Existential pathos in Kierkegaard's Concluding unscientific postscript

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1988
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Abstract
It goes without saying that Kierkegaard' s philosophy presents considerable difficulties. Nowhere is this more evident than in the literature concerning Philosophical Fragments and Concluding Unscientific Postscript. Without doubt the concept of Christianity set forth in these works challenges both philosophical and theological orthodoxy. Notions such as the Absolute Paradox, the leap of faith and the di vision of existence into three spheres are not explained easily. That his concept of Christianity does not admit of easy explanation usually is accounted for by the fact that reason cannot be brought to bear upon it. The present essay is an attempt to explain how it is possible for an individual to become a Christian given Kierkegaard's concept of Christianity. This is the task set forth by Johannes Climacus, Kierkegaard's pseudonymous author, in Concluding Unscientific Postscript. Rather than consider his concept of Christianity directly, consideration is given to the modes of existence which precede the Christian religious mode of existence. To this end a section of Concluding Unscientific Postscript, titled "Existential Pathos", will form the basis for this essay. Because it generally is held the individual cannot become a Christian by way of a rational choice, some means that is not grounded in rationality must be sought. Kierkegaard's account of an individual's dispositions toward his existence in a particular mode and toward eternal truth suggest another means. Ultimately, becoming a Christian must be seen as the outcome of an individual's understanding of himself in relation to existence and the ethical implications of this understanding.
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Bibliography: p. 82-85.
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Citation
Storozynsky, M. M. (1988). Existential pathos in Kierkegaard's Concluding unscientific postscript (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/22712
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