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Søren Kierkegaard
Three stages of life
Jackson Todd Lund
Philosophy 1010
Alexander Izrailevsky
11/29/11
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Soren Kierkegaard proposed that the individual passed through three stages on the way
to becoming a true self: the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious. Each of these “stages on
life’s way” represents competing views on life and how they may potentially conflict with one
another. Kierkegaard takes the unusual step of having each stage of life described and
represented by a different pseudonymous character making it too difficult to ascertain which
propositions Kierkegaard himself upholds. He did this to force readers to reach their own
conclusions. The first of these stages is the the aesthetic stage, which, in turn, gives way to the
ethical, which, in turn, gives way to the religious. (Soren Kierkegaard 2010) (McDonald 2009)
Stage One: Aesthetic
The aesthetic stage of existence is characterized by sensory experiences and pleasure or to turn
boring into interesting. If one is immersed in this stage then he will often be self-deceiving into
promoting fantasy over reality, often be egotistical, often express oneself as if he lived his life
“on stage” and typically define every action by pleasure as an escape or flight from boredom.
There are many degrees of this aesthetic existence and a single definition is too difficult to
offer. At bottom, one might see the purely unreflective lifestyle. At the top, we might find those
lives which are lived in a reflective, independent, critical and socially apathetic way. But many
interpreters of Kierkegaard believe that most people live in the least reflective sort of aesthetic
stage, their lives and activities guided by everyday tasks and concerns. The importance of the
aesthetic is acknowledged, but it is also presented as an immature stage. The aesthete is only
concerned with his or her personal enjoyment, and because aesthetic pleasure is so fleeting, an
aesthete has no solid framework from which to make coherent, consistent choices. Eventually,
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pleasures wear thin, and one must begin seeking the ethical pleasures instead. The ethical life
actually offers certain pleasures the aesthetic life cannot. An aesthete can never do something
solely for the good for someone else, which is a different kind of pleasure. (Encyclopedia
Britannica 2011) (McDonald 2009) (Soren Kierkegaard 2010)
Stage Two: Ethical
The second level or stage of existence is the ethical. This is where an individual begins to take
on a true direction in life, becoming aware of and personally responsible for good and evil and
forming a commitment to oneself and others. One's actions at this level of existence have a
consistency. Ethics are the social rules that govern how a person ought to act. Ethics are not
always in opposition to aesthetics, but they must take precedence when the two conflict. The
aesthetic life must be subordinated to the ethical life, as the ethical life is based on a consistent,
coherent set of rules established for the good of society. A person can still experience pleasure
while living the ethical life. The ethical life serves the purpose of allowing diverse people to
coexist in harmony and causes individuals to act for the good of society. The ethical person
considers the effect his or her actions will have on others and gives more weight to promoting
social welfare than to achieving personal gain. The ethical life also affords pleasures that the
aesthetic does not. Aesthetics tend to stay away from consistency, since repetition can lead to
boredom. An ethical person doesn’t simply enjoy things because they’re novel but makes
ethical choices because those choices evoke a higher set of principles. Kierkegaard uses
marriage as an example of an ethical life choice. In marriage, the excitement of passion can
quickly fade, leading to boredom and a diminishing of aesthetic pleasure. However, by
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consistently acting for the good of one’s spouse, one learns that there are enjoyments beyond
excitement. Still, the ethical life does little to nurture one’s spiritual self. The ethical life diverts
one from self-exploration since it requires an individual to follow a set of socially accepted
norms and regulations. According to Kierkegaard, self-exploration is necessary for faith, the key
requirement for a properly religious life. (McDonald 2009) (Encyclopedia Britannica 2011)
Stage Three: Religious
The ethical and the religious are intimately connected: a person can be ethically serious without
being religious, but the religious stage includes the ethical. Whereas living in the ethical sphere
involves a commitment to some ethical absolute, living in the religious sphere involves a
commitment and relation to God. The Kierkegaardian pseudonyms who speak of stage theory
consider religion to be the highest stage in human existence. Kierkegaard's pseudonym
distinguishes two types in the Religious stage, which have been called Religiousness A and
Religiousness B. In Religious A a person is searching for enlightenment. They may become more
dedicated to their religion, or start checking out other religions and philosophies. They are
trying to figure out God, trying to rationalize God. They want to reduce God to an object, a tool
for their own means -- to complete their existential project. Kierkegaard believes God can't be
found this way, whereas in Religiousness B a person is a "Knight of Faith", somebody who has
achieved a true relationship with God through a leap of faith. God is not a rational object; God
is a paradox. The mind can't make sense of God, only passion. Kierkegaard believes you must
suspend your ethics and rationality, and blindly give in to God. Abraham, who had the faith to
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sacrifice his beloved son for God, is the ultimate example of a knight of faith. (Encyclopedia
Britannica 2011) (McDonald 2009) (Soren Kierkegaard 2010)
Works Cited
Encyclopedia Britannica. Soren Kierkegaard. 2011.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/317503/SorenKierkegaard/271898/Stages-on-lifes-way (accessed December 1, 2011).
McDonald, William. Soren Kierdegaard. 2009. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kierkegaard/
(accessed December 1, 2011).
Soren Kierkegaard. July 10, 2010. http://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/kierkegaard_phil.shtml
(accessed November 22, 2011).
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