Estádios da existência em Kierkegaard

Débora Inácia Ribeiro

11 Sept 202315:26

Summary

TLDRThe lecture explores Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard's concept of the three stages of existence: aesthetic, ethical, and religious. These stages represent different ways of living and making choices, where the aesthetic focuses on immediate pleasure and hedonism, the ethical on moral duty and societal responsibility, and the religious on faith and an absolute relationship with God. Kierkegaard suggests that individuals may experience these stages simultaneously or progressively, and achieving true human fulfillment requires the leap into the religious stage, characterized by faith and personal synthesis with the divine.

Takeaways

😀 The Danish philosopher Kierkegaard conceived three stages of existence: the aesthetic, ethical, and religious, each representing a mode of being and choice in life.
😌 The aesthetic stage involves living for immediate pleasure and sensations, with no deeper ideals or commitment beyond personal enjoyment.
🤔 In the aesthetic stage, individuals often experience doubt and are driven by external impulses rather than personal values, as exemplified by characters like Don Juan and Faust.
😱 Despair frequently emerges in the aesthetic stage, often masked by temporary pleasures but reappearing at moments of self-awareness.
🧐 The ethical stage focuses on living according to societal rules, laws, and moral obligations, where personal desires are subordinated to the common good.
🙏 The ethical stage also introduces a sense of guilt and responsibility, with individuals recognizing their need for spiritual help to meet moral demands.
🛤️ The religious stage, the highest according to Kierkegaard, involves a direct relationship with the Absolute (God), where individuals make choices based on faith rather than societal or ethical norms.
🙇‍♂️ In the religious stage, Kierkegaard emphasizes faith, as seen in the story of Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his son out of trust in God’s promise.
💡 The religious stage is not about abandoning society but transcending societal norms while still living in harmony with the world.
🎯 In existential psychology, these stages reflect how individuals cope with existential issues like anxiety, despair, and finitude, culminating in a more integrated and fulfilled life in the religious stage.

Q & A

Who is the Danish philosopher mentioned in the script and what is his main concept?
-The Danish philosopher mentioned is Søren Kierkegaard. His main concept discussed in the script is the 'three stages of existence,' which he conceives as possible ways for an individual to exist and make choices.
What are the three stages of existence proposed by Kierkegaard?
-Kierkegaard proposes three stages of existence: the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious. Each stage represents different ways of living and making choices.
What characterizes the aesthetic stage according to Kierkegaard?
-In the aesthetic stage, the individual seeks immediate pleasure and avoids commitment. Choices are based on impulses, and life is guided by sensuality and hedonism rather than ideals.
How does Kierkegaard describe the ethical stage?
-In the ethical stage, the individual focuses on living according to societal rules and moral obligations. Choices are made with a sense of duty and responsibility, and there is an emphasis on personal accountability.
What role does despair play in the aesthetic stage?
-In the aesthetic stage, individuals often experience despair, which may be unconscious or emerge from time to time. This despair arises from living a life centered on immediate gratification, without deeper meaning or commitment.
How does Kierkegaard explain the religious stage?
-The religious stage, according to Kierkegaard, involves a leap of faith and a direct relationship with the absolute (God). In this stage, an individual seeks a deeper, spiritual connection beyond societal rules and personal pleasure.
What example does Kierkegaard use to illustrate the religious stage?
-Kierkegaard uses the biblical story of Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac, to illustrate the religious stage. Abraham's faith in God and willingness to obey divine command demonstrates the leap of faith required in this stage.
How does the religious stage differ from the ethical stage?
-The religious stage goes beyond the ethical stage by suspending societal rules in favor of a higher, spiritual purpose. In the religious stage, an individual's decisions are guided by faith and their relationship with the absolute (God), rather than merely adhering to societal norms.
Can an individual experience multiple stages at once according to Kierkegaard?
-Yes, Kierkegaard suggests that individuals can experience aspects of different stages simultaneously. For example, a person may experience elements of both the aesthetic and ethical stages at the same time.
What does Kierkegaard mean by 'synthesis' in the religious stage?
-Kierkegaard refers to 'synthesis' as the resolution of inner conflict and despair in the religious stage. In this stage, individuals achieve a sense of wholeness by reconciling their spiritual faith with their earthly existence.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Introduction to Kierkegaard's Existential Stages

This paragraph introduces Søren Kierkegaard's concept of the three stages of existence: aesthetic, ethical, and religious. These stages are not necessarily sequential or mutually exclusive, as individuals may experience different aspects of each stage simultaneously. The individual must make choices regarding their existence, which may align with the aesthetic, ethical, or religious modes of being.

05:03

🎭 The Aesthetic Stage: A Life of Sensory Pleasures and Doubts

The aesthetic stage is described as a mode of existence driven by immediate gratification, with the individual pursuing sensory pleasures. In this stage, a person seeks excitement and pleasure, often abandoning ideals for the pursuit of fleeting desires. Examples like Don Juan and Faust illustrate individuals living in the aesthetic stage, where doubt, despair, and hedonism dominate, leaving them susceptible to external impulses and unable to find deeper meaning or fulfillment.

10:06

⚖️ The Ethical Stage: A Life of Responsibility and Moral Duty

The ethical stage represents a higher level of existence, where individuals adhere to societal rules and moral duties. They prioritize the common good over personal desires and work to balance their impulses with responsibility toward others. In this stage, the individual acknowledges personal guilt and strives for moral integrity. Kierkegaard views the ethical stage as a preparation for the religious stage, which transcends moral obligations.

15:06

🙏 The Religious Stage: A Leap of Faith Towards the Absolute

The religious stage, according to Kierkegaard, is the highest form of existence. It involves a personal relationship with the Absolute (or God) and a faith-driven transcendence of ethical norms. The example of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son illustrates the religious individual’s submission to the divine will over societal ethics. In this stage, the individual reconciles their relationship with the world and accepts the paradox of faith, acting according to divine guidance rather than human expectations.

🧠 Existential Reflections: The Role of Kierkegaard's Stages in Psychology

The final paragraph reflects on how Kierkegaard's existential stages can be applied in existential and phenomenological psychology. It suggests that the progression through the aesthetic, ethical, and religious stages offers insights into how individuals deal with anxiety, despair, and finitude. The religious stage, in particular, allows for a synthesis and deeper sense of fulfillment in life. The text concludes with a nod to how these ideas can be used in therapeutic settings to address the unique life situations of individuals.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Three Stages of Existence

The three stages of existence, as presented by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, represent different ways in which an individual can live and make choices. These stages are the aesthetic, ethical, and religious stages. Each stage reflects a distinct mode of being and decision-making. The video discusses how an individual may progress through these stages or experience them simultaneously, illustrating the complexities of human existence.

💡Aesthetic Stage

The aesthetic stage refers to a way of living where the individual pursues immediate pleasure and sensory gratification, often without consideration for long-term consequences. In the script, examples like Don Juan, who seeks constant conquests without attachment, illustrate this stage. The aesthetic individual focuses on enjoyment and avoids deeper reflection, which leads to fleeting happiness and sometimes existential despair.

💡Ethical Stage

The ethical stage involves making decisions based on moral duty and responsibility towards others and society. An individual in this stage seeks to live a life of integrity, upholding laws and values. The video explains that this stage is about balancing personal desires with societal expectations and a sense of duty. It is a preparation for the higher religious stage, where morality is still central but viewed through a spiritual lens.

💡Religious Stage

The religious stage is the final and highest form of existence in Kierkegaard's philosophy, where an individual transcends societal norms and connects with the 'Absolute' (which may refer to God or a higher truth). This stage requires a leap of faith, as exemplified by the story of Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his son for his faith. The individual in this stage seeks meaning beyond earthly laws, living by a divine or transcendent code.

💡Despair

Despair in Kierkegaard's philosophy, particularly in the aesthetic stage, refers to the existential hopelessness that arises when individuals realize the fleeting nature of their pursuits for pleasure. The script mentions how people in this stage may feel deep doubt and unease, even as they chase momentary gratifications. This despair can be ignored or suppressed, but it eventually resurfaces, often leading to deeper existential crises.

💡Hedonism

Hedonism, as discussed in the video, is the pursuit of pleasure as the primary goal in life, which is central to the aesthetic stage of existence. The aesthetic individual seeks to satisfy personal desires and impulses, with little regard for morality or long-term fulfillment. The example of Don Juan, who is always in search of new conquests, encapsulates this hedonistic attitude, where the thrill of the chase matters more than the actual achievement.

💡Faust

Faust is a literary figure used in the video to exemplify a person in the aesthetic stage who trades his soul for temporary, earthly pleasures. Referencing both Goethe's and Thomas Mann’s versions of the Faust story, the video highlights how the character’s pact with the devil reflects a deep existential doubt about whether his choices for immediate gratification are truly worthwhile. Faust's story serves as a metaphor for the internal conflict between short-term pleasure and long-term consequences.

💡Absolute

In the religious stage, the Absolute represents the ultimate, transcendent truth or God, which an individual seeks to connect with through faith. Kierkegaard's conception of the Absolute goes beyond organized religion and dogma, focusing on a personal and existential relationship with a higher power. This connection allows the individual to rise above ethical and societal norms to live by a divine or greater purpose.

💡Leap of Faith

The 'leap of faith' is a crucial concept in the religious stage of existence, where an individual must transcend rationality and ethics to place complete trust in a higher power or divine purpose. The video uses the example of Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his son, to illustrate this leap. It is an act of faith that suspends moral reasoning in favor of obedience to the Absolute, which Kierkegaard sees as the ultimate realization of human existence.

💡Existential Anguish

Existential anguish, or anxiety, arises from the individual's awareness of their own freedom and responsibility in making life choices. In the video, this concept is linked to all three stages of existence, but it becomes most acute in the aesthetic and ethical stages. While the aesthetic individual tries to avoid this anguish through pleasure, the ethical individual faces it through a sense of moral duty. It is in the religious stage, however, that this anguish is reconciled through faith.

Highlights

Introduction to Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard’s concept of the three stages of existence: aesthetic, ethical, and religious.

The aesthetic stage involves living for immediate pleasure, without ideals, focusing on sensations and desires.

In the aesthetic stage, characters like Don Juan exemplify the pursuit of continuous conquest and pleasure, where the joy fades once the goal is achieved.

The aesthetic individual experiences doubt and despair, often living unconsciously with these feelings, until they occasionally resurface.

Faust is presented as another example in the aesthetic stage, where he sells his soul for immediate gratification, yet questions whether it was the right choice.

The aesthetic stage lacks a sense of purpose or ideals, resembling an animalistic way of living without activating spiritual potential.

The ethical stage is characterized by adherence to moral laws and duties, where the individual strives to live responsibly and in accordance with society.

In the ethical stage, there is a recognition of guilt and the need for spiritual support to meet the demands of moral laws.

Ethical individuals prioritize the common good over personal desires, often sacrificing their own impulses for the benefit of others.

The conflict between personal desires (interiority) and societal expectations (universality) persists in the ethical stage.

The religious stage represents the highest form of human existence, where the individual connects with the Absolute (or God) and transcends ethical norms.

Kierkegaard’s religious stage emphasizes faith in the Absolute, using the example of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son as a leap of faith.

In the religious stage, the individual’s actions are justified by their relationship with the Absolute, not by societal or ethical standards.

Kierkegaard's concept of the Absolute is broader than just the Christian God, allowing for other interpretations of ultimate reality.

In the religious stage, faith enables individuals to re-enter the world and live in harmony with others, despite their personal vulnerabilities and doubts.