taken away. What's more, you're free to change your ideals as is needed for where you find yourself in life. So you are the only one who changes them.

Also, your "transcendent source" could be what I just described, but it could also be personified by your own unique and particular understanding of "God".

CHECKMATE, ATHEIST!!!! At least, in some reverse-ontological sense, but personally I'm still atheist, because my own particular understanding of transcendence does not result in a sort of "god" as someone else might perceive it. But still, I would understand the argument that went like: "God is the embodiment of only good and pure virtues with which human kind can aspire (feel free to insert Jesus in there if you'd like), as demonstrated in the events that played out in Israel, and were recorded in the Bible". If someone brings up science, that argument can be addressed by pointing out that faith and science *are not* meant to do the same thing. Science increases our understanding of the natural world. Faith provides personal meaning, purpose, and hope. That was covered in the previous video too.

Anyway this brings us into the "religious sphere", and this is where we encounter our last two ultimate forms of being.

*Knight of Infinite Resignation =* letting go of the worldly. Now, this should be contrasted with "renunciation", which is the Buddhists method (and also some sects of Christianity). The difference?

Resignation means you're going to try your best today to set things right, but absolutely resign yourself to the fact that you can only control what you do, you cannot control anything beyond that. You can control your actions, but not the consequences of your actions, so you will definitely try, but simultaneously accept whatever outcome that happens, gracefully acknowledging your limits.

Renunciation means totally withdrawing from the world (becoming a monk).

Again, becoming a Knight of Infinite Resignation means that you live within the finite (the worldly), enjoy what is here and now, but totally willing to accept that it could be all taken from you, and there's nothing you can do about it. This doesn't mean that you should totally stop trying - just that you should try your best, and accept whatever outcome happens. However, this is only the last form that deals with the finite. What about the infinite?

The absolute LAST perfect form... is the *Knight of Faith!* And here's where you strike a perfect balance between the infinite and the finite, by putting faith in the transcendent values (God) that you cannot *know for certain* is absolutely there in any sense. The lack of objective certainty requires faith. But you're still dedicated to the transcendent values (God).

I might also insert some pessimistic induction here (another completely separate position in philosophy)... that the rightness of an idea does not need to be perfect for it to be useful or productive. Even if the idea of God is somehow wrong (not perfectly right), it's still useful and provides good results.

[rohitmisra]

Kierkegaard has tied up together almost everything very nicely!

[daizee]

"Great eagles fly alone. Great souls walk alone. Alone with Father. Such loneliness is hard to endure, and impossible to enjoy unless GOD accompanies. Prophets are lone men. They walk alone and GOD makes them alone." Leonard Ravenhill

[taekwonjutsu]

This is an insanely high quality video! Thank you!

[leonjakelim]

After reading Fear & Trembling, I came back to this for clarification and this video has done its function. Thank you!

[BrotherWoody]

Outstanding presentation. Loved all of it.

[thecarlitosshow]

Kierkegaard is definitely my favorite philosopher!

[vincentstowell]

You're videos are always great, and this one is especially inspiring! I definitely want to read some Kierkegaard for my self now.

[benjones]

Currently writing a research paper on existentialism in dostoevsky's notes from the underground and this has been very useful. Thank you!

[theendlesssuffering]

Your videos on this channel are structured and organized so magnificently, it makes for a great watch. Thanks for all the vids, you deserve more subscribers.

[dstyles]

Damn... Those are some hard hitting quotes.