“The Philosophical Thesis of the Identity of Thinking and Being is Just the Opposite of What it seems to be.” Kierkegaard on the Relations between Being and Thought

Abstract

Kierkegaard is often regarded as an opponent of metaphysics per se. However,h en ot onlyi mplicitlye spouses metaphysical positions, but also his understanding of existence rests upon an explicit metaphysical differentiation between being qua actuality and being qua thought,which results in adifference between actuality (Virkelighed)a nd reality (Realitet). Ib egin by analyzinga n apparent contradiction between two of Kierkegaard'sstatements on the relations between being and thought, which leadsmeboth to inquire into that distinction and to retrace the roots of Kierkegaard'saccount.Finally, Ipresent Kierkegaard's final positions and point out some of their existential consequences.There is no doubt that relations between being and thoughtu nderlie the whole domainofmetaphysics.Explicitlyorimplicitly,positively or negatively,one cannot intend to saysomething about the realm of "thingsthat are" without binding oneself to some position concerning the relation of our cognitivef aculties and the object one would want to know or,i no ther words, without assuminga position regarding the interactions-or lack of them-between being and thought. However,i fw hat wass aid is evident,i ti sn ot clear that this sphere of problems is in the scope of Kierkegaard'sissues or themes; after all, approaching this universe of philosophicalp roblems would seem like af lirt with the sub specie aeterni wayo ft hinking that, in turn, is in the sights of Kierkegaard'sc ritique.¹  Despitet he fact that ontologyi sn ot one of the major themes in Kierkegaards econdary literature, there ares ome remarkable works dedicated to it; see John W. Elrod, Being and Existence in Kierkegaard'sP seudonymous Works,P rinceton: PrincetonU niversity Press 1975; HeikoS chulz, "Philosophie als Existenzwissenschaft.E mpirismuskritik und Wissenschaftsklassifikation bei SörenKierkegaard," in his Aneignung und Reflexion, vol. II:Studien zur Philosophie und Theologie Sören Kierkegaards,Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter2014, pp. 39 -61;Klaus Schäfer, HermeneutischeO ntologie in den Climacus-Schriften Sören Kierkegaards,M unich: Kösel