Søren Kierkegaard and Karl Jaspers: A Sickness Leading to Death

 „Dasein und Transzendiereu. - Transzendieren ist kein Tatbestand, del’ mit dem Dasein gegeben ware, sondern eine Moglichkeit del‘ Freiheit in ihm. Del’ Mensch ist als das Dasein, in dem mogliche Existenz sich erscheint; er ist nicht nur da ; er kann transzendieren, und er kann es unterlassen.“ (Karl Jaspers, Philosophie, springer-verlag, Berlin, 1948, p.33.)


Dasein

K. Jaspers' Dasein does not simply refer to the existence of the here and now. Heidegger realized that ‘Being’ cannot be identified through the averageness of ‘being’, which refers to ‘being in front of the eyes.’ So, the object nature of ‘being in front’ was defined as ‘Dasein’ by ‘humans’ who can ask existence questions. This Dasein is always concerned about something and has relationships within the world. K. Jaspers saw this understanding of Dasein as a being with the possibility of transcendence in the world. Transcendence means communicating with the world and finding the ‘true self’, that is, becoming ‘existence’.

Psychopathology and despair

“Sickness leading to death” is Kierkegaard’s “despair.” This despair is a limitation that is given to every individual and cannot be escaped. For K. Jaspers, the struggle for the ‘true self’ was related to human mental illness. The constant question of existence is the fundamental nature of Dasein. Søren Kierkegaard relied on faith in a God who transcends absurdity in answering that question.


„Das Transzendieren in der philosophischen Weltorientierung sucht die jeweiligen von den prinzipiellen Grenzen zu unterscheiden. Wiirden prinzipielle Grenzen als jeweilige angesehen, welche durch die Forschung ein- mal iiberschritten werden konnten, so ware die Welt alles Sein und das wissenschaftliche Wissen aIle Gewißheit. Werden aber die prinzipiellen Grenzenerfaßt, so wird nicht erortert, was noch nicht gewußt wird, aber eines Tages gewußt werden konnte, nicht beklagt, daß man hinter etwas nicht kommtm konne, sondern es geschieht das konkrete Transzendieren, das, ohne die Welt zu verlieren, die Moglichkeit offnet, die Welt zu über-schreiten.“(Ibid., p.40.)


Der Transzendenz

K. Jaspers’ ‘The Transcendent’ is the totality of infinity and mystery in contrast to human finitude. It becomes a desire independently of awareness. It's like a question about Being. In that sense, his psychopathology means that becoming a self as an existence ultimately means an encounter with ‘the transcendent.’ This is because ‘the transcendent’ is the source of metaphysical questions such as freedom, existence, and Being. (Ibid., p.24)



[Reference]
  • Karl Jaspers, Philosophie, springer-verlag, Berlin, 1948.

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