Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, And The Authentic Self Essay Example
Owing to the modern philosophy’s boldness in the explaining power of human reason, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche both give radical and non-traditional views of the authentic human self. The two appear to have certain similarities in elaborating on the self and what is important to the self. However, the views of the two philosophers about the authentic self differ at some point.
Nietzsche suggests that it is important for the self to abandon traditional values including religion, particularly Christianity, and morality philosophies. He observes that these values are indoctrinating and they only deprive people of their native desires. Nietzsche basically suggests that for humans to attain an authentic and successful life, they should disregard the perceived rules and values of human life. This entails that even the Christians should shun their belief in God in order to elimin
...ate the artificial limits of moral authority.
Kierkegaard argues that the human life ought to be directed by some aesthetic, ethical and religious rules. Aesthetic rules imply that humans should observe the beauty and pleasure that life offers. The ethical stage stipulates that humans should be guided by codes of conduct and standards that are set up by the society or the individual without necessarily looking at the traditional ones. The last stage is the religious stage where an individual starts living as truly existing individual. This means that the person views him/herself and others as an individual, and as a subject but not an object. According to Kierkegaard, a person who goes through the three stages lives an authentic life.
Comparing the two and analyzing their ideas critically, Kierkegaard’s argument seems to have substance. Although he is in support of th
aesthetic life and disregards traditional regulations, he observes that for a human being to be complete, it is important to have rules of life and even to be religious as that helps one to observe certain regulations. This is not really being a coward as Nietzsche puts it. Living without spirituality and observance of the power of a supernatural being is the same as living like a robot. This means there will be no feeling of other people or even oneself. An authentic life should be governed by principles, rules and spirituality. Kierkegaard’s argument is therefore more correct.
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