The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast Ep. 330: Kierkegaard's "Either/Or": The Aesthetic Life (Part One)
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Nov 27, 2023 Exploring Kierkegaard's 'Either/Or' and the concept of living an artistic life, the challenges of commitment and pure possibility, and the flaws of choice. Reflecting on the excellence of Professor Lewis Mackie and ad sponsorship.
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Aesthetic Life’s Lack of Meaning
- Kierkegaard's aesthetic life is characterized by living for immediate pleasure and experiences without deeper ethical or religious grounding.
- This aesthetic mode leads to despair and boredom due to lack of fundamental values and meaning.
Three Life Stages Framework
- Kierkegaard’s 'Either/Or' contrasts aesthetic, ethical, and religious ways of life through distinct characters.
- The first half presents the aesthetic view while the second half presents the ethical, with religion as an overarching synthesis.
Immediacy vs. Reflection Paradox
- The aesthetic life involves living in immediacy, focusing on sense perception and momentary pleasures, but this is paradoxical because it is always filtered through reflective consciousness.
- Kierkegaard’s aesthete cannot truly return to pure sensory experience; instead, they are alienated, continuously reflecting and failing to grasp immediacy.