[Music] you may have heard of saurin kard before a Danish philosopher and certified sad boy hailing from the 19th century as someone who was deeply influential in the rise of existentialism kir guard's ability to capture the anxiet of existence the absurdity and importance of faith and the overall strangeness of being alive has evidently left a tremendous impact on great thinkers centuries later including Jean Paar High Digger and even psychologists like Carl Rogers his description of regret anxiety and the responsibility of freedom is just as relevant now as it was in his day born in the
19th century kirkgard lived throughout a period of profound and turbulent intellectual change in Europe German idealism was especially all the rage a form of philosophy in which certain truths were thought to be fundamentally tied to the functions of the Mind influenced by the German idealism of figures such as fcta and shelling kirkgard embarked on a philosophical Journey from a very young age in doing so he would go on to challenge many of the prevailing assumptions of his time by arduously advocating ating for a form of subjectivity that rejected the supremacy of rationalism and instead celebrated
faith and the irrational Kart's philosophy is characterized by its deeply personal and introspective nature drawing on themes of subjective experience individual freedom and the search for authentic existence this method was pretty original for his time as most philosophers wished instead to understand some greater reason or meaning behind the universe itself kirkgard seeing many of these Grand projects of metaphysical certainty chose instead to do his own thing his writings which include works such as fear and trembling either or and the sickness unto death very fun titles explore the complexities of human existence and the existential dilemmas
of Modern Life what is Central to Kart's philosophy is the concept of subjectivity which he contrasts with objectivity and the sort of leveling and standardization that comes with overly abstract analysis what he advocated for was the concrete the purely unique and individual kirkgard argued that genuine human existence is characterized largely by the individual's subjective engagement with the world and with oneself rather than this adherence to abstract principles or universal truth truths this flew in the face of those such as Kant who believed in the existence of certain Universal maxims and IM morality that could be
unlocked with our reasoning abilities for kirkgard this was all quite silly subjective truth is the truth of lived experience the truth that is inwardly appropriated by the individual through personal commitments and existential Choice a personal truth is still a type of truth even if it did not amount to some sort of grand Universal claim the absurdity of existence already demonstrated that such a task was a futile one to attempt kard also argued that human life is fundamentally characterized by uncertainty anxiety and the inevitability of suffering KAG guard's existentialism confronts the existential angst of individual existence
headon acknowledging the absurdity of human life in the face of an indifferent Universe this must have been largely influential to figures that would come later on such as El kamu who similarly proposed that what is fundamental to our existence is our position in the face of an uncaring world something he called the Absurd now rather than try to find some sort of universal certainties kirkgard argued that individuals should embrace these uncertainties and ambiguities of existence and instead try to live authentically in accordance with their own values Passions and beliefs from this emerges one of KAG
guard's most Central and influential Concepts the leap of faith which he elaborates on in his work fear and trembling kard believed that genuine Faith involves a subjective commitment to the paradoxical and irrational truths of religion even in the absence of any objective evidence or rational justifications this is the sort of personal truth that is true to you but perhaps not to another for kirkgard this must be embraced the leap of faith requires individuals to transcend the limitations of reason and embrace the uncertainties of existence with Courage by taking a leap of faith we affirm our
existence as passionate embodied beings capable of making meaningful choices and confronting the existential challenges of life with authenticity and integrity this video is sponsored by brilliant remember when you were a kid and always wanted to know why this and why that and then life came along and that insatiable curiosity faded today I want to share something that's really brought it back to me brilliant brilliant isn't just another online learning platform it's a powerful tool that not only helps you understand complex topics but also strengthens your problem solving skills what I really appreciate about brilliant is
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to try everything brilliant has to offer for free for a full 30 days head on over to brilliant.org cissus 55 or click on the link in the description you'll also get 20% off an annual premium subscription Kart's emphasis on embodied experience would also be taken up as a philosophical project by the phenomenal mon ologists such as hsel and Merlo Ponte now card's philosophy is further clarified through his concept of the three stages of existence the aesthetic the ethical and the religious in the aesthetic stage individuals pursue pleasure sensation and immediate gratification they experience the suffering
of the world and in response lose themselves through momentary pleasure then in the ethical stage individuals recognize the demands of morality and social responsibility they begin to strive towards living in accordance with universal ethical principles and Norms however here kirkgard argues that both the aesthetic and ethical stages ultimately fall short of providing that true fulfillment and meaning that is needed in one's life while the former is too Escapist the latter is too Fantastical and idealistic so what are we to do it is only in the religious stage through faith and specifically the leap of faith
according to kirkgard that individuals can find authentic meaning and purpose in their existence through a subjective relationship with the Transcendent individuals can overcome the despair of finitude and achieve a state of spiritual renewal and Redemption we create a personal God in some sense this view shares similarities with Leo tolstoy's own conclusions about nihilism where he eventually embraced irrational Faith after a long period of overthinking and depression in such an age characterized by technological advancement social fragmentation and cultural uncertainty KAG guard's existentialist philosophy offers a powerful framework for navigating the existential dilemmas of our time and
for cultivating a deeper sense of meaning purpose and fulfillment in the world to do this he believed fundamentally in the power of subjectivity and honoring one's own truth in the face of the irrational [Music]
