/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.10433730]

ITT - Why you need to go read Kierkegaard right the fuck now


Ultimately we can know absolutely nothing. Every aspect of reality, ranging from our religion to science to the kind of breakfast cereal you had this morning, falls to pieces when you ask yourself a single question.

Why not?

Why is the earth round and not flat? Why isn't it a cube? Why are the laws of physics so that it must be round? Why do certain atoms exist and others do not? Why are you looking through your eyes and not those of a Victorian housewife or a 22nd-century coal miner? Who made the decision in favor of these specific scientific laws?

Science carries us far in the pursuit of answers but how can we be sure these answers are accurate? When we dream, we are certain our faulty dream-logic is secure and yet it isn't. How can we be sure we are not operating on a similar sort of broken logic?

The only answer is that we can't, we are lost in an ocean the unknowable and faith is our only roadmap. Both theists and atheists base their belief systems around faith of some kind, and ultimately it is faith that will bury them both in the same grave.

Forgetting the religious aspects of Kierkegaard for a moment, there are lessons in his works that everyone can take.

[Anonymous No.10433813]

>"and ultimately it is faith that will bury them both in the same grave"
Do you mean it like in a pessimistic point of view or you are just refering their identical nature?

[Anonymous No.10433827]

>>10433813
Definitely wasn't intending it to come off as pessimistic, I was just trying to emphasize the fact that they are identical in the sense that they're both faith based.

[Anonymous No.10433835]

>>10433730
>There are no facts, only interpretations.
But yeah, read Kierkegaard anyway.

[Anonymous No.10433951]

>>10433835
>Forgetting the religious aspects of Kierkegaard for a moment

I was talking about an atheists interpretation of SK but actually yes that is SK's whole thing. Or at least the "There are no facts" aspects of what you said. Facts while important are nothing compared to faith.

[Anonymous No.10434259]

>>10433730
Hard to believe that you said so little with so many words. Is Kierkegaard just as long-winded about obvious shit?

[Anonymous No.10434264]

>why does 1 +1 = 2

[Anonymous No.10434275]

>>10433730
What's going on in that cover? Is that Abraham and Isaac? How is that relevant?

[Anonymous No.10434297]

>>10433730
>ultimately we can know absolutely nothing

Explain iPhone. Wouldn't be possible without science, economy, and art. Or explain McDonalds, or Coca-Cola, or SuperBowl.

I'm waiting, loser.

[Anonymous No.10434363]

Have you read Kierkegaard?

[Anonymous No.10434387]

>>10433730
>Reading Kierkegaard.
>Concluding Skepticism.

You have really missed the mark here, buddy.

[Anonymous No.10434395]

Where do is start for kirkegaard? Aristotle? Other than Aquinas and that other guy what Phil should one read?

[Anonymous No.10434414]

>>10433730
Why do something rather than nothing?
Why is there anything rather than nothing?

Is one state more 'natural' than the other?

[Anonymous No.10434415]

Why does it even matter?
Our logic works, if it is a dream or not doesn't matter.

[Anonymous No.10434485]

>>10434275

>Abraham and Isaac
>how is that relevant?

Read it and find out, nigga

[Anonymous No.10434502]

>>10434395
the bible

[Anonymous No.10434567]

>>10434395
Start with the Greeks

[Anonymous No.10434595]

>>10434567
can I get some book names? I don’t think I should read The Republic if want to know about the being, but maybe I should idk

[Anonymous No.10434598]

>>10433730
dude just b urself

[Anonymous No.10434599]

>>10433730
>ITT - Why you need to go read Kierkegaard right the fuck now
>Ultimately we can know absolutely nothing.
How am I supposed to know if you are telling the truth? Hehe...

[Anonymous No.10434681]

>>10434275
A male person of color is popping a white boy's anal cherry

>>10433730
>Ultimately we can know absolutely nothing. Every aspect of reality, ranging from our religion to science to the kind of breakfast cereal you had this morning, falls to pieces when you ask yourself a single question.
That's pretty postmodern, my dude

[Anonymous No.10435088]

>/lit/ is suddenly into kierkegaard again
pleasantly surprised

[Anonymous No.10435101]

>>10434595
He's memeing, you don't need any prerequisites to understand Kierkegaard; with that being said, a good knowledge of The Bible could be helpful.

[Anonymous No.10435276]

>>10435088
Kierkegaard is GOAT

[Anonymous No.10435371]

>>10433730
>life is meaningless
So what? Plato pointed this out millenias ago and got more pussy while doing it

[Anonymous No.10435378]

>>10434275
>Is that Abraham and Isaac? How is that relevant?
Are yu stupid or dumb?

[Anonymous No.10435392]

>>10433730
>Why not?
Why do I care? Why should any human care about answering such broad questions as "why are atoms spherical and not flat-triangular in nature," or other such things. I feel like Keirkegard may have a lot of interesting things to say, but you described them poorly. I am interested in learning reading him at some point.

[Anonymous No.10435393]

Kierkegaard's arguments are akin to that of a small child pestering their parents with the question "Why?" until they end up at the conclusion "Because." What you are saying is correct, we don't know why the laws of physics are as they are, we can only assume. That's why we invented the concept of axioms, a rule that always must be correct in order for our observations of our surroundings to be correct. Without those, we wouldn't be able to function as humans. We also make up our own axioms in order to retain sanity: The sun will rise tomorrow. There will be food in the grocery store if I go there. I need not worry about rabid wolves roaming the streets.

[Anonymous No.10435412]

>>10435393
This guy gets it.
I recently read some works of David Hume, René Descartes and finally Karl Popper on epistemology, and I gotta say it's important to use your common knowledge once in a while.
Very good.

[Anonymous No.10435415]

>>10434595