A critical interpretation of Kierkegaard's "Philosophiske Smuler".

• Main Author: Lande, Vidar.
• Format: Others
• Published: University of Ottawa (Canada) 2009
• Subjects: Philosophy.
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10393/5652; http://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-14471

As the title says, the thesis is "a critical interpretation of Kierkegaard's Philosophiske Smuler" (Philosophical Fragments). The thesis intends thus to read this work "critically". It goes through the text chapter by chapter, but does not limit its analyses to direct reading of the texts. The reading is "intentional" in the sense that it attempts also to take into account the states of mind which must have produced the text. In this way the method is "phenomenological". It attempts ultimately to approach the "phenomena" behind the texts, i.e. the experiences corresponding to the textual manifestations. Given this phenomenological intention, it appears that Kierkegaard's pseudonymous author of Philosophiske Smuler, Johannes Climacus, shares spiritual experiences with religious mystics. The thesis attempts to express these experiences in a language which can suit comparative purposes with Climacus. In order to show how mysticism enters Climacus' mind, one could refer to examples on almost every page throughout Philosophiske Smuler. If we approach mysticism from a purely psychological perspective, we will also find a clear correspondence between Climacus' description and what psychologists of religion say about the highest mystic states of consciousness. The well-known psychologist in the Freudian tradition, James Henry Leuba, calls the ultimate experience of mystics a "sweet bliss", in which "sex organs participate, tormented by an insufficient stimulation". Chapter 1 of the thesis contains a detailed explanation of mystic concepts. But in order to avoid any misunderstandings on this important issue, the reader should consult the glossary in the end of the thesis. This glossary explains the most important mystic concepts and gives references to the pages in the thesis where they occur. The glossary also points out the most important places in Kierkegaard's text of Philosophiske Smuler where the mystic concepts are most relevant. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)