Kierkegaard on truth as subjectivity: Christianity, ethics and asceticism

Abstract

This paper is an exploration and interpretation of Kierkegaard's account of Christian belief. I argue that Kierkegaard believed that the Christian metaphysical tradition was exhausted and hence that there could be no defence of belief in God in purely rational terms. I defend this interpretation against objections, going on to argue that Kierkegaard thought it possible to defend a post-metaphysical conception of religious belief. I argue that Kierkegaard thought that such a defence was available if we understand correctly what it is to speak with ethico-religious authority. I argue that, when interpreted in the way I outline, Kierkegaard's notion of ethico-religious authority shows his conception of religious belief to have great plausibility. However, Kierkegaard goes on to argue that an individual's true relationship with God is constituted through the cultivation of guilt and the sense of himself as a sinner, and I give reasons for rejecting this claim, arguing that such cultivation is a form of asceticism.

Personal experiences bridge moral and political divides better than facts

“…Statistics can be doubted and countered with other statistics, but first-hand experiences have an aura of unimpeachability. To paraphrase the philosopher Kierkegaard, truth is not something to be viewed objectively but instead to be subjectively experienced ( 27 ). Consistent with this idea, evolutionary accounts argue that our minds have evolved to process personal narratives ( 28 ) and be persuaded by stories ( 29 ).…”

Fraud and guilt: rationalization strategies and the relevance of Kierkegaardian life-views

“…Faith is the highest expression of subjectivity. Truth as subjectivity refers to the ethical life-view as well as to the ethico-religious mode of existence (Hamilton, 1998 p. 63). Truth as subjectivity implies an existentially based notion of truth.…”