Søren Kierkegaard and The Value of Despair 

Access 45+ membership videos (more added each month): academyofideas.com/members/ Sign up with Paypal, Credit Card or Bitcoin. Thank you for the support!

So much wisdom compressed into almost 13 minutes... Wow. This is the top quality side of RU-vid, thank you so much for your work!

I go to work and people talk about football, latest television show on Netflix, trending videogames and streamers - everyone consumes and is consumed by entertainment, no one seems to strive towards becoming anything other than a domesticated herd animal. An entire generation under the spell of despair without even realizing it

Kierkegaard really makes you feel like you have a duty to be your best.

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” ― J. Krishnamurti

Thank you for these videos. Seriously can’t tell you how much I’ve gained from them all.

"…[D]espair is the sickness unto death. It is indeed very far from being true that, literally understood, one dies from this sickness, or that this sickness ends with bodily death. On the contrary, the torment of despair is precisely this, not to be able to die… yet not as though there were hope of life; no, the hopelessness in this case is that even the last hope, death, is not available. When death is the greatest danger, one hopes for life; but when one becomes acquainted with an even more dreadful danger, one hopes for death. So when the danger is so great that death has become one’s hope, despair is the disconsolateness of not being able to die. "It is in this last sense that despair is the sickness unto death, this agonizing contradiction, this sickness in the self, everlastingly to die, to die and yet not to die, to die the death. For dying means that it is all over, but dying the death means to live to experience death; and if for a single instant this experience is possible, it is tantamount to experiencing it forever. "If one might die of despair as one dies of a sickness, then the eternal in him, the self, must be capable of dying in the same sense that the body dies of a sickness. But this is an impossibility; the dying of despair transforms itself constantly into a living. The despairing man cannot die; no more than “the dagger can slay thoughts” can despair consume the eternal thing, the self, which is the ground of despair, whose worm dieth not, and whose fire is not quenched. Yet despair is precisely _self_ -consuming, but it is an impotent self-consumption, which is not able to do what it wills; and this impotence is a new form of self-consumption, in which again, however, the despairer is not able to do what he wills, namely, to consume himself… This is despair raised to a higher potency… This is the hot incitement, or the cold fire in despair, the gnawing canker whose movement is constantly inward, deeper and deeper, in impotent self-consumption. The fact that despair does not consume him is so far from being any comfort to the despairing man that it is precisely the opposite, this comfort is precisely the torment, it is precisely this that keeps the gnawing pain alive and keeps life in the pain. This is pre-cisely why he despairs… because he cannot consume himself, cannot get rid of himself, cannot become nothing. …This is the potentiated formula for despair, the rising fever in the sickness of the self. "To despair over oneself, in despair to will to be rid of oneself, is the formula for all despair… A despairing man wants despairingly to be himself. But if he despairingly wants to be himself, he will not want to get rid of himself… That self which he despairingly wills to be is a self which he is not (for to will to be that self which one truly is, is indeed the opposite of despair), what one really wills is to tear his self away from the Power which constituted it. But notwithstanding all his despair, this he is unable to do, notwithstanding all the efforts of despair, that Power is the stronger, and it compels him to be the self he does not will to be. …To be _self_ as he wills to be would be his delight (though in another sense it would be equally in despair), but to be compelled to be _self_ as he does not will to be is his torment, namely that he cannot get rid of himself. "The despairing man is mortally ill. In an entirely different sense than can appropriately be said of any disease, we may say that the sickness has attacked the noblest part; and yet the man cannot die… This is the situation in despair. And however thoroughly it eludes the attention of the despairer, and however thoroughly the despairer may succeed…in losing himself entirely, and losing himself in such a way that it is not noticed in the least, eternity nevertheless will make it manifest that his situation was despair, and it will so nail him to himself that the torment nevertheless remains that he cannot get rid of himself, and it becomes manifest that he was deluded in thinking that he succeeded. And thus it is that eternity must act, because to have a self, to be a self, is the greatest concession made to man, but at the same time it is eternity’s demand upon him." Kierkegaard -- The Sickness Unto Death (translation by Walter Lowrie)

It's exciting to read through this comment section and just know that somewhere out there, there are people who are like minded enough to be interested in videos of this nature. The world feels significantly less wide and lonely.

Today I've made it to the end of my 26th birthday, an emotional wreck. A wild bout of deep depression clocked me round the temples from the moment I woke up and I couldn't shake it off even as family and friends wished me happy birthday and a joyful time. The universe must have some kind of dark humour to have brought me here, in this exact moment, 19th of October - I got the notification for this video after yet another round of crying. Thank you, Academy of Ideas, for posting this video which, I think, isn't the birthday present I wanted but it is the one I desperately _needed_ .

"There is no reason to despair, if one is in existential despair." Ha. Nice. So much of our suffering comes from our reactions to our own feelings.

Always remember. That everyone you meet is going through a battle. Be kind, it might change their life.

You need to open a bar in a convenient metropolitan city. We all have assigned readings and sit down at 8:30pm, away from the rest of the world and contemplate these things together. I’d invest

When someone tells me they struggle with depression I tell them "congratulations! You still have some humanity left"... if you go through this world without getting depressed you arent paying attention

“The escape from Hell to Heaven is the escape from personal fantasy into meaningful relationship with life. What is Hell but obsession with oneself? What is Heaven but the full involvement with life as an integral part of its overall expression. Heaven and Hell are something you will experience day to day and even moment to moment, depending upon where you stand.” *Steps to Knowledge - The Book of Inner Knowing*

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the world, but loses his soul?" -The Book of Matthew This quote is just awesome 💖

We suffer more in our minds than in reality

For Kierkegaard, struggle, despair, and the constant fight with the self was something like a vocation, a full time intellectual job so to speak. Nonetheless, it was his fuel and what transformed him into an intellectual powerhouse. He is a great philosopher because he shows you how despair can shape you instead of enfeeble (weaken) you.

" The wise man knows not what it is to live in hope or fear." ~ Seneca. " Things that we dread sink into nothing and things that we hope for mock us." ~ Seneca. " When ideas serve us we live, when we serve ideas we die." ~ Clair H Horner. " With the right attitude, self imposed limitations vanish." ~ Alexander the great.

Take this moment to truly thank this channel for the amazing content and perfect delivery. Shoutout to the narrator. Much

These guys really are a channel, or a portal, or both. Their timing is always impeccable and this synchronistic theme seems more common amongst the commenters with every new video. Thank you for all that you do, lads. I and the other humans becoming are in your debt.

If you despair, you must change. Many times you already know what exactly are the changes that must occur, you're just not doing them because of some made-up reasons.

All the words of all languages in the entire world are not enough to express my gratitude for the work you do. Take a bow 🙇‍♂️

Genious! So well put together.

“That one is in despir is not a rarity; no, it is rare, very rare, that one is ... not is despair. “ 🙏🙏🙏

It's for the duration of your life on this planet that you're a totally vulnerable being. Because you unconsciously recognize this, you unconsciously despair.

As the Buddha already correctly observed 2600 years ago... suffering is universal, everyone has much more of is that happiness unless they are really smart about it

You don't know how much Kierkegaard means to me... The fact I just scoured the net searching for despair and Kierkegaard and your video pops up... You have made my year

As someone who has been on both sides, that is, in absolute despair and in absolute serenity and free from real problems, it is possible to develop yourself and learn in both cases. No situation is better or teaches you more. It is on you to know how to absorb the best of what life brings you, regardless your situation.

Your breakdown of Soren Kierkegaard was so well done.

Last time I was this early I was still positively naive

My path to happiness was to find something worth dyeing for and living for that. Service is key. But first you need to train your mind to be positive and be the best you you can be. " To fix the world fix yourself first" , The rest will naturally follow.

"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even, if you're not mad..."

Perfect timing. This, this video means a lot to me, and I needed it dearly. Thank you.

If anyone is intrigued by this I recommend Leo Tolstoy’s story “The Death Of Ivan Illych”

I have lived with bouts of intermittent severe depression for most of my adult life and know the feeling of despair very well. I just feel that if life ends at death, it is absurd. All the struggle and suffering we go through is for nothing ultimately. This thought brings me so much despair. It hampers my ability to thrive in the world.

This channel is by VERY FAR, the greatest channel I have been blessed with accidentally or I can blame the algorithms for sending it to me. So even with as much censorship that is going on, the algorithms are still behaving in a different manner, for I would never have been given this beautiful blessing of finding this channel

Man I literally just opened your channel to see if I missed something since your last video and you uploaded same time🤯🤯

for some reason, excerpts from Kierkegaard always speak to me the most. they hit different.

If anyone sees this please do reply because this has been something stressing me quite a lot this past year. At 2:45 it's said that the individuals who make strides towards full selfhood have a "great character and a radiant personality." But what if the actualized "self" that is within you is just an annoying person? In whatever way, maybe yes your self is very creative but it also makes you just annoying. Is that possible? Or would that mean that this "self" you see isn't yet the full Self it can become. I am so confused on this.

I just became a bit more intelligent every time you post a new video. Thank you.

Oh gosh... Not more re-definitions, please... I am inclined to think if I'm not in despair, and I don't feel hopeless or in despair, then I'm not in despair. Sorry, I might have been more receptive to this if it were not so reminiscent of some popular ideas going about today (you think you're not racist, and you say you're not racist, but really you ARE racist... And by saying you aren't is actually proof you are... especially with this new and very much broader definition of what it actually means to be racist). I'm probably missing the point of this video because I immediately got my hackles up. Enlighten me someone.

I absolutely love this channel but of all the great thinkers that are quoted i have yet to hear a word from two of my favorite deep thinkers of the 21st century? In 1973 we lost Mr. Alan Watts, and the other man (who we almost lost recently) would be Dr.Jordan B. Peterson. They may not be Jung or Plato but thier words have been an inspiration in my life just as your channel has been.

This cuts to the bone of what our society is experiencing on a mass level it seems

Dear "Acadamey of Ideas" you sound young, your interpretations of these philosophers (such as Jung) sounds young too. Nothing wrong with being young as long as you grasp its limitations. Its interesting to ponder the questions and the answers to questions for sure. However the consideration of answers to life questions which you have no actual life experience of is a difficult thing. When you have your most beloved wife die you will know anguish and you will soon know despair. If one is lucky one is a sociopath and can replace that person with another to fill that "spot". If one is a good person and old enough one will see that its impossible to continue becoming the person you were becoming (in that relationship) and (assuming it was a good and mutually developmental relationship) you will then find out personally what "despair" really is. Its not always the "unwillingness" ... Until then ... perhaps the reality of this is (as Jung put it) for the experienced clinicians. Best wishes

This is wonderful. This came right at the right time. I struggle with despair. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, but the truth is that I have DESPAIR. I will look into Kierkegaard, I feel he gets me. Thank you for posting these, I absolutely love your videos!!! Never give up the good work!

is this guy doing a jordan peterman impression?

Okay, seriously, are you people raiding my bookshelves at night, or what?

9:02 passion as a way out of despair

"Character is fate" means this: All paths lead to the self. Or, rather, the path one takes is always one's own way. If a man sticks to the common road, it is because he is, in truth, a commoner. He who does not march to the beat of a different drum or follow a higher calling, hears it not; he has no ears for it, and it does not exist for him. Whatever path he takes is the correct and only way he could have gone, to bring him face to face with his identity, such as it is. No man shirks his duty or abandons his quest. We all become what we are. A fern is not a stunted oak.

This explains the npc like people running around these days

We are having a sort of ongoing debate on our discord server about immortality. Whether it's possible (some people think inevitable and soon) and whether it's a good idea or not. I am very against immortality and I think, if I'm honest, if immortality became possible I would kill myself. It's an extreme reaction but not one I haven't thought through. This video is sort of tagnential to the discussion and I'm curious your thoughts. I think, like Kierkegaard, that despair is vital and that there is a terrible temptation in distraction from what is wrong. I think immortality would result in a population that always had tomorrow to worry about it. What are your thoughts?

I knows is useless and weird BUT I wonder who are these people that put “not like” in these videos 😃.

These kinds of western philosophers have highlighted the value of eastern philosophy to west.

I hope there will be no dislike to this video

There is ALWAYS hope. Do not be afraid, brothers and sisters.

The goal of humans should be to be out of the circle of life and death.

How do you always know how I feel?

Best channel on yt hands down

Oh man! Watching this 8888 views... crazy

Been studying camus a lot lately, he was deeply inspired by kierkegaard

Perhaps I'm beyond saving then. Whenever I have an opinion on what should I do, I just jokingly suggest it to family and people I know. If the Idea get criticized, I just silently discard it. It's just ironic that the rebellious kids I know are now successful in life or at least being at peace with what they are doing while me, the good behaving can't even think for myself. Sometimes I just wish a truck would hit me so I won't have to struggle without a goal and everyone I know will just see it as an accident

The video mentions superficial people who crave consumerism, admiration for their appearance and accomplishments, and power over others, but what about people who are too poor or dysfunctional to achieve these things? Are they more aware of their despair because they can't play the conformist game?

I’ve been mulling over some big changes for days and days. And I think this just gave me a breakthrough. Thank you.

When you play in the dark sometimes you get lost until the light becomes known.

De most important task of my life is to be an individual who sees his own essence in all interbeings. Strange indeed, But all interbeing possesses the same essence within: De awaken nature.

Jean Beraud's apparent passion was drawing bored women.

I love Kierkegaard just as much as i love this channel. Amazing. Every single video is pure gold. Keep it up.

Great video. Instant add to the favorites. I love all of your videos on Kiekergaard. Being a big fan of Taoism/Buddhism. It is taught "SELF" is the problem. Identifying with it is the cause to intellectual sickness. In fact, meditation is about resting the intellect (mind) in general as a means to keep from constantly engaging with it in such a way that it brings misery. One seeks to (keyword) uncondition himself from the ways of the world and through this inevitably finds that true (origin) "self". That's always been there suffering under the weight of its slavish conditioning that must be unlearned. Edit : Besides calmness. Insight is what one comes to through meditation as they disengage from conformity. "Stillness" is a keyword in these philosophies, because yes we're always finding ourselves too busy to look within. Too busy looking outward at externals.

What an outstanding work you do! Thank you! Happy to be a member!

This is helping me to see. And it's unbearable. 😟

Once again, the best of philosophers telling us why we are and what we are and where we are heading (perpetual despair) yet no outlet, or ways to change..

I guess not understanding Kierkegaard's thoughts properly lead many to mix his philosophical views with Nietzsche. He almost totally contradicts Nietzsche.

... We accept despair as normal, because we accept the illegality of God's plant medicines as normal. Neither of these two things are normal or healthy.

🎁SØREN KIERKEGAARD MERCHANDISE🎁 Unisex t-shirts with an exclusive illustration: ‘Stages on Love’s Way, Søren Kierkegaard’ 💲SIGN UP WITH YOUR EMAIL FOR A £5 DISCOUNT💲 Pick a colour and order straight to your door 👇👇👇 www.phlexiblephilosophy.com/merchandise

Finally a new video! Much anticipated. Thank you for your effort, I appreciate your channel very much.

"If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you." Gnostic bible Elaine Pagels

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:06 🤔 *Despair is common, often masked by conformity and social status pursuit.* 00:35 📘 *Kierkegaard, a "physician of the soul," challenges traditional views of despair.* 01:04 🌱 *Despair is defined as failure in self-development, not aligning with one's true potential.* 01:29 🔍 *Selfhood is a continuous process; despair arises from failure to fully develop the self.* 01:53 🌟 *Achieving full selfhood involves actualizing latent potentials and personality elements.* 02:21 🚧 *Self-awareness and confronting anxiety are crucial for selfhood development.* 02:50 💔 *Most people face development stunting due to bad influences, luck, or fear.* 03:15 💡 *Conscious despair is a positive sign, motivating the search for overcoming it.* 03:42 🤖 *Unconscious despair is likened to undetected illness, often worsened by societal norms.* 04:07 🏥 *Unconscious despairers feel falsely healthy, masking critical inner issues.* 04:34 🌐 *Modern conformity often hinders rather than helps individual development.* 05:04 🧭 *Focusing on inner values is essential for self-development and combating despair.* 05:33 🪞 *Conformists often neglect inner values, leading to despair.* 05:58 🔄 *Conformity may make life easier but can lead to losing oneself and unrecognized despair.* 06:25 😌 *Despair can be masked by external successes, leading to a disconnect from true selfhood.* 06:53 🙈 *Self-deception in conformists often blames external factors for unhappiness.* 07:19 🔎 *Conformists may double down on external pursuits, further distancing from self-awareness.* 07:45 🚫 *Distractions like alcohol, drugs, and screens can be used to avoid confronting despair.* 08:13 🛤️ *Denial of despair can lead to misinterpreting the cause as external rather than internal.* 08:38 🌉 *Acknowledging despair is the first step towards salvation and truth.* 09:07 🎯 *Kierkegaard recommends choosing personal ideals to foster inner development.* 09:36 💖 *Passion is necessary for a directed, meaningful life and overcoming despair.* 10:01 🧗‍♂️ *Pursuing personal truths and values can guide one towards full selfhood.* 10:25 🏆 *Setting and pursuing high, noble goals can be a fulfilling life purpose.* 10:50 ⚖️ *Modern preoccupations often overshadow soulful reflection and personal values.* 11:16 📜 *Kierkegaard's philosophy serves as a remedy to the hollowness of modern life.* 11:45 🔍 *His insights encourage introspection and authenticity in life choices.* 12:11 ✨ *Kierkegaard's work challenges individuals to treat their existence with seriousness and respect.* Made with HARPA AI

I understand Soren Kierkegaard . Climbing ...The Ladder....involves competition with friends, Eventually you climb higher NOT with your back sweat and muscles Deceit, you become. Congratulations on your birth as a Selfish person

Anger is better than this pear.

*“Conformity is neither good nor bad. Rather its value is dependent on the way of life it promotes.”* *”If it promotes the healthy functioning of body and mind then conformity is good. If it stunts an individuals development than conformity is bad.”* *”In the modern world conformity is more likely to cause us to regress from the ideal of full selfhood than to promote its flowering. This is due to the excessive focus that our society places on external values. Wealth, social status, popularity good looks and power over others are the dominant values for modern conformist and this is creating psychologically crippled individuals.”* - _Academy of ideas_

MY FAVORITE CHANNEL!!!!!

"...Kierkegaard's brother-in-arms, Friedrich Nietzsche...." no truer words....

This one is heavy!

When in doubt, ask a dane about despair

"Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it"

I’m sensing that arming any of these canines with an AR15, possibly augmented with a SIG P226 would add another dimension to their peacekeeping capabilities…

Is it possible that modern culture can produce a society where most individuals become self-realized? It seems too many distractions are in the way for anyone but the hermit.

Question: didn't Kierkegaard invoke God as the only real way out of despair in Sickness Unto Death? He was a religious man

Gimmee a break. Despair, gloom, doom, darkness, SHADOWS in the unconscious. To quote Melvin Udall from the movie "As Good as it Gets": "Some of us have great stories, pretty stories that take place at lakes with boats and friends and noodle salad. Just no one in this car. But, a lot of people, that's their story. Good times, noodle salad. What makes it so hard is not that you had it bad, but that you're that pissed that so many others had it good."

Thérèse of Lisieux would be an interesting alternate way of saying something similar, but with a certain lightness of being. Love Soren, but he has a way of making God sound depressing.

Victims of childhood ptsd and those who differ from Depression or Disassociation, be careful watching this video: idk if i would call this a trigger warning: but do not feel more worthlessness from this video. Extract the gems of this philosophy…; and then come back to Self . Good luck 🙏🙏

Great. I had to see this one and go back into the despair hellhole once again.

What makes people do lone wolf attacks? I say drugs like PCP and scopolsmine altering. What did carl jung say?

Can anyone who has read works from both authors tell me if I can read John Mullen's book on Kierkegaard, without having read anything from Kierkegaard? Or would it be pointless? Thanks in advance.

Considering how 90% of your videos end with "you just have to find a passion to dedicate yourself to" Maybe you should make a video on how to find a passion... as that seems about as impossible... hence the word.. despair.. no hope for the future because we got nothing going for us.. Passion is a luxery that most dont have.

Posted this one with perfect timing. Needed this.

Kierkegaard is right, but Nietzsche is wrong, as he usual is. Goals should arise as conclusions of knowing yourself, not be set from ignorance as Nietzsche claimed.

I swear the kierkegaard quotes knocked me on my ass. "Naturally the world has generally no understanding of what is truly horrifying. The despair that not only does not cause any inconvenience in life, but makes life convenient and comfortable, is naturally enough in no way regarded as despair." On one's use of distractions to avoid the difficulty of self-actualizing and assuming responsibility "...he seeks by his own effort to preserve an obscurity about his condition" it is important to remember that the so called values instilled within us from birth, as products of society, are hailed so much they become the sort of righteous virtues we're taught to obey and instill further into our character, to base our dreams and aspirations on them--get a job, do good in school, graduate get a degree, win friends, be able to attract women, be able to attract men, be better than everyone else, have money... all of these things take what is truly important out of focus, and what is truly important is what you define in your pursuit of your true self. Some of us get so entrenched in the meaningless pursuit that even when we come to realize that that entire enterprise is fraught with emptiness and self-deceit, that it is baseless and serves no real purpose other than elating our false conceptions of self, we're too far in the shit hole to drudge back in the opposite direction. Some of us would rather die in a glass castle made of mirrors than tear the bitch down and build an actual functional home in its stead. "I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew. But I never took it, you wanna know why? It was too damn hard." -Lt. Colonel Frank Slade, A Scent of a Woman

Kierkergard had wisdom. Don't know much about him but he definitely understood some of the truth of life.

I don't think I've ever heard Kierkegaard be called Nietzsche's philosophical brother in arms lol. They agreed on almost nothing. And I'm inclined to believe Kierkegaard more often then not.