Essay on Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein

I. Soeren Kierkegaard, a famous theologian of the 19th Century, wrote Fear and Trembling in 1843 in response to Hegelianism. Kierkegaard takes on the pseudonymous role of Jonannes de Silentio and speaks on modern peoples' attitudes toward doubt and faith. He believes humans are creatures entrenched in reason and doubt but not in the same sense as Descartes, a French mathematician, scientist and philosopher. Descartes doubted everything he had ever learned; his way of thinking is called hyperbolic or Cartesian doubt. According to his philosophy, within the world of ideas there is clearance sale; everybody has a shop

False identity can become so inherent to a person’s character, they can begin to forget where it stops and their true self begins. In Tobias Wolff’s novel Old School, the narrator and the literary review the Troubadour both are hiding behind a persona that is placed onto them by themselves or others. An aspirational vision of the characters is the basis of their personas. Wanting to be more then they already are, the characters end up believing in the lies told to persuade others of their importance. Placing the personas on themselves is a way to divert people from the true nature of their identity, which might not live up to their expectations. The identities taken on by the narrator and the Troubadour convey that what they are and what they want to be are not yet the same.

This paper will compare and contrast Luther and Julian of Norwich in light of their understanding of salvation and “union with God”. This paper will also explore their understandings of the proper Christian life in light of these understandings. Specifically, it will argue that their writings contain important questions and concerns that center on issue of how God relates to humanity. Furthermore, it will explore their views on God and humanity’s nature as well as how God intercedes in the midst of our humanity’s existence. Additionally, I will argue that both address this intercession through manners in which one experiences God in tangible, concrete ways. Both for Julian and for Luther it is in the concrete experiences that give them confidence to make claims on God’s goodness and love with the assurances that accompany such claims. However, with this similarities there are great differences in the nuances of how each conceive of the former.

It is not good enough for Christian thought to teach about religious things or even to prescribe them; theology could do all this and still be thinking about them with a mind that has not yet been changed by Christ’s dying and rising. It is not so much thinking about theological topics that really constitutes theology, for distinguishable from this is the means by which the theological mind reflects.

Medieval religious literature served to teach and instruct followers of the ways of religion, specifically Christianity, through vivid imagery. Three texts that support this idea are Hildegard of Bingen's “Know the Ways of the Lord”, Pope Innocent III’s “On the Misery of the Human Condition,” and “Everyman.” Although these texts represent the same idea, there are two surprising differences between them. The first being between “Know the Ways of the Lord” and “Everyman”, which shows the different interventions of God. The second surprising difference is the optimism of “Know the Ways of the Lord” and the contrasting pessimism of “On the Misery of the Human Condition.”

In Chapter X of Waiting for Gospel, Hall once again reflects on the “theology of the cross” that he discussed in previous chapters, but this time he wishes to speak more directly about Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s perspective on the issue. Much of the issues discussed in this chapter about what the theology of the cross, or theologia crucis is, Luther’s opinion on the subject, and how it should relate to Christian beliefs and actions were already discussed in chapter 6. However, in this chapter Hall also to wishes to address “the ethic of the Theology of the Cross,” as well as what it means to carry the theologia crucis “into the context of worldly existence.”

The foreground of Nietzsche’s criticisms of Christianity comprises repudiating not only ecstasy but also suffering, manifested through suppressing bodily impulses and instinctive drives and focusing on an afterlife rather than the current moment. In general, it is likely Nietzsche would react more positively to the Christian ideals embedded in many medieval texts than he does in the early 20th century. Ben Morgan reveals

Many times authors use pen names to disguise who they are so that they can hide

Author and credentials: Ed L. Miller is a well known figure in the realm of theological studies. Numerous articles, reviews, translations, and books were written by him. In his educational journey, he obtained numerous degrees (B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Doctorate in Theology, and so on) in Philosophy and Theology. He taught in numerous higher educational institutions mainly in Colorado, USA. In previous recognitions, Miller was a member of Studiorum Novi Testament Societas, American Academy of Religion, Society of Christian Philosophers, and Soren Kierkegaard Society. He is also listed in Who’s Who in the West, Directory of American Scholars, International Who’s Who in Education, International Authors, Writers Who’s Who, Contemporary Authors, and Faculty Directory of the Council of Societies for the Study of Religion.

There are four theology sources of theology that is scripture, tradition, reason and religious experience. The scripture is expounded with the context of public worship and is the subject of meditation and devotion on the part of individual Christian (McGrath, 2011). Tradition is an active process of passing on the Christian faith, rather than as a static source of revelation, independent of Scripture (McGrath, 2011). Reason is assumed an especial importance at the time of the Enlightenment (McGrath, 2011). Religion experience is an imprecise term. The origins of the word are relatively well understood (McGrath, 2011). In this paper I will differentiate the different theology sources that is important. And, what limitations they might have, also how they relate to philosophy and Christian theology. Finally, some positive and negative relationship will be discussed between the sources of Christian theology. The scripture is expounded with the context of public worship and is the subject of meditation and devotion on the part of individual Christian (McGrath, 2011). The scriptures and faith goes hand to hand, they coexist to develop significant meaning from Genesis to Revelation. Tradition is an active process that passes on the Christian faith, rather than as a static source of revelation, independent of Scripture (McGrath, 2011). Tradition often can cause Christian to lose sight of the scriptures as for as its divine attribute, such as the danger of sin. Also,

This begs the question: how does the reader then know if the writer is using an ordinary term or their newly defined meaning of that same term? In order to make this distinction and to understand of the redefined and coined terms, one must read with an intentional awareness of the terms. Wittgenstein understands this difficulty and aids his readers

Kierkegaard claims that the present, as thought about in the conventional sense, does not really exist. If time is a passing by of events, then the present is simply a dividing line between the past and future that cannot be rigidly defined to encompass a definite amount of time. It is the reference point that time progresses past. This demonstrates the notion that the

In On Certainty, Wittgenstein arrives at the conclusion that “some of my ideas are so anchored in me that I cannot touch them.” The key message Wittgenstein is conveying here is that certain ideas are inherited, innate for everyone. The term “anchored”, in its literal sense, refers to watercraft being held securely in a fixed spot by aid of a curved, weighted implement to which it is connected. In using this term, Wittgenstein creates the imagery of our intellect, our perception, being like a sea, and our ideas like ships. This illustration suggests that some of the ideas we have are in motion, changing as a result of our experiences and investigations

Kierkegaard rejects the conventional concept of truth. According to him, “Truth is subjective”, “Subjectivity is truth” or “individual is a truth”. He quotes in Fear and Trembling “In order to swim one takes off all one's clothes--in order to aspire to the truth one must undress in a far more inward sense, divest oneself of all one's inward clothes, of thoughts, conceptions, selfishness etc., before one is sufficiently naked.” It means that one gains truth about oneself in a non- judgmental way by becoming aware of one’s own inner emotions, perceptions, thoughts and feelings.

Having decided on the nature of Wittgenstein’s claim, what are the grounds (reasons) for it that Wittgenstein provides?