Kierkegaard's Conception Of The Self

In Kierkegaard's philosophical thinking,"the self" is undoubtedly a very important part.In "The Sickness unto Death",Kierkegaard has concentrated and thoroughly analyzed the concept of self.Kierkegaard believes that a human being is a synthesis of the finite and the infinite,of the temporary and the eternal,of freedom and necessity.At the same time,man is also the synthesis of body and soul,sense and mind,idea and reality,sin and belief.By saying that the self is a synthesis,Kierkegaard is claiming that man is made up of a two-level opposition,which is fundamentally incapable of being abolished.The finite,necessity,and body reflect the fact that man is caught in the historical situation in which he lives.And the infinite,possibility,and soul indicate that man is free to act under the constraints of this circumstance.Man is neither completely free nor completely determined,but free and determined at the same time.A person always finds himself in history,which determines the possibility of being opened to the individual,which is given to a person.At the same time,the individual has the ability to imagine various actions and to achieve a variety of possibilities.The individual can expand different possibilities about what putting into practice by imagination.Recognizing that the self is a synthesis can't make the self realize itself,the self must be achieved through the action of choice.Fear is an emotion generated by the self when facing the possibility of becoming a self.It is not only fear for the possibility of the future,but also tempted by this possibility.In reflection,the self begin to realize the gap between the self and the dream self.The self to be realized is not an abstract self but a concrete self.Although the self is in a natural and social environment,the self is isolated in the choice of being a self.Only by relying on one's own passion,the self can make a critical decision for the possibility of self.In Kierkegaard's view,even if a person has make a comprehensive analysis and understanding of self in the field of thought,if there is no action,such a self is still not a true self.Kierkegaard divides the existence of the individual into three levels.The analysis of each level shows us the self-existence style,and emphasizes the importance of choice and action to the self.Self-realization is a dynamic process,that is,human being will never be able to completely realize itself,but approach itself through the action.Because of this,despair has become the universal disease of human being,and the source of this disease is in the definition of the self.In Kierkegaard's view,despair is not an accidental human emotion,but a universal human condition.Ultimately,Kierkegaard points out that only by completely relying on God,could human being overcome despair and realize the self.How a man becomes a true self in the synthesis of time and eternal is actually a question of how a person to be a Christian in the Christian world.Only through faith,through God,could a person become the self,become the eternal possibility.