Not only do you clearly and efficiently present the ideas of great philosophers so that even i can comprehend them, you do it in such a subtle and quite thought provoking way. Thank you for uploading such great videos I truly appreciate it!
Miguel Favela And I appreciate you for taking the time to watch them... and also for being curious enough and open enough to consider watching them in the first place. So... thank-yooouuuu to you! Eric
Yeah what Miguel said. Kierkegaard is wildly apt for today's world but the age difference among other factors make his writings hard to translate, but you've managed to do so exquisitely. Thanks for this gem!
Your channel makes these philosophers accessible for lazy saps like myself. That is the highest compliment I can give to a student of philosophy. Thank you, Sincerely.
Thank you Doctor D I am currently in the midst of a deep dive into Special K, I viewed this at the start and am now several months in and have just reviewed again. Thank you this is great content as ever succinct and a miracle how you have got Kierkegaard key points into 19 minutes. Keep up the great work to help others grasp key concepts. Thank you for your hard work and sharing of your thoughts and perspective.
At 6 minutes you (and Kierkegaard, I guess) helped me conclude a train of thought I've been having for a long time, but always abandon because I couldn't really finish it. The "simple" "Objective Truths" vs. "Subjective Truths" just instantly killed a lot of anxiety in me because such recurring thoughts really annoy me. Damn public education systems in ""developing"" countries. Due to its attempted indoctrination to turn me into a mindless husk, now my mind blows (almost literally) even with introductions to philosophers I should already know about. Thanks for another great video!
Gabeux Wow, I'm glad that this video helped you think through something that you've been wondering about for a while. As for public education in "developing" countries... I can tell you that the situation is no different here in the United States. In fact, I would say that here thinking philosophically in any way is almost an unspeakable act of rebellion. I'm not sure if this helps you feel better or not. Maybe it's just a way of tracing the contours of the world we inhabit -- and along with it, a domain where people who care about philosophical inquiry might make a contribution. Just a thought. Eric
Prof. Dodson, Before offering a few friendly criticisms, I would like to start off by saying that I have not come across a better introduction to Kierkegaard on UA-cam. Your video is lively, fun, and clearly resonates with viewers-indeed, when I shared it with reddit’s philosophy community, it received more upvotes than anything else I had posted on the Dane. Several of your former students also voiced their appreciation. One wrote, “He was my absolute favorite professor. The students at University of West Georgia get a really special treat when they take his psychology classes. I had no idea he was making videos like this. Really took me back to his lectures.” Now, you mention that S.K.’s philosophy “tends to be very individualistic.” This is certainly true, but there is a danger here of portraying Kierkegaard as individualistic to the point of having no social, ecclesial, or political relevance. It might be helpful to emphasize that in his famous critique of ‘the crowd’ or ‘the public’ as ‘untruth’, he is not opposing genuine community, but something he actually sees as destructive of true community. He writes, “Contemporaneity with actual persons, each of whom is someone, in the actuality of the moment and the actual situation gives support to the single individual. But the existence of a public creates no situation and no community” (_Two Ages: A Literary Review_, p. 91; cf. _Søren Kierkegaard’s Journals and Papers_ [_JP_] 3: 2952). You rightly call attention to Kierkegaard’s use of indirect communication, and make a passing reference to his use of pseudonyms, but there are points of the video that draw from the pseudonymous literature without distinguishing Kierkegaard’s philosophy from that of his pseudonyms. Even when they coincide, Kierkegaard is adamant: “Once and for all I have solemnly asked that this be observed if someone wants to cite or quote any of my writings: if it is a pseudonymous work, cite or quote the pseudonym. As a concerned author I carry a great responsibility, and this is why I willingly do everything I can to insure that the communication is true. On the other hand, it is so easy to comply that I feel one should have no objection to indulging me in this. It is the fruit of long reflection, the why and how of my use of pseudonyms; I easily could write whole books about it. But if this distinction is not observed in citing and quoting, confusion and sometimes meaninglessness results” (_JP_ 6: 6567). In your video, this is not exceedingly problematic, since you do give a warning upfront, and you only occasionally cite a particular work (the references to _Fear and Trembling_ and _The Concept of Anxiety_). Further, the themes we find in the pseudonymous literature frequently occur in S.K.’s signed works and his journals and papers as well. And you avoid some of the more extreme errors, such as The School of Life’s erroneous projection of the aesthete’s attitudes toward marriage in _Either/Or_ onto Kierkegaard vis-à-vis his broken engagement with Regine Olsen. However, there are still some places where he might not wish to have certain views attributed to him. Take, for example, _Fear and Trembling_. In S.K.’s _Works of Love_ he champions an ethics of agapeistic love that is not subject to de Silentio’s “teleological suspension.” Ultimately, for Kierkegaard, God is our ultimate good, and the commands of a loving God will not be at odds with what is in our (genuine) self-interest. Also, in contrast with de Silentio’s portrayal of Abraham, Kierkegaard in his journals and papers writes, “In the Christian view Isaac actually is sacrificed-but then eternity. In Judaism it is only a test and Abraham keeps Isaac, but then the whole episode still remains essentially within this life”; again: “In Judaism everything is promise for this life, to live long upon the earth, and from this the conception of a theocracy here on earth-therefore Christianity is brought to bear at this point, because Christianity means: My kingdom is not of this world” (_JP_ 2: 2223, 2225). Granted, Kierkegaard often gets the relationship between Judaism and Christianity quite wrong, and some have even charged him of anti-Semitism at certain points. But precisely for that reason it’s important to be clear on what he himself is and is not saying. I would also caution the viewer that when de Silentio uses the phrase “by virtue of the absurd,” neither Kierkegaard nor de Silentio is recommending irrationalism or absurdism. I’m not saying that your video makes this claim, of course, only that without an explicit caveat Kierkegaard will often get badly misinterpreted on this score (as he often has, even among careful scholars!). A word on your treatment of objective and subjective truth. You treat both as primarily _epistemological_ categories, but I would suggest that subjective truth, though containing an epistemic and experiential aspect, is primarily _existential or moral/practical_. This is abundantly clear in Kierkegaard’s signed works, but even Johannes Climacus in _Concluding Unscientific Postscript_ refers to subjective truth as “the self-activity of appropriation” (p. 242). This appropriative self-activity has epistemological consequences, of course, as when Climacus observes, “only when the single individual turns inward into himself (consequently only in the inwardness of self-activity) does he become aware of and capable of seeing God” (p. 243). But there appears to be a logical priority of the former to the latter. ‘Inwardness’ / ‘earnestness’ / ‘concern’-then an existential mode of knowing. My only other wish would be to perhaps see a little more historical context, such as S.K.’s critique of Hegel, his battle with _The Corsair_, and his famous ‘attack on Christendom’. But of course one must be selective in an introductory piece, and you have done a brilliant job of conveying many of Kierkegaard’s ideas! I am looking forward to watching some of your other videos!
Conclusive Postscript Wow, first, thanks for the very interesting and thoughtful response. Also, thanks so much for putting this video on Reddit -- especially since self-promotion is definitely not my strong suit. So thanks on both scores for all of that! Yes, I find that when I make these videos, there's always an almost torturous process of triage involved. The question is always: Which corners do I have to cut to make this an enticing invitation, rather than an intimidatingly comprehensive account? In the case of this particular video, I was trying to get it in under 20 minutes (mostly for the psychological effect of being able to use a number in the teens in the title... which I thought would make it more inviting). The main criterion I use for making decisions of this sort is that I'm intending these videos to have the character of an invitation to the mostly uninitiated. My reason is that I sense that taking this approach is more likely to have a larger overall overall benefit for people, especially those who might otherwise never be drawn to Kierkegaard, or even to philosophy more generally, for that matter. Basically, I myself have benefited tremendously from these ideas, and so I feel a deep desire to make that benefit accessible and inviting to other people. It's basically a kind of passionate commitment for me. But the price is that I always have to cut corners -- several of which you're noticing. You're right to point out that the pseudonymous works are often offering a view that contrasts with K's own -- which of course sets up a whole range of tricky difficulties with respect to interpretation. I tried to give some indication of this in the beginning with the whole thing about indirect communication. But maybe it would have been better to give a more explicit warning about the pseudonymous works in particular. Also, yeah, I think that one good entry-point into K would be to draw out the tension between his work and Hegel's. In fact, I often do this when I present K in class. But then you have to explain Hegel well enough so that people can appreciate the tension, which of course eats up those precious seconds in a video of this sort. The same is true of the Corsair Affair, and the whole issue around R. Olsen -- lost on the cutting room floor, I'm afraid. However, probably the thing I most regret having omitted in this video is an attempt to characterize what an experiential relation to God actually feels like. Basically, making these videos is an impossible task. But in that regard I'm a bit inspired by Goethe's couplet about loving those who yearn for the impossible (in Faust). Anyhow... thanks so much for making the connection between Reddit and these videos. As you can probably discern, I'm very passionate about these ideas and these thinkers and texts, and so I really appreciate any force (or person) that helps them find greater purchase in our world. So... a great big Thaaannnkkkkk-Yooooouuuuu to you, whoever you are, and wherever you live.... My best, Eric D.
This was such a beautiful exchange, thank you so much for this. Turning inward as a means of searching for and connecting with God is a takeaway from the closing paragraphs of OP. I already fear thinking too much on pursuits which pacify my need for sincere and intelligent conversation.... This was a treat to remind me I'm not alone in a need to explore the spark of life driving me. Thank you
+Thom Black The visuals were AMAZING. I'm not at a philosophical level where I can say this was a "simplification." I found this video extremely powerful and thought provoking, although personally, I don't read religious texts. First came "religion / philosophy" and then we developed "science" so my only question is (and I don't know the answer here) - what next?
Thank you so much for your philosophy video lectures. They have expanded my horizons and suggest life options of which I had either not been aware or, perhaps perceived in the abstract, but had not articulated. These lectures are so direct, clear and approachable and, I am grateful for them.
You are a gifted teacher in your visuals, auditory, content, and simplicity. Well done. I'm enjoying subscribing. Your students down South are very lucky.
That was one of the best explanations I've ever heard/experienced on youtube or anywhere for that matter. I really appreciate the way it has been explained. Great job!!!
This is such a great and comprehensive video on Kierkegaard, please keep this amazing content going! I do however want to mention that Kierkegaard does not explicitly say that one mode of existence (aesthetic, ethical and religious) is the right one, they are just different (although you could argue he prefers the religious one).
you have an amazing ability to break this complicated stuff down to simple terms. People as such are treasures. This is because I believe that unless someone can explain something as a lay-person, they don;t truly understand it. Second to that, pretentiousness is sometimes used to purposelly blur the message to give someone a feeling of superiority - purposefully making it awkward to understand. Thankfully you lay it down to the point anybody could get! This is the first video i've watched so I still have the joy of clicking your channel, but I hope you've done the same for Carl Jung! Either way - SUBSCRIBED!!
Really, thank you for create this kind of videos. I had a lot of problems with finding good content for understanding Kierkegaard's ideas. Thank you agein. Now you have a fan from Mexico 😁😁
13:00 "...life's most distant shores..." Very evocative! Kierkegaard believed in a Christian God because it was in his nature to do so.He happened to be an ethical person as well...Having spent considerable time time over many years with many different philosophers,I conclude that the subjective inner world of the self governs our discourse as the objective world imposes its limits. I now hear the personal struggles of every one in only a few lines...
Thank you for these. Sometimes I forget to frame the world in the correct philosophical lens and your videos often at least remind me that I can take a step back.
Michael Berkeley Thanks, Michael. Yeah, I wanted a deflationary comparison for sexuality, mostly because so many people (probably especially men) take it to be the pinnacle of life. "If only I were getting laid by the right person in the right way..." Anyhow... right now I'm working on a new video on the positive side of nihilism. It'll probably be loose in the world this coming weekend.... and, as always, thanks for watching! Eric
"The self is a relation which relates itself to its own self, or it is that in the relation [which accounts for it] that the relation relates itself to its own self; the self is not the relation but [consists in the fact] that the relation relates itself to its own self. Man is a synthesis of the infinite and the finite, of the temporal and the eternal, of freedom and necessity, in short it is a synthesis. A synthesis is a relation between two factors. So regarded, man is not yet a self." Try to unravel THAT in nineteen minutes. Take nineteen years if you must.
Means humans have more growing up to do before we see what/who we really are, both evolutionarily and personally, and that growth is an inner growth, not necessarily an outer one.
I love this video very much. Thought provoking & too much food for thought. And a dose of humor too albeit in the slides presentation only. I particularly had a very good laugh on the picture of a bored baby.. : )
Yes PLEASE especially his views of mysticism and the occult! I would love it. Even though I've read and own almost every book he's ever had published, I would still love to hear YOU present it Eric. Dan Mac was on to something!🤩
Carl Jung deserves a Dodson series. I would be fascinated to see what highlights Eric would touch upon if he constrained Jung under 19 minutes. For Christmas 2018? 😌
OK, I found it. Maybe not great based on all the other comments I made on this site. Nothing to elaborate on. Not referring to Kierkegaard personally but to the presentation concerning the man.
Awesome, awesome awesome. Wish I had seen this a couple of months ago when I was tackling my essay on "The Sickness Unto Death", would have saved me hours when I was trying to connect the dot between the book I'd read and his overall philosophy. Cheers!
Great stuff. Two additional points: 1. K. wants you to judge _yourself_, not others. He's less interested in the question "How could we organize society to maximize happiness?" than in asking "What is happiness to _me_? And is it really the meaning of my life?" 2. All of the concepts in this video are from his pseudonymous works, which (as you said) tend to be cryptic and highly ironic; but he also published religious sermons (_Works of Love_, _Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses_, etc.), which no one reads, but which are much clearer expositions of his thought and philosophy. No serious student of his work should neglect them.
Nice work Eric. I like your selections of art, as well. Could you do an installment on the philosophy of Spinoza and the conflation of his metaphysics with pantheism? And maybe his influence on Einstein.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Finally, having another argument, Kierkegaard got extremely influenced by his weak physical health. That is how he appreciates a thanatos psychological insight in hiding our will to do us more harm than good. There is a strict difference between death and living, as with not living and living with pain. In my case, wouldn't fall off a cliff or rooftop because I would be severely injured or dead enough to not continue my works. In fact, even thought decision-making relies inside our minds, physical laws of gravity make me understand how mortal I am and important to know how to jump, live without fear and mantaining next to a corner. An invitation to be free to die is inside Kierkegaard's mind and his angst self process.
Hi Eric. I thought this was the most clear explanation of Kierkegaard in a nutshell I have heard so far. Thank you for getting it all down in 19 minutes in such a lucid and funny way. Being curious about the subject, I would like to know how Kierkegaard makes the leap from living a morally ethical life to living a Christian life? I have read, but didn't understand Sickness unto Death, nor did I understand K's larger volume Either/Or (though I understand that the upshot was not an either/or choice between the moral life and the aesthetic life).
Great work and much appreciated. Your videos are eminently accessible, entertaining, educational, and thought-provoking. But tell me: this philosophy business -- it pays well?
Eric, thank you taking time to represent my fellow Dane so elegantly. I have the privilege to read him in the way he is supposed to, namely Danish. And because of this I would like to ask you which work of his you found the most substantial and riveting?
I have a question. Why was Kierkegaard so vehement about Mozart's genius when refering to Don Giovanni's narative, when in fact the text was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte?
Hey, this was a great video! Thank you for the upload. Is there a specific text that Kierkegaard discusses these ideas or was this based on the work he did over his whole life?
Forest Whitakers Lazy Eye Hi Forest.... The main text I'm using here is the Concluding Unscientific Postscript. The second text would be The Concept of Dread (variously translated as, The Concept of Anxiety). I'm also pulling somewhat from K's journals and Either/Or. Anyhow, thanks for watching, and have a great Eric Dodson's Birthday!.... Eric
If you care: it's pronounced "kierkegore", with the last syllable being a bit shorter than the English word "gore", but it's the same vocal sound. You pronounce the first part of the word perfectly.
The introduction of the themes of absurdity and anguish that we face in this life, the dynamic of pain and pleasure and its alienating quality, etc. Sartre, Camus, etc, explored that a lot.
Standing on a curb is pretty easy to do but every now and then you do fall off. I'd hate to risk it from 100' :P I do get what Kierkegaard is saying about those "what ifs" we play in our head. Like what if I turned into oncoming traffic, plotted an attack, or dropped the baby. Its pretty main stream seeing as writers/directors are always showing us all the twisted stuff they can think of.
But Kierkegaard was far from mainstream in his day, he lived long before the things you mention and his influence is noticeable in films and popular entertainment these days.
Good, but you got one key thing backwards. Kierkegaard's leap of faith does NOT involve the teleological suspension of the ethical (which means to temporarily suspend ethics for the sake of a later, greater ethical outcome). In Fear and Trembling he said that such a movement would still fall within the category and phase of The Ethical because ethics would still be at its core. Thus the Knight of Faith cannot hide behind the teleological suspension of the ethical.
The teleological suspension of the ethical is only correct for THE LEAP OF FAITH which is not demanded by any ethic, but by the knight of faith's own devotion to God's will.
This video, ergo Kierkegaard (*and Eric's exceptional summation ), explains every "problem" American media (ergo American citizens) argue over on a daily basis today. America is the political Objective party (Left) vs. the Subjective party (Right).
I've watched several youtube vids on Kierkegaard and have read Fear and Loathing and none have been as succinct as you. I really don't know why its hard to understand Kierkegaard. Being familiar with Camus' absurdism helps a bit though.
The music is actually credited at the end of the video. It's a traditional Danish piece called, "Dronningens Cotillion," as performed by Huldrelokkk. You can find it on UA-cam. P.S. These women are really great!
Not only do you clearly and efficiently present the ideas of great philosophers so that even i can comprehend them, you do it in such a subtle and quite thought provoking way. Thank you for uploading such great videos
I truly appreciate it!
Miguel Favela And I appreciate you for taking the time to watch them... and also for being curious enough and open enough to consider watching them in the first place. So... thank-yooouuuu to you! Eric
I second that.
Yeah what Miguel said. Kierkegaard is wildly apt for today's world but the age difference among other factors make his writings hard to translate, but you've managed to do so exquisitely. Thanks for this gem!
Your channel makes these philosophers accessible for lazy saps like myself. That is the highest compliment I can give to a student of philosophy. Thank you, Sincerely.
Soren Kierkegaard. The greatest philosopher of all time. God bless.
Spinoza would like to have a word.
@@deussivenatura5805 as would Aristotle. 😆
Pascal came before Kierkegaard
Thank you Mr. Dodson. You have explained Kierkegaard's work in a very simple and very comprehensive way. I highly appreciate your time and effort.
You explained in such a simple way the main themes in Kierkegaard in such a way that he didn't even want to, but I really needed. Thank you !
Kierkegaard ironizava que no futuro seu pensamento seria reduzido pelos professores a poucos parágrafos...
Thank you Doctor D I am currently in the midst of a deep dive into Special K, I viewed this at the start and am now several months in and have just reviewed again. Thank you this is great content as ever succinct and a miracle how you have got Kierkegaard key points into 19 minutes. Keep up the great work to help others grasp key concepts. Thank you for your hard work and sharing of your thoughts and perspective.
This is timeless, thank you!
Hello Dr D. Just reviewing this today and it was so lovely to hear your voice again. Hope you are enjoying life wherever you are.
At 6 minutes you (and Kierkegaard, I guess) helped me conclude a train of thought I've been having for a long time, but always abandon because I couldn't really finish it.
The "simple" "Objective Truths" vs. "Subjective Truths" just instantly killed a lot of anxiety in me because such recurring thoughts really annoy me.
Damn public education systems in ""developing"" countries. Due to its attempted indoctrination to turn me into a mindless husk, now my mind blows (almost literally) even with introductions to philosophers I should already know about.
Thanks for another great video!
Gabeux Wow, I'm glad that this video helped you think through something that you've been wondering about for a while. As for public education in "developing" countries... I can tell you that the situation is no different here in the United States. In fact, I would say that here thinking philosophically in any way is almost an unspeakable act of rebellion. I'm not sure if this helps you feel better or not. Maybe it's just a way of tracing the contours of the world we inhabit -- and along with it, a domain where people who care about philosophical inquiry might make a contribution. Just a thought. Eric
In the middle of reading At the Existentialist Cafe. Your lectures are an invaluable supplement. Thank you.
I watched this for three minutes and knew I was watching a quality production that would teach me something. Thank you for your efforts. Bravo!
Mr. Dodson, I respect and admire Soren Kierkegaard and I appreciate your contribution for all of us who would like to know more about the Big K.
Prof. Dodson,
Before offering a few friendly criticisms, I would like to start off by saying that I have not come across a better introduction to Kierkegaard on UA-cam. Your video is lively, fun, and clearly resonates with viewers-indeed, when I shared it with reddit’s philosophy community, it received more upvotes than anything else I had posted on the Dane. Several of your former students also voiced their appreciation. One wrote, “He was my absolute favorite professor. The students at University of West Georgia get a really special treat when they take his psychology classes. I had no idea he was making videos like this. Really took me back to his lectures.”
Now, you mention that S.K.’s philosophy “tends to be very individualistic.” This is certainly true, but there is a danger here of portraying Kierkegaard as individualistic to the point of having no social, ecclesial, or political relevance. It might be helpful to emphasize that in his famous critique of ‘the crowd’ or ‘the public’ as ‘untruth’, he is not opposing genuine community, but something he actually sees as destructive of true community. He writes, “Contemporaneity with actual persons, each of whom is someone, in the actuality of the moment and the actual situation gives support to the single individual. But the existence of a public creates no situation and no community” (_Two Ages: A Literary Review_, p. 91; cf. _Søren Kierkegaard’s Journals and Papers_ [_JP_] 3: 2952).
You rightly call attention to Kierkegaard’s use of indirect communication, and make a passing reference to his use of pseudonyms, but there are points of the video that draw from the pseudonymous literature without distinguishing Kierkegaard’s philosophy from that of his pseudonyms. Even when they coincide, Kierkegaard is adamant:
“Once and for all I have solemnly asked that this be observed if someone wants to cite or quote any of my writings: if it is a pseudonymous work, cite or quote the pseudonym. As a concerned author I carry a great responsibility, and this is why I willingly do everything I can to insure that the communication is true. On the other hand, it is so easy to comply that I feel one should have no objection to indulging me in this. It is the fruit of long reflection, the why and how of my use of pseudonyms; I easily could write whole books about it. But if this distinction is not observed in citing and quoting, confusion and sometimes meaninglessness results” (_JP_ 6: 6567).
In your video, this is not exceedingly problematic, since you do give a warning upfront, and you only occasionally cite a particular work (the references to _Fear and Trembling_ and _The Concept of Anxiety_). Further, the themes we find in the pseudonymous literature frequently occur in S.K.’s signed works and his journals and papers as well. And you avoid some of the more extreme errors, such as The School of Life’s erroneous projection of the aesthete’s attitudes toward marriage in _Either/Or_ onto Kierkegaard vis-à-vis his broken engagement with Regine Olsen. However, there are still some places where he might not wish to have certain views attributed to him.
Take, for example, _Fear and Trembling_. In S.K.’s _Works of Love_ he champions an ethics of agapeistic love that is not subject to de Silentio’s “teleological suspension.” Ultimately, for Kierkegaard, God is our ultimate good, and the commands of a loving God will not be at odds with what is in our (genuine) self-interest.
Also, in contrast with de Silentio’s portrayal of Abraham, Kierkegaard in his journals and papers writes, “In the Christian view Isaac actually is sacrificed-but then eternity. In Judaism it is only a test and Abraham keeps Isaac, but then the whole episode still remains essentially within this life”; again: “In Judaism everything is promise for this life, to live long upon the earth, and from this the conception of a theocracy here on earth-therefore Christianity is brought to bear at this point, because Christianity means: My kingdom is not of this world” (_JP_ 2: 2223, 2225). Granted, Kierkegaard often gets the relationship between Judaism and Christianity quite wrong, and some have even charged him of anti-Semitism at certain points. But precisely for that reason it’s important to be clear on what he himself is and is not saying.
I would also caution the viewer that when de Silentio uses the phrase “by virtue of the absurd,” neither Kierkegaard nor de Silentio is recommending irrationalism or absurdism. I’m not saying that your video makes this claim, of course, only that without an explicit caveat Kierkegaard will often get badly misinterpreted on this score (as he often has, even among careful scholars!).
A word on your treatment of objective and subjective truth. You treat both as primarily _epistemological_ categories, but I would suggest that subjective truth, though containing an epistemic and experiential aspect, is primarily _existential or moral/practical_. This is abundantly clear in Kierkegaard’s signed works, but even Johannes Climacus in _Concluding Unscientific Postscript_ refers to subjective truth as “the self-activity of appropriation” (p. 242). This appropriative self-activity has epistemological consequences, of course, as when Climacus observes, “only when the single individual turns inward into himself (consequently only in the inwardness of self-activity) does he become aware of and capable of seeing God” (p. 243). But there appears to be a logical priority of the former to the latter. ‘Inwardness’ / ‘earnestness’ / ‘concern’-then an existential mode of knowing.
My only other wish would be to perhaps see a little more historical context, such as S.K.’s critique of Hegel, his battle with _The Corsair_, and his famous ‘attack on Christendom’. But of course one must be selective in an introductory piece, and you have done a brilliant job of conveying many of Kierkegaard’s ideas! I am looking forward to watching some of your other videos!
Conclusive Postscript Wow, first, thanks for the very interesting and thoughtful response. Also, thanks so much for putting this video on Reddit -- especially since self-promotion is definitely not my strong suit. So thanks on both scores for all of that!
Yes, I find that when I make these videos, there's always an almost torturous process of triage involved. The question is always: Which corners do I have to cut to make this an enticing invitation, rather than an intimidatingly comprehensive account? In the case of this particular video, I was trying to get it in under 20 minutes (mostly for the psychological effect of being able to use a number in the teens in the title... which I thought would make it more inviting).
The main criterion I use for making decisions of this sort is that I'm intending these videos to have the character of an invitation to the mostly uninitiated. My reason is that I sense that taking this approach is more likely to have a larger overall overall benefit for people, especially those who might otherwise never be drawn to Kierkegaard, or even to philosophy more generally, for that matter. Basically, I myself have benefited tremendously from these ideas, and so I feel a deep desire to make that benefit accessible and inviting to other people. It's basically a kind of passionate commitment for me.
But the price is that I always have to cut corners -- several of which you're noticing. You're right to point out that the pseudonymous works are often offering a view that contrasts with K's own -- which of course sets up a whole range of tricky difficulties with respect to interpretation. I tried to give some indication of this in the beginning with the whole thing about indirect communication. But maybe it would have been better to give a more explicit warning about the pseudonymous works in particular.
Also, yeah, I think that one good entry-point into K would be to draw out the tension between his work and Hegel's. In fact, I often do this when I present K in class. But then you have to explain Hegel well enough so that people can appreciate the tension, which of course eats up those precious seconds in a video of this sort. The same is true of the Corsair Affair, and the whole issue around R. Olsen -- lost on the cutting room floor, I'm afraid. However, probably the thing I most regret having omitted in this video is an attempt to characterize what an experiential relation to God actually feels like.
Basically, making these videos is an impossible task. But in that regard I'm a bit inspired by Goethe's couplet about loving those who yearn for the impossible (in Faust). Anyhow... thanks so much for making the connection between Reddit and these videos. As you can probably discern, I'm very passionate about these ideas and these thinkers and texts, and so I really appreciate any force (or person) that helps them find greater purchase in our world. So... a great big Thaaannnkkkkk-Yooooouuuuu to you, whoever you are, and wherever you live....
My best,
Eric D.
This was such a beautiful exchange, thank you so much for this.
Turning inward as a means of searching for and connecting with God is a takeaway from the closing paragraphs of OP. I already fear thinking too much on pursuits which pacify my need for sincere and intelligent conversation.... This was a treat to remind me I'm not alone in a need to explore the spark of life driving me.
Thank you
You are great for simplifying these philosophers.
+Thom Black The visuals were AMAZING. I'm not at a philosophical level where I can say this was a "simplification." I found this video extremely powerful and thought provoking, although personally, I don't read religious texts. First came "religion / philosophy" and then we developed "science" so my only question is (and I don't know the answer here) - what next?
Thank you for the breakdown of Kierkegaard. I'm reading "The Sickness Unto Death" right now and this was a big help.
this dude is totally me
holy shit
i finally found a philosopher that totally aligns with me
you mean you align with kierkegaard's philosophy. :P
kierkegaard is literally me
Leonardo Po don't get too comfortable though, keep learning
Leonardo Po to be fair he did say he could be considered a theologian more than a philosopher.
Citation?
Amazing explanation of a complex and yet compelling philosopher. Wonderful.
Thank you so much for your philosophy video lectures. They have expanded my horizons and suggest life options of which I had either not been aware or, perhaps perceived in the abstract, but had not articulated. These lectures are so direct, clear and approachable and, I am grateful for them.
+Jeremy Sumner And I am grateful for people such as yourself, who are open enough and curious enough to watch them. Thanks. Eric D.
Someone said in another video that this is the best channel on UA-cam; I'm seconding that now.
+aspacepig Duly noted, thanks.
Just discovered this channel and i subbed. I've been following Kierkegaards teachings. This vid is golden sir.
Simply Brilliant! you put that together beautifully, thank you!
You are a gifted teacher in your visuals, auditory, content, and simplicity.
Well done. I'm enjoying subscribing. Your students down South are very lucky.
+Geri Lewis Thanks, Geri, and thanks for taking the time to watch... Eric D.
+Geri Lewis Well put. BTW is that redford in your profile?
true
That was one of the best explanations I've ever heard/experienced on youtube or anywhere for that matter. I really appreciate the way it has been explained. Great job!!!
Thank you for making this video. I really like the way you compose and comperhend the ideas in your videos, I applaud you for that.
Kierkekaarde was such an insightful thinker and is even more relevant today.
This is such a great and comprehensive video on Kierkegaard, please keep this amazing content going!
I do however want to mention that Kierkegaard does not explicitly say that one mode of existence (aesthetic, ethical and religious) is the right one, they are just different (although you could argue he prefers the religious one).
Great work Eric thank you for structuring this so intelligently and with lovely touches of humour to make me want to explore Buber more
you have an amazing ability to break this complicated stuff down to simple terms. People as such are treasures. This is because I believe that unless someone can explain something as a lay-person, they don;t truly understand it. Second to that, pretentiousness is sometimes used to purposelly blur the message to give someone a feeling of superiority - purposefully making it awkward to understand. Thankfully you lay it down to the point anybody could get! This is the first video i've watched so I still have the joy of clicking your channel, but I hope you've done the same for Carl Jung! Either way - SUBSCRIBED!!
Thank you so much for putting this together. Very helpful!!
Awesone summary. I have a lot of respect for Kierkegaard.
Great video, you are now one of my favorite youtubers thank you very much
Just discovered your videos, thank you!! These are interesting and informative, and especially, give me the desire to read these thinkers!
Really, thank you for create this kind of videos. I had a lot of problems with finding good content for understanding Kierkegaard's ideas. Thank you agein. Now you have a fan from Mexico 😁😁
Oh, my god! Thank you! I can understand philsophers' thoughts so well!
Great work--clear, concise, yet still intellectually stimulating and thought provoking
13:00 "...life's most distant shores..." Very evocative!
Kierkegaard believed in a Christian God because it was in his nature to do so.He happened to be an ethical person as well...Having spent considerable time
time over many years with many different philosophers,I conclude that the subjective inner world of the self governs our discourse as the objective world imposes
its limits. I now hear the personal struggles of every one in only a few lines...
Thank you for this exquisite presentation of some of Kierkegaards primary concepts including the difference between objective and subjective truths
This video really clarified something for me that I felt but wasn`t able to put into words.
A fine way to get a handle on Kierkegaard. Much appreciated!
your awesome, I was just reading and seriously struggling with Kierkegaard, this really helped.
Thank you for these. Sometimes I forget to frame the world in the correct philosophical lens and your videos often at least remind me that I can take a step back.
Thanks for your work. We went to Denmark several times.
Really enjoyed this video. Good job of distilling Kierkegaard in a short format Thanks for sharing it.
mchesla1954 Sure! And thanks for taking the time to watch & comment. Eric
Loved it! "Collect sexual experience like collecting stamps"--was an aha moment for me:) thank you for doing these videos. I am a big fan!!
Michael Berkeley Thanks, Michael. Yeah, I wanted a deflationary comparison for sexuality, mostly because so many people (probably especially men) take it to be the pinnacle of life. "If only I were getting laid by the right person in the right way..." Anyhow... right now I'm working on a new video on the positive side of nihilism. It'll probably be loose in the world this coming weekend.... and, as always, thanks for watching! Eric
I love the way you use modern contexts to illustrate historical philosophical thoughts. This helps my brain!
Great videos - Sub earned
Hi ms lopez
"The self is a relation which relates itself to its own self, or it is that in the relation [which accounts for it] that the relation relates itself to its own self; the self is not the relation but [consists in the fact] that the relation relates itself to its own self. Man is a synthesis of the infinite and the finite, of the temporal and the eternal, of freedom and necessity, in short it is a synthesis. A synthesis is a relation between two factors. So regarded, man is not yet a self." Try to unravel THAT in nineteen minutes. Take nineteen years if you must.
Means humans have more growing up to do before we see what/who we really are, both evolutionarily and personally, and that growth is an inner growth, not necessarily an outer one.
Oh thank the lord for Dr.Peterson’s revival of this brilliant thinker’s relevance to our modern moods 🙏
Too bad he's too religious. Could have been a good philosopher
Excellent presentation. I acquired similar personal philosophy and Kierkegaard already said it:)
I love this video very much. Thought provoking & too much food for thought. And a dose of humor too albeit in the slides presentation only. I particularly had a very good laugh on the picture of a bored baby.. : )
best vid that expains soren kiekegaard's ideas. very clear! god job
Kierkegaard got dat model pout
+Cool Hand Luke He do.
I did
I love these summaries! Please do America's most famous hipster: David Henry Thoreau.
This was truly wonderful. Thank you.
thanks.that was fabulous.i was always interested in kierkegaard ideas although I did not fully understand what he was on about.
Excellent video. Thank you!
How about a 30 minute video on Carl Jung?! pleeeeeeease. Pretty pleeeeeeeeeaaaaase!!
Yes PLEASE especially his views of mysticism and the occult! I would love it. Even though I've read and own almost every book he's ever had published, I would still love to hear YOU present it Eric. Dan Mac was on to something!🤩
Carl Jung deserves a Dodson series. I would be fascinated to see what highlights Eric would touch upon if he constrained Jung under 19 minutes.
For Christmas 2018? 😌
Yes please
dan mac ez beta
I love this! Enlightening and entertaining! Subbed and liked!
I love you guys. This is a great clip. Very well presented.
Well, maybe not great.
Care to elaborate an objection?
Be happy to if I can remember what I said and what the context was. I'll have a look somewhere. I don't even remember what I was objecting to.
OK, I found it. Maybe not great based on all the other comments I made on this site. Nothing to elaborate on. Not referring to Kierkegaard personally but to the presentation concerning the man.
Thank you for your videos Eric, they are really helpful!
Awesome, awesome awesome. Wish I had seen this a couple of months ago when I was tackling my essay on "The Sickness Unto Death", would have saved me hours when I was trying to connect the dot between the book I'd read and his overall philosophy. Cheers!
Great stuff. Two additional points: 1. K. wants you to judge _yourself_, not others. He's less interested in the question "How could we organize society to maximize happiness?" than in asking "What is happiness to _me_? And is it really the meaning of my life?" 2. All of the concepts in this video are from his pseudonymous works, which (as you said) tend to be cryptic and highly ironic; but he also published religious sermons (_Works of Love_, _Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses_, etc.), which no one reads, but which are much clearer expositions of his thought and philosophy. No serious student of his work should neglect them.
I really liked the idea of "farther shores" towards the end of the video.
your stuff is amazing. many thanks for posting.
+Diane Austin Well, thanks... and many thanks to you for listening !!!
you are awesome! thank you for such a clear, informative, funny video.
Love the video!, say do you have a link to the picture at 12:55 ? its gorgeous
Fantastic videos Eric!
Nice work Eric. I like your selections of art, as well. Could you do an installment on the philosophy of Spinoza and the conflation of his metaphysics with pantheism? And maybe his influence on Einstein.
EXCELLENT presentation!! Why is this not taught in schools?
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Blissful video brother 🙏🙏🙌🙌
Finally, having another argument, Kierkegaard got extremely influenced by his weak physical health. That is how he appreciates a thanatos psychological insight in hiding our will to do us more harm than good. There is a strict difference between death and living, as with not living and living with pain. In my case, wouldn't fall off a cliff or rooftop because I would be severely injured or dead enough to not continue my works. In fact, even thought decision-making relies inside our minds, physical laws of gravity make me understand how mortal I am and important to know how to jump, live without fear and mantaining next to a corner. An invitation to be free to die is inside Kierkegaard's mind and his angst self process.
Subscribed, brother. That was super helpful.
Hello, could you please tell me the name of the musical piece played at the end?
19:18
Hi Eric. I thought this was the most clear explanation of Kierkegaard in a nutshell I have heard so far. Thank you for getting it all down in 19 minutes in such a lucid and funny way. Being curious about the subject, I would like to know how Kierkegaard makes the leap from living a morally ethical life to living a Christian life? I have read, but didn't understand Sickness unto Death, nor did I understand K's larger volume Either/Or (though I understand that the upshot was not an either/or choice between the moral life and the aesthetic life).
1st learned about Kierkegaard coming of age when i took a "test" to determine my religion. Result: "Kierkegaard"
Great work and much appreciated. Your videos are eminently accessible, entertaining, educational, and thought-provoking. But tell me: this philosophy business -- it pays well?
great video. subbed and excited to see more.
Eric, thank you taking time to represent my fellow Dane so elegantly. I have the privilege to read him in the way he is supposed to, namely Danish. And because of this I would like to ask you which work of his you found the most substantial and riveting?
I have a question. Why was Kierkegaard so vehement about Mozart's genius when refering to Don Giovanni's narative, when in fact the text was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte?
omds omds omds finally Kierkegaard and succinct communication at the same time!!!
Amazing video thank you very much!
Hey, this was a great video! Thank you for the upload. Is there a specific text that Kierkegaard discusses these ideas or was this based on the work he did over his whole life?
Forest Whitakers Lazy Eye Hi Forest.... The main text I'm using here is the Concluding Unscientific Postscript. The second text would be The Concept of Dread (variously translated as, The Concept of Anxiety). I'm also pulling somewhat from K's journals and Either/Or. Anyhow, thanks for watching, and have a great Eric Dodson's Birthday!.... Eric
Kierkegaard went to the edge of a cliff, looked out over vast spaces and concluded that life was meaningless.
Your vids are fabulous. Great job!
This is the best of all possible worlds. Certainly the most expensive.
If you care: it's pronounced "kierkegore", with the last syllable being a bit shorter than the English word "gore", but it's the same vocal sound. You pronounce the first part of the word perfectly.
Thank you !!!! you are the best
Americans don like irony. Thus in college, no one understood Kierkegaard
bs"d Thank you for choosing Dronningen's Contillion (probably the Huldrelokkk version) for your musical intro!
What makes Kierkegaard existentialist?
The introduction of the themes of absurdity and anguish that we face in this life, the dynamic of pain and pleasure and its alienating quality, etc. Sartre, Camus, etc, explored that a lot.
I found this very helpful, thank you.
Standing on a curb is pretty easy to do but every now and then you do fall off. I'd hate to risk it from 100' :P
I do get what Kierkegaard is saying about those "what ifs" we play in our head. Like what if I turned into oncoming traffic, plotted an attack, or dropped the baby. Its pretty main stream seeing as writers/directors are always showing us all the twisted stuff they can think of.
But Kierkegaard was far from mainstream in his day, he lived long before the things you mention and his influence is noticeable in films and popular entertainment these days.
What is image source in 4:31?
Good, but you got one key thing backwards. Kierkegaard's leap of faith does NOT involve the teleological suspension of the ethical (which means to temporarily suspend ethics for the sake of a later, greater ethical outcome). In Fear and Trembling he said that such a movement would still fall within the category and phase of The Ethical because ethics would still be at its core. Thus the Knight of Faith cannot hide behind the teleological suspension of the ethical.
The teleological suspension of the ethical is only correct for THE LEAP OF FAITH which is not demanded by any ethic, but by the knight of faith's own devotion to God's will.
Yet it is the sane God which can never be understood by anyone other than knights of faith: isolated individuals alone in their road of faith
No-one can do Kierkgaard in 15 minutes. I've read and re-read his Fear and Trembling, still I don't understand it.
This video, ergo Kierkegaard (*and Eric's exceptional summation ), explains every "problem" American media (ergo American citizens) argue over on a daily basis today. America is the political Objective party (Left) vs. the Subjective party (Right).
I've watched several youtube vids on Kierkegaard and have read Fear and Loathing and none have been as succinct as you. I really don't know why its hard to understand Kierkegaard. Being familiar with Camus' absurdism helps a bit though.
Keep this up! Awesome! Thanks a lot!
Jack Hayne Thanks, Jack... I'm glad that you enjoyed it! Eric
thanks for sharing, respect!
I love the music at the beginning. Could you please tell me the name?
The music is actually credited at the end of the video. It's a traditional Danish piece called, "Dronningens Cotillion," as performed by Huldrelokkk. You can find it on UA-cam. P.S. These women are really great!
Thanks a lot and have a great new year!