SOREN KIERKEGAARD: DESPAIR AND THE «LEAP OF FAITH» AS EXISTENTIALS OF SPIRITUALITY
Abstract
The article provides a detailed analysis of existential categories such as «despair», «absurdity», «disbelief», «repetition» in the philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard in the context of understanding the problem of human selfhood, freedom of choice and the formation of spirituality in crisis situations, primarily in the experience of war. It is shown that existential philosophy, which emerged in the context of global social upheavals and the crisis of rational worldview, focuses not on the abstract understanding of «man in general», but on the uniqueness of individual existence, internal feelings and the personal dimension of the meaning of life.
Particular attention is paid to Kierkegaard's understanding of human as a synthesis of opposites and as a «project» that is realized through constant existential choice. The content of the concepts of «existence», «selfhood», «leap of faith», «repetition», «absurd» and their role in the formation of the spiritual dimension of human existence are revealed. The close connection between the biographical events of the thinker's life, in particular the story with Regine Olsen, and the formation of his philosophical ideas is traced, which allows for a deeper understanding of the existential nature of his thinking.
The article substantiates that despair in Kierkegaard’s philosophy is not a destructive emotional state, but a necessary internal act that opens up the possibility of transition from aesthetic and ethical ways of existence to religious ones – as a level of true spiritual self-determination. Despair is interpreted as a «starting point» of self-knowledge, which encourages a person to go beyond the boundaries of an externally determined life and make a free choice in favor of his own selfhood. It is shown that it is through the experience of losses, despair, guilt and absurdity a person acquires the ability to «free self-construction» and the formation of inner spirituality.
The importance of Kierkegaard's ideas for the modern Ukrainian experience is highlighted, in which war, loss, and existential uncertainty deepen the need to understand the meaning of individual life, preserve the selfhood, and spiritual stability of a person.
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References
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