Research On Kierkegaard’s ’Self’ Thought

Understanding of the self is the eternal theme of philosophy.Starting with the inscription ’Know Yourself’ in front of the Temple of Delphi in ancient Greece,humanity open the way to know and realize the self.Kierkegaard,as a 19th-century Danish philosopher and theologian,breaks the dominance of rationalism in his self-concept and initiates the modern transformation of modern Western philosophy.He is also known as the’precursor of existentialism’.This article will use Kierkegaard’s pseudonym book Lethal Disease to make an in-depth discussion on the connotation of the self.By comparing with the Marx who in the same age as Kierkegaard,we can evaluate Kierkegaard more objectively.The thought of the self explores the theoretical value for later generations of Western philosophy schools and the practical value for contemporary individual development.The main body of the thesis is divided into four parts.The first part mainly analyzes the formation of Kierkegaard’s the self.First,it analyzes the era and family background of Kierkegaard’s the self.Second,combing the development of the self-concept in Western philosophy,Kierkegaard’s idea of the self was built on the basis of critically absorbing predecessors.The second part is based on Lethal Diseases and expounds the connotation and philosophical status of Kierkegaard’s the self.Because Kierkegaard’s idea of the self does not form a complete logical system,it is necessary to clarify the concept and characteristics of the self first.Secondly,the basic connotation of the self is explained from three aspects:the reality of the self,the despair of the self and realization of the self.As a comprehensive body composed of polar opposites,the physical self has a physical,finite,and inevitable pole as a restrictive factor to the self,while its soul,infinity,and inevitability has a tendency to return to ego.It is a self-expanding factor.The despair of the self comes from realizing that the self as a complex,on the one hand we cannot escape the shackles of reality and even need to rely on the shackles of reality to meet our own survival needs,but on the other hand we farther away from the ego with more shackles of reality.So despair becomes an inescapable mental illness.In the face of this mental illness,Kierkegaard believes that he can only jump out of the actual aesthetic and ethical world,realize that the ego is established by God,and then enter the religious world.By faith in God alone,eliminating despair,gaining rescue,and finally achieve the ego.Finally,analyzing the philosophical status of the self is based on the understanding of the connotation of the self.The third part,comparing Kierkegaard’s the thought of self with Marx who in the same era and theoretical background as Kierkegaard.Mainly from the three angles including the concept and characteristics of the self,the connotation of the self and the philosophical status of the self.More objectively evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of Kierkegaard’s the self.The last part explores the value of the self,including the theoretical value of the development of existentialism and postmodernism in the later philosophical schools of western philosophy and practical value for the development of contemporary individuals.The study of the self is helpful for people to better understand the essence and connotation of the self,so as to pay more attention to the development and realization of individual self.Kierkegaard’s irrational understanding of the self liberate the self from the substance,and became an eternally generated thing,and the individual’s internality and subjectivity regained importance.At the same time,Kierkegaard believed in God as the ultimate way to realize the ego.Although it has a strong religious color,spiritual belief still has practical significance.In-depth discussion of the self helps contemporary individuals to better think about the relationship between individuals and groups,individual responsibilities,and how individuals realize their individuality when facing problems such as ’mental emptiness’ and ’lack of belief’ and to realize self-enrichment and development.