The Philosophical Foundation: Kierkegaard vs. Hegel

Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), often regarded as the father of existentialism, established his philosophical identity largely in opposition to the prevailing Hegelian thought of his era. Where Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel constructed an all-encompassing systematic philosophy that claimed to explain all aspects of reality through rational inquiry, Kierkegaard advocated for a deeply personal, subjective approach to truth and existence.

"Truth is subjectivity," Kierkegaard famously proclaimed in his work Concluding Unscientific Postscript (1846). This seemingly simple statement represents a profound rejection of Hegel's concept of absolute knowledge—the idea that universal truth could be objectively known through rational investigation. For Kierkegaard, truth was not a detached, academic exercise but rather something intimately connected to how one lives. With Kierkgaard, philosophy becomes an art of living rather than an abstract science.

As philosopher Walter Lowrie notes in his seminal biography A Short Life of Kierkegaard: "He was not concerned with truth as a set of propositions to be accepted, but with truth as a way of existing." This fundamental difference in approach set Kierkegaard on a collision course with Hegelian philosophy throughout his career.

Kierkegaard specifically criticized three core aspects of Hegel's thought:

1. Systematic philosophy : Hegel believed reality could be captured in a comprehensive, coherent system. Kierkegaard viewed this as a fundamental misunderstanding of human existence, which he saw as irreducibly individual and subjective.
   
   
2. Rationality above all : While Hegel prioritized reason, Kierkegaard elevated passion, emotion, and subjective experience as essential elements of authentic human life.
   
   
3. Objectivity as the goal : Hegel sought objective truth; Kierkegaard insisted that the most important truths are inherently subjective, requiring personal commitment rather than dispassionate analysis.

As Kierkegaard scholar Alastair Hannay writes in Kierkegaard: A Biography: "For Kierkegaard, Hegel's mistake was to believe that philosophy could replace lived experience, that systems could substitute for existence."

Defining Despair: Beyond Ordinary Unhappiness

Among Kierkegaard's most profound contributions to philosophy and psychology is his penetrating analysis of despair. In his pseudonymous work The Sickness Unto Death (1849), written under the name Anti-Climacus, Kierkegaard presents despair not merely as emotional distress but as a fundamental existential condition that affects one's entire being.

"Despair is a sickness of the spirit, of the self," Kierkegaard writes, distinguishing it from conventional depression or sadness. Contemporary philosopher Gordon Marino explains in The Existentialist's Survival Guide (2018): "For Kierkegaard, despair is not so much an emotion as a spiritual condition—a disconnect between the different elements that constitute the self."

This disconnect occurs between what Kierkegaard identifies as the finite and infinite aspects of human existence:

• The finite self encompasses our physical being, material needs, social roles, and temporal desires—everything that ties us to concrete reality.
  
  
• The infinite self refers to our spiritual nature, moral responsibility, imagination, and capacity for transcendence—our ability to envision possibilities beyond our current situation.
  
  

Healthy selfhood requires balancing these opposing elements. As Kierkegaard puts it: "The self is a relation that relates itself to itself." When this relation becomes imbalanced, despair inevitably follows.

The Two Manifestations of Despair

Kierkegaard outlines two fundamental forms of despair, each representing a different way this existential imbalance manifests:

Despair of "Not Willing to Be Oneself"

The first form of despair occurs when individuals refuse to acknowledge or accept their authentic selves. This might involve conforming to social expectations, adopting false personas, or denying one's deeper nature. As Kierkegaard scholar Joakim Garff notes in Søren Kierkegaard: A Biography: "This despair represents a flight from selfhood—an attempt to escape the burden of being an individual."

This form of despair is particularly prevalent in mass society, where pressure to conform can overwhelm individual authenticity. Kierkegaard anticipated modern concerns about conformity and inauthenticity by nearly a century. As he writes in The Sickness Unto Death: "The deepest form of despair is to choose to be another than oneself."

In our contemporary context, this might manifest as:

• Excessive people-pleasing behavior
• Living according to others' expectations rather than one's own values
• Defining oneself primarily through social media validation
• Refusing to make difficult choices that would define one's authentic path

Despair of "Willing to Be Oneself"

The second form of despair might initially seem contradictory—how can willing to be oneself lead to despair? Yet Kierkegaard identifies this as perhaps the more insidious form, where individuals become fixated on self-creation and self-sufficiency.

This despair emerges when people believe they can become their ideal selves through sheer willpower, without acknowledging their fundamental limitations or dependence on something beyond themselves. Contemporary philosopher Clare Carlisle describes this in Philosopher of the Heart: The Restless Life of Søren Kierkegaard (2019) as "the despair of titanic self-assertion."

"In defiance, the self wants to be master of itself or to create itself, to make itself the self it wants to be," Kierkegaard writes. This leads to a state of constant striving and dissatisfaction, as individuals chase an unattainable ideal of self-perfection.

In today's achievement-oriented culture, this form of despair appears as:

• Perfectionism and burnout
• The illusion of complete self-sufficiency
• Relentless self-improvement without acceptance
• Denial of human limitations and vulnerability

The Path Through Despair: Authentic Faith

What makes Kierkegaard's analysis particularly valuable is that he doesn't merely diagnose despair but offers a path forward. The resolution, he suggests, lies in what he calls the "leap of faith"—not necessarily religious faith in the conventional sense, but rather an existential commitment that transcends pure rationality.

As philosopher C. Stephen Evans notes in Kierkegaard: An Introduction (2009): "For Kierkegaard, faith is not primarily intellectual assent to doctrines but a way of existing—a passionate commitment to what cannot be proven but must be lived."

This leap of faith involves:

1. Acknowledging one's limitations : Recognizing the finite aspects of existence and embracing human vulnerability.
   
   
2. Accepting paradox : Understanding that human existence contains contradictions that cannot be resolved through reason alone.
   
   
3. Embracing subjectivity : Committing to personal truth despite objective uncertainty.
   
   
4. Finding meaning beyond the self : Connecting to something transcendent, whether understood in religious or existential terms.

"Faith is precisely the contradiction between the infinite passion of the individual's inwardness and the objective uncertainty," Kierkegaard writes in Concluding Unscientific Postscript.

Contemporary Relevance: Kierkegaard in the Modern World

Though writing in the 19th century, Kierkegaard's analysis of despair speaks powerfully to our contemporary condition. In an age characterized by social media comparison, achievement culture, and existential uncertainty, his insights offer valuable guidance.

Modern philosopher Hubert Dreyfus, in All Things Shining (2011), connects Kierkegaard's thought to current existential challenges: "What Kierkegaard saw clearly was that the modern condition—with its emphasis on individual choice and its rejection of traditional sources of meaning—creates a profound anxiety that can only be resolved through committed action, not abstract reasoning."

Kierkegaard's concept of despair helps explain various phenomena in contemporary life:

• The emptiness many feel despite material prosperity
• The anxiety that accompanies unlimited choice and possibility
• The crisis of meaning in secular society
• The tension between individualism and the need for connection

His solution—the leap of faith as an existential commitment to meaning despite uncertainty—offers a path forward that neither retreats to dogmatism nor succumbs to nihilism.

Conclusion: Kierkegaard's Enduring Wisdom

Kierkegaard's examination of despair remains one of philosophy's most penetrating analyses of the human condition. By identifying despair as an existential imbalance rather than merely an emotional state, he provides a framework for understanding the deeper sources of modern anxiety and alienation.

His prescription—authentic faith as a committed way of existing—offers a nuanced alternative to both rationalistic systems and religious dogmatism. As philosopher Alastair Hannay concludes: "Kierkegaard's genius was to recognize that the most important questions in life cannot be addressed through abstract speculation but must be confronted through passionate personal engagement."

In a world still struggling with the questions Kierkegaard posed—how to find meaning, how to be authentic, how to balance the finite and infinite aspects of existence—his work remains not just academically relevant but existentially vital. The path through despair, he suggests, lies not in escaping our human condition but in embracing it fully, with all its limitations, possibilities, and paradoxes.

As we navigate our own existential challenges, Kierkegaard's insights invite us to consider: What does it mean to truly be ourselves? And what kind of faith—whether religious or existential—might help us face the abyss of despair and emerge with authentic selfhood intact?