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This is the last of the ''Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses'' published during the years 1843–1844 by Søren Kierkegaard. He will publish three more discourses on "crucial situations in life" (''Three Discourses on Imagined Occasions'') in 1845, the situations being confession, marriage, and death. These three areas of life require a "decision made in time".〔Fear and Trembling, Hong p. 15ff〕 How does a person make a decision? Søren Kierkegaard had to make some decision. He had to decide if he wanted to get married after having already made the "sacred pledge". He had to decide if he would carry out the wishes of his father, Michael, and become a Lutheran preacher or teacher. He made "negative" resolutions regarding these promises he had made. Perhaps some thought he should remain true to his word. This word "resolution" is the core of Kierkegaard's idea behind the leap of faith. His question is: Who can make a positive or negative resolution for another? A resolution is best made by the single individual in the quietness of his or her soul through the inward struggle rather than the struggle with external forces.〔''Either/O''r p. 108ff ''Stages on Life’s Way'', Hong p. 108-112, 363-365, ''Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses'', To Need God Is A Human Being’s Highest Perfection p. 297-326, ''Thoughts on Crucial Situations in Life'', 1845 Swenson translation 11〕 This discourse has to do with a psychological view regarding the process of decision making and making of vows for "existing" single individuals and has nothing to do with the crowd or with "noisy voting".〔''Concluding Unscientific Postscript'', Hong p. 620-621〕 == Structure == Søren Kierkegaard was born on May 5, 1813 and died on November 11, 1855. He kept a journal and he mentions a "Diary" in ''Either/Or'' and another in "Stages on Life's Way" with dates listed here and there. His preface to "Either/Or" says the following: "The Diary has a date here and there, but the year is always omitted. This might seem to preclude further inquiry, but by studying the individual dates, I believe I have found a clue. Of course every year has a seventh of April, a third of July, a second of August and so forth; but it is not true that the seventh of April falls every year on Monday. I therefore have made certain calculations and have found that this combination fits the year 1834." ''Either/Or, Part I'', Preface, p. 10 SwensonLater, in ''Stages on Life's Way'' he wrote a "Morning" entry in the diary on May 4 about birth and on May 5th at "Midnight" an entry on Periander. Then on "June 18 at Midnight" he wrote about guilt. His mother Ane Kierkegaard was born on June 18. Then on July 7 at midnight he wrote abut Regine.〔''Stages on Life's Way'', Hong p.322ff, 380-382, 396-397〕 There is a genealogy of his family on the internet.〔(geni.com )〕 He used dates in his discourses also. The ''Four Upbuilding Discourses'' begin with a Preface, Kierkegaard had just published a book called ''Prefaces'' on Jun 17, 1844 and now he's publishing these discourses on August 31, 1844. He had published a preface for his ''Two Upbuilding Discourses'' and dated it May 5, 1843, his birthday, for which he gives God thanks for another year in which he can have "his spirit tested". He later dated the Preface to his ''Lilies of the Field and The Birds of the Air'' May 5, 1849.〔''Christian Discourses'', Lowrie translation, 1961 p. 313〕 Is he placing markers to show the slow but steady process of his own conversion to Christianity? The preface for this, his last discourses published in this two-year period, was dated August 9, 1844, the date of or after the death of his father, Mikael Pedersen Kierkegaard, (August 9, 1838). It could be possible that these ''Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses'' was his way of getting over the loss of his father and his mother, Ane Sørensdatter Lund Kierkegaard, and brothers and sisters too. Soren lost all of his brothers and sisters (Nicholene, Niels, Petrea, Soren Michael, Marin Kristine), as well as his mother and father by August 9, 1838. Only his brother Peter Christian was left. Soren died November 11, 1855 and Peter on February 24, 1888). Perhaps it was his way of grieving. But it's not grieving in a spectacular way. It's grieving as indirectly as possible. And doing it in a thoroughly Christian way by honoring his father and mother even though they were both dead. He wrote about death in his 1845 book ''Thoughts on Crucial Situations in Human Life'', which was translated by David F. Swenson in 1941 and also translated by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong as ''Three Discourses on Imagined Occasions'' in 1993. He wrote: He kept to his familiar formula while writing his preface by dedicating his discourse to his father, who was a clothing merchant living in Copenhagen and writing to ''my reader'', not my readers, because his books were for each single individual to read if she or he wanted to read it. His preface said, in part, "although this little book (which is called “discourses,” not sermons, because its author does not have authority to ''preach'', “upbuilding” discourses, not discourses for upbuilding, because the speaker by no means claims to be a ''teacher'') is once again going out into the world, it is even less fearful of drawing any impeding attention to itself than it was the first time it started on the journey; it hopes rather that because of the repetition the passersby will scarcely notice it, or if at all only to let it shift for itself. It seeks that single individual whom I with joy and gratitude call ''my reader'', in order to pay him a visit, indeed, to stay with him, because one goes to the person one loves, makes one’s home with him, and remains with him if this is allowed." Søren Kierkegaard, ''Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses'', Hong p. 295 The discourses are titled, *''To Need God Is a Human Being's Highest Perfection'' *''The Thorn in the Flesh'' *''Against Cowardliness'' *''One Who Prays Aright Struggles in Prayer and Is Victorious—in That God Is Victorious'' 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Four Upbuilding Discourses, 1844」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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