The Threefold Meaning Of "Nothing" In Kierkegaard’s Philosophy

"Nothing" is the dark line and negative of the whole history of Western philosophy.Although "nothing" is used to describe a variety of things,its metaphysical function remains the same."Nothing" is the "not-being" through which all things are unified.It functions in metaphysics as the mediation through which all things are unified.On the one hand,Kierkegaard inherited the previous philosophers’ interpretation of "nothing",and on the other hand,he critiqued the system of speculative philosophy represented by Hegel’s philosophy by redefining the meaning of "nothing".The "nothing" in Kierkegaard’s philosophy has three main meanings: "the nothing of the possible","the nothing of the instant" and "the nothing of the difference".Through "the nothing of the possible",Kierkegaard identifies nothing as the gap between the two realms of possibility and reality,distinguishing speculative philosophy from existential philosophy as two opposing movements: the former as "abstraction into nothing" and the latter as "to be";through "the nothing of the instant",he shows that nothing is the place where changes occur,arguing that the true instant is the mutual touch between time and eternity;through "the nothing of the difference",he reveals the triadic structure of the existential subject,explaining that the existential subject is set up by the Other in absolute difference.Kierkegaard’s study of "nothing" shows us the abyss of "non-ground",critiques traditional speculative philosophy,deconstructs the ground of metaphysics-the identity of thought and being-and enriches the theory of "nothing" in Western philosophy,opening up a new dimension of human existence.