Individuality and Solitude in Kierkegaard’s Religious Thought and Their Educational Implications

Document Type : The Quarterly Jornal

Authors

1 PhD student in Philosophy of Education, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran.

2 Professor in the Department of Educational Sciences, the Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology, ShahidChamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.

3 Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Sciences, the Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.

Abstract

The concepts of individuality and solitude have been largely overlooked in the philosophy of education. In fact, the notion of individuals as solitary subjects has often been treated as a taboo in education, rendering the process of human development seemingly impractical and culturally alien. However, Kierkegaard,  in his educational thought—consistent with his overall philosophical framework—seeks to highlight both the possibilities and limitations of human growth that have remained unaddressed. From his perspective, individuality is a fundamental reality that has been neglected in the course of human development and self-actualization. At its core, Kierkegaard’s educational principle is nothing but creating the possibility of an internal transformation based on religious faith and self-activity. In his view, contemplation and reflection, when devoid of inner passion and faith, fail to effectively shape the authenticity of the individual. Therefore, this study employs a descriptive-analytical method to examine Kierkegaard’s views on individuality, solitude, and religious faith, ultimately identifying their educational implications.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Anderson, S. (2024). Kierkegaard’s philosophy (Kh. Deihimi, Trans., 4th ed.). Tehran: Farhang Nashr-e Now. [In Persian]
Buben, Adam. (2019). the Kierkegaardian Mind. New York: Routledge.
Collins, James. (1984). the Mind of Kierkegaard. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Edwards, Aaron. (2020). T&T Clark companion to the theology of Kierkegaard. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Evans, Stephen. (2009). Kierkegaard an Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Jothen, Peder. (2014). Kierkegaard, aesthetics, and selfhood the art of subjectivity. Burlington: Ashgate.
Kierkegaard, S. (2019). The sickness unto death (R. Monajem, Trans., 1st ed.). Tehran: Nashr-e Porsesh. [In Persian]
Kierkegaard, S. (2021). The lily of the field and the bird of the air (I. Dalāwar, Trans., 1st ed.). Tehran: Nashr-e Shabgir. [In Persian]
Kierkegaard, S. (2023). The concept of irony with continual reference to Socrates (S. Najafi, Trans., 6th ed.). Tehran: Nashr-e Markaz. [In Persian]
Kierkegaard, S. (2024). Fear and trembling (A. Rashidian, Trans., 26th ed.). Tehran: Nashr-e Ney. [In Persian]
Kierkegaard, Soren. (1978). Two Ages the Age of Revolution and the Present Age a Literary (Howard Hong, Trans., 1st ed.). New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Klausen, Søren Harnow. (2018). Søren Kierkegaard Educating for Authenticity. Cham: Springer.
Lippitt, John. (2013). Oxford Handbook of Kierkegaard. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lippitt, John. (2023). Soren Kierkegaard. In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philodophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kierkegaard
Manheimer, Ronald. (1977). Kierkegaard as Educator. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Nietzsche, Friedrich. (2007). the Gay Science ) Josefine Naukhoff, Trans. 6st ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University press.
Simmon, Aaron. (2024). Kierkegaardian Phenomenologies. London: Rowman & Littlefield Publishing.
Stern, Julian. (2012). Loneliness and Solitude in Education How to Value Individuality and Create an Enstatic School. Lausanne: Peter Lang Press.
Stewart, Jon. (2015). a Companion to Kierkegaard. New Jersey: Blackwell Publishing.
Tietjen, Mark. (2013). Kierkegaard Communication and Virtue: Authorship as Edification. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
Tillich, Paul. (1963). the Eternal Now. New York: Scribner.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics