Self and existence in Kierkegaard

The present dissertation, Self and Existence in Kierkegaard, consists of three main chapters and a conclusion evaluating them. In the First Chapter, the first stage of the existence, namely aesthetic stage, was considered. In this Chapter, the self was analyzed in terms of the concepts of "self- consciousness" and "freedom". In the aesthetic stage, the self is dominated by desires and it can never realize its self-consciousness. In other words, the self tries to satisfy immediate desires and cannot go beyond the present time. The result of this stage is hopelessness. The most positive thing achieved in this stage is to be aware of this lived hopelessness. In the end, the self becomes conscious of the hopelessness that would carry it to the next stage. The second existence stage, namely ethical stage, was discussed in the Second Chapter. In this chapter, a detailed comparison of the stages of aesthetic and ethical was made, and in this way, the superiority of ethical stage in relation to aesthetic stage was put down. In ethical stage, the self makes an absolute choice for the first time and reaches the notions of self-consciousness and freedom. Nevertheless, like it was the case in the aesthetic stage, ethical stage also results with hopelessness. For the self is faced such basic realities as guilt and evil which it formerly evades or covers up. Here, this confrontation is the basic motive that shockes and drags the self into hopelessness. This hopelessness being lived in the ethical stage bears, in a sense, a positive potentiality. For this motive takes the self to the religious stage, the last stage of existence. This stage is theVI topic of the Third Chapter. In this Chapter, the potential of the serf in relation to self-consciousness and freedom was considered and analyzed. The fact that the self actualizes itself does not mean that it becomes free from the evils. However, this is not an aversive thing in terms of morality, either. Because, the self is directed to goodness by forming itself, and in this way, becomes more tied to the goodness. In the conclusion, a general evaluation of the problem we discussed and the results we tried to reach were given.