Publication details
Kierkegaard a Wittgenstein o náboženském přesvědčení
| Title in English | Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein on Religious Belief |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Citation | |
| Description | The philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, known as one of the fathers of existentialism, was a primarily Christian thinker. In contrast, Ludwig Wittgenstein, one of the most important representatives of analytical philosophy, was in his early and late years, focused on language and philosophy as a whole. It would seem that with such different philosophers, one could not expect a common theme, let alone an intersection of ideas. Yet the two thinkers meet thematically in their philosophical search for the "religious belief." Kierkegaard's work is imbued with the theme of faith, and Wittgenstein was concerned with the difference between religious belief and ordinary belief during his Cambridge lectures in 1937. Their conceptions are surprisingly close. Both reject reason as the source of belief and instead emphasize that religious belief must play a critical and passionate role in the believer's life, which must be shown in concrete action. In my paper, I will demonstrate that Kierkegaard inspired Wittgenstein for his summer Cambridge lectures. In doing so, I will contextualize the paper's primary purpose: to point out the similarities and intersections in both philosophers' conceptions of "religious belief" and highlight their essential differences. I will then review some of the contemporary interpretations, which, in my view, have neglected the clear intention of the authors to conclude my paper with the claim that "where Wittgenstein ends, Kierkegaard begins." |
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