On Kierkegaard’s Theory Of The Public

In Kierkegaard’s view, the present age is essentially an age without passion, without creativity, but full of leveling process. Based on the individual survival situation, Kierkegaard pointed out the abstract conception “the public”, and then set up his theory of “the public”. “The public” view is the important component of his existence philosophy, and the premise of his “individual” core values.The theory of “the public” indicates that whatever each individual was, the truth of him can only be revealed under the environment he lived in; if each individual exist as “the absolute” through the relativity of the environment, it made him ridiculous. He thought “the public” is an enormous monstrous concept which itself full of abstraction, is a thought that everything should be reduced to the same level in every time. The more abstraction in the society emphasized, the more people are likely be influenced by leveling process, therefore, the more people easily to be mentally paralyzed. Kierkegaard insisted that we have to negate “the public” thoroughly based on his understanding of the conventional view of the public. But we need to point out that Kierkegaard’s concept of “the public” has a certain theoretical defects: the concept of “the public” in the corresponding relationship between the concept of fuzzy and concept of “the public” deny people awakening may under the concept of “the public”.Emphasizing criticisms and negation of “the public”, is the significant method for Kierkegaard to achieved self-consciousness. Meanwhile, Kierkegaard negate the “the public” to pursue “individual” survival, by means of the method, made a profound impact on the later existentialist, such as Karl Jaspers, Albert Camus,Jean-Paul Sartre. “The public” view also have its revelation for the contemporary society, its revelation that we should concern in “the individual” development and freedom in the realistic society, and we should be correctly handle the relationship between individual and society in modern society.