Choose a purposeful life based on personal values and relational engagement with the world.
Faith is redefined as trust, grounded in personal convictions, and embodied through action.
Engage others with openness, respect diverse perspectives, and embody love and compassion in Christianity.
Deep dives
Kirkegard's Relevance to the Human Condition
Soren Kirkegard, one of the founders of existentialism, speaks to the human condition and the importance of personal decision-making. He emphasizes the significance of becoming who we are meant to be and living a life of purpose. Kirkegard challenges the societal pressure to prioritize career success over personal growth and self-discovery. He encourages individuals to live with intention and take risks that align with their values and aspirations. Kirkegard's philosophy highlights themes of humility, hospitality, and gratitude, providing a lens for understanding and engaging with others in a more compassionate and open-minded way.
The Significance of Faith as Trust
Kirkegard redefines faith as trust by emphasizing the relational aspect of belief and the human experience. Rather than focusing on cognitive beliefs, Kirkegard encourages individuals to have an invested trust in their own convictions and values. Trust, coupled with hope and gratitude, becomes the driving force behind one's actions and choices. This understanding of faith fosters the idea of living a purposeful life grounded in personal values and a relational engagement with the world.
Moving Away from Conversionism and Embracing Authentic Living
The focus shifts from converting others to Christianity to living authentically and embodying the principles of humility, hospitality, and gratitude. Kirkegard challenges the popular apologetics industry and the need to make others conform to specific beliefs. Instead, he advocates for engaging others with openness, respecting diverse perspectives, and embodying love and compassion. This approach redefines Christianity as a lived reality rather than a strategic endeavor. By taking the Bible and the person of Christ seriously, individuals can embody the essence of their faith and pursue meaningful connections with others.
Embracing Subjectivity in Christianity
Subjectivity is central to understanding the Christian faith, as exemplified by the personal encounters with Jesus in the New Testament. The Christian story should focus on personal knowing and truth as a lived practice. However, Christianity has been distorted by exclusivism and cultural warrior mentality, which undermines the core values of hospitality and justice. Kirkegard and other thinkers critique the identification of Christianity with traditions rather than a contemporary, personal relationship with Christ. The invitation is to choose who we think and live like, cultivating humility and realizing that our interpretive history does not fully define Jesus.
Living Intentionally and Passionately
Kirkegard and other thinkers teach us to live intentionally and passionately, avoiding mediocrity and complacency. The goal is not to escape life's challenges and hardships, but rather to find purpose and significance in navigating them. The myth of Sisyphus reminds us that we must imagine ourselves happy in the face of repetitive, tedious tasks. It's about choosing meaningful engagement with life, narrating our own stories, and understanding that external circumstances should not determine our existential significance. Kirkegard's teachings encourage us to be engaged in the human condition, to live intentionally, and to make choices that align with our values and beliefs.
Aaron Simmons holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Vanderbilt University and is currently a Professor of philosophy at Furman University in Greenville, SC (USA). He is the President of the Søren Kierkegaard Society (USA) and has published widely in philosophy of religion, phenomenology, and existentialism. Among his authored and edited books are God and the Other: Ethics and Politics After the Theological Turn; The New Phenomenology: A Philosophical Introduction; Kierkegaard’s God and the Good Life; and Kierkegaard and Levinas: Ethics, Politics, and Religion. He and his wife, Vanessa, have been married 20 years and have an 11 year old son, Atticus. Although Aaron loves doing philosophy, he would almost always rather be fishing. Check out Aaron’s youtube channel: “Philosophy for Where We Find Ourselves,” and his TedX talk (also on youtube): “The Failure of Success.”
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
