Immediacy and Reflection in Kierkegaard's Thought

Immediacy and Reflection in Kierkegaard's Thought PDF

Author: Paul Cruysberghs

Publisher: Leuven University Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 9789058673114

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"We live in a reflective age." That is Soren Kierkegaard's overall conclusion when evaluating the time he lives in. But his appraisal contains both approval and criticism. On the one hand reflection is a necessary category to deal with the dynamics and the qualities of the modern age, on the other hand it bears a great danger. It is Kierkegaard's firm conviction that reflection should always relate to a kind of immediacy that safeguards it from becoming hollow and detached from our existential reality. Throughout the voluminous and complex work of Kierkegaard, the notions of 'immediacy' and 'reflection' play a crucial role. They appear in such an early work as From the Papers of One Still Living as well as in the late Anti-Climacus writings, and indeed their significance or influence can be felt in all philosophical texts published in between. That is not to say that the meaning of the notions is unequivocal. After all, Kierkegaard not only uses the terms in very divergent contexts, but his own understanding of them appears to evolve quite strongly in the course of his oeuvre. Moreover, in spite of their clearly philosophical character, the two notions play an unmistakable role in Kierkegaard's understanding of religion. They appear frequently in the religious discourses indeed. In short, Kierkegaard's use of the notions of 'immediacy' and 'reflection' covers a broad array of meanings and interpretations. The dialectics of immediacy and reflection, of reflection killing immediacy and raising the question of the possibility of a new immediacy is the main theme of Immediacy and Reflection in Kierkegaard's Thought. The book contains contributions authored by a number of well known Kierkegaard scholars. Kierkegaard's theory of the 'existence spheres of life' provides a first viewpoint on the interplay of immediacy and reflection. Here the philosophical and pseudonymous writings are the main subject of research. If on the other hand one pays a closer look at the significance of a 'second immediacy' for a religious attitude to life, The religious discourses come into play when the possibility of a 'second immediacy' is taken into consideration. In conclusion the theme of immediacy and reflection is connected to some important trends in the modern and contemporary era. On the one hand it is linked to the philosophical influences Kierkegaard underwent (e.g. from Hegel); on the other hand Kierkegaard is confronted with later thinkers (Heidegger in particular).

American Literature and Immediacy

American Literature and Immediacy PDF

Author: Heike Schaefer

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-01-16

Total Pages: 327

ISBN-13: 1108487386

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Demonstrates that the quest for immediacy, or experiences of direct connection and presence, has propelled the development of American literature and media culture.

Jonathan Edwards and the Immediacy of God

Jonathan Edwards and the Immediacy of God PDF

Author: John Carrick

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2020-12-09

Total Pages: 153

ISBN-13: 1725252937

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Jonathan Edwards is one of the outstanding figures in the history of the Christian church--he was, quite simply, a man of towering intellect and towering spirituality. But it has been noted, even by his friends and admirers, that his thought is also marked at times by certain idiosyncrasies which inevitably introduce certain complexities into his philosophical-theological system. This study contends that the theme of divine immediacy is the controlling theme and the correlating principle within Edwards's thought. It analyzes the theme of divine immediacy in the thought of Jonathan Edwards under four major heads: creation, the will, ecclesiology, and spiritual experience. Indeed, Dr. Carrick claims that the theme of the immediacy of God is the Ariadne's thread, which runs with consistency through the multiple aspects of Edwards's philosophical, theological, ecclesiological, experiential, and homiletical interests. But sometimes a man's strength is also his weakness, and it would appear that Edwards's profound commitment to the concept and the reality of the immediacy of God entails significant problems for his entire philosophical-theological system. Edwards's concept of divine immediacy finds its supreme expression, surely, in his doctrine of continuous creation; but is it not the case that this doctrine of continuous creation is in conflict with his determinism, that its tendency is to destroy the moral responsibility of man, and that it makes God both the author and the actor of sin? In short, is it not the case that Edwards's Ariadne's thread is, in fact, also his Achilles' heel?

Immediacy and Its Limits

Immediacy and Its Limits PDF

Author: Nathan Rotenstreich

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 174

ISBN-13: 0415567181

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Originally published in 1991, this book focuses on a major problem in the philosophy of Martin Buber. This is the topic of immediacy which is presented in terms of the contact between human beings on the one hand, and man and God on the other. The basic theme throughout is whether the I-Thou relation refers to immediate contact between human beings, as Buber saw it, or whether that relation is something established or aspired to. This is an important study which should be consulted in any future discussion of Martin Buberâe(tm)s thought. At the same time, it raises critical issues for recent European philosophy. Students of philosophy, and religious and social thought will find its critical exposition extremely helpful.

Mediation and Immediacy

Mediation and Immediacy PDF

Author: Jenny Ponzo

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2020-12-07

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 3110690357

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Religion, like any other domain of culture, is mediated through symbolic forms and communicative behaviors, which allow the coordination of group conduct in ritual and the representation of the divine or of tradition as an intersubjective reality. While many traditions hold out the promise of immediate access to the divine, or to some transcendent dimension of experience, such promises depend for their realization as well on the possibility of mediation, which is necessarily conducted through channels of communication and exchange, such as prayers or sacrifices. An understanding of such modes of semiosis is therefore necessary even and especially when mediation is denied by a tradition in the name of the 'ineffability" of the deity or of mystical experience. This volume models and promotes an interdisciplinary dialogue and cross-cultural perspective on these issues by asking prominent semioticians, historians of religion and of art, linguists, sociologists of religion, and philosophers of law to reflect from a semiotic perspective on the topic of mediation and immediacy in religious traditions.

Immediacy and its Limits (Routledge Revivals)

Immediacy and its Limits (Routledge Revivals) PDF

Author: Nathan Rotenstreich

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2009-10-15

Total Pages: 153

ISBN-13: 113516276X

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Originally published in 1991, this book focuses on a major problem in the philosophy of Martin Buber. This is the topic of immediacy which is presented in terms of the contact between human beings on the one hand, and man and God on the other. The basic theme throughout is whether the I-Thou relation refers to immediate contact between human beings, as Buber saw it, or whether that relation is something established or aspired to. This is an important study which should be consulted in any future discussion of Martin Buber’s thought. At the same time, it raises critical issues for recent European philosophy. Students of philosophy, and religious and social thought will find its critical exposition extremely helpful.

Immediacy and Meaning

Immediacy and Meaning PDF

Author: Caitlin Smith Gilson

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2017-02-09

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 1501329111

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Immediacy and Meaning seeks to approach the odd uneasiness at root in all metaphysical meaning; that the human knower attempts to mediate what cannot be mediated; that there is a pre-cognitive immemorial immediacy to Being that renders its participants irreducible, incommunicable and personal. The dilemma of metaphysics rests on the relationship between the spectator and the player, both as essential responses to the immediacy of Being. Immediacy and Meaning is an attempt to pause, but without retreat, to be a spectator within the game, to gain access into this immediate Presence, for a moment only perhaps, before the signatory failure into metaphysical language returns us to the mediated. J. K. Huysman's semi-autobiographical tetralogy anchors this book as a meditation, neither purely poetic nor only philosophical; it claims a unique territory when attempting to speak what cannot be spoken. The unnerving merits of nominalism, the difficulties of an honest appraisal of efficacious prayer, the mad sanity of the muse, the relationship between the uncreated and the created, and an originary ethics of antagonism, each serves to clarify the formation of a new epistemology.

The Ethics of Immediacy

The Ethics of Immediacy PDF

Author: Jeffrey McCurry

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2023-10-05

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13:

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Drawing connections between Freudian psychoanalysis, Virginia Woolf's criticism and fiction, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology, The Ethics of Immediacy recounts the far-reaching consequences of the modern turn towards a new ethics of immediacy. During the first half of the 20th century, a profound transformation – an existential revolution – took place in European culture in how human beings conceived of themselves. Inspired by Freud's psychoanalysis, a newfound appreciation for the realm of immediate experience in human life emerged. With Freud himself making a signal contribution to this existential revolution, and with Woolf and Merleau-Ponty taking up Freud's ideas in their own unique ways, all three figures began to regard first-order, spontaneous, direct, unselfconscious, concrete experience of self and world as standing at the heart of what it means to be human. Jeffrey McCurry describes how this new state of affairs stood in contrast to how immediate experience had been historically dismissed, devalued, repressed, and even negated in the fields of psychology, literature, and philosophy. This experience posed dangers to psychological stability, social order, and philosophical certainty. McCurry examines how Freud's psychoanalytic theory, Woolf's modernist criticism and fiction, and Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology, psychology, literature, and philosophy in turns embraced the risks and dangers of putting immediate experience as the center of humanity, of respecting, understanding, appreciating, and following the lead of immediate, spontaneous, pre-reflective, pre-evaluative, concrete experience in human life.

Creating Teacher Immediacy in Online Learning Environments

Creating Teacher Immediacy in Online Learning Environments PDF

Author: D'Agustino, Steven

Publisher: IGI Global

Published: 2016-03-31

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 1466699965

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Educators are finding that communication and interaction are at the core of a successful web-based classroom. This interactivity fosters community, which contributes to effective and meaningful learning. Positive online communities and the communication therein encourage students to interact with others’ views which not only grows one’s empathy, but is an integral part of constructivist learning theories. Because of this, the most important role of an educator in an online class is one that ensures student interactivity and engagement. Creating Teacher Immediacy in Online Learning Environments addresses the most effective models and strategies for nurturing teacher immediacy in web-based and virtual learning environments. A number of innovative methods for building an authentic, personalized online learning experience are outlined and discussed at length within this publication, providing solutions for pre-service as well as in-service educators. This book is a valuable compilation of research for course designers, faculty, students of education, administration, software designers, and higher education researchers.

Motivational Immediacy in the Workplace

Motivational Immediacy in the Workplace PDF

Author: Jonathan E. Taylor

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2022-05-02

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13: 1000573788

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Learners are always motivated; they just may not be motivated to learn the things you are wanting them to learn. Motivational Immediacy refers to the moment-by-moment motivation of learners during a learning event. This is in contrast to typical global views of motivation, and while casting a much heavier burden on the instructor, brings with it more deep, meaningful, and permanent learning. Motivational Immediacy in the Workplace focuses not only on fostering learner engagement with a primary emphasis on the role of the instructor, but also addresses the work and concerns of curriculum writers and training directors. The author defines Motivational Immediacy as both a phenomenon and a practice and provides concrete steps for practical action. Motivational Immediacy, as a construct, refers to a moment-by-moment feeling of motivation on the part of the learner to engage in the learning opportunity directly at hand. As a practice, it is the instructor’s process of working to stay connected with individual learners and foster engagement consistently at every moment of the teaching activity. The author addresses this idea from a learner-centered orientation, making the case that understanding and empathizing with the learner’s perceptions is the most effective way to promote efficient, meaningful learning. The book will provide a comprehensive conceptualization of learning engagement and learning resistance. It begins with a substantial theoretical framework and then shifts to direct applications to practice in the workplace. Motivational Immediacy is multidisciplinary and draws from fields such as Adult Education, Workplace and Training Development, Psychology, Educational Psychology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, and Communications.