Exploring Despair: A Kierkegaardian Perspective

Are we all in despair, whether we know it or not?

Scott and Karl discuss S¢ren Kierkegaard’s cheerful little book, The Sickness Unto Death. Published in 1849, Kierkegaard outlines his theory of the self in relation to his categories of despair, wherein despair is a "disease" of the self.

For Kierkegaard, an individual is in despair if he does not align himself with God or God's plan for the self. In this way, he loses his self, which Kierkegaard defines as the "relation's relating itself to itself in the relation."

“Even talk of the self is philosophical baggage of the Christian theological doctrine of the Trinity,” Karl says, “They don’t think about the self very much before that.”

Tune in as the duo takes their first dive into continental philosophy on the podcast. Brought to you by onlinegreatbooks.com.