2007_05_01_archive

KIERKEGAARD'S ABSOLUTISM VERSUS TWO KINGDOMS

When Christ was asked whether we should pay taxes to the emperor in

Rome he said that we should Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's

and render unto God that which is God's.

This is the nub of two kingdom's philosophy. That there is a

differentiation between our world and that of God.

Our realm is based on the law of the land and we are encouraged to

follow it.

However, Kierkegaard wipes out that law in his infamous "teleological

suspension of the ethical," which uses Abraham's attempted sacrifice

of his son Isaac (his arm with knife in hand is in motion when an

angel stops him from going further) as an illustration for how each

person should listen to God on an individual basis. This makes me

completely sick.

Zizek uses Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac to explain how the Bolsheviks

had divine authorization to slaughter the Mensheviks. Dubious in this

case especially since a. God didn't command them to do it, and b. no

angel held them back.

How do we know when it's reason, God, or the devil who's providing us

with an injunction?

At the risk of relying solely on reason, I think that the law of the

land is our best guide. Where do we get it from? Perhaps it's

partially based on the Ten Commandments, as Dershowitz and others have

argued. Perhaps it's partially based on what God tells each individual

to do. But as individuals we cannot override the community's laws as

Kierkegaard argues that we ought to do.

Kierkegaard often strikes me as a punk who is in rebellion against the

church and using God as his authorization to do so. He seems to feel

that he is an exception to all of our laws and ethics. Even his

leaving Regina at the altar is the act of a cad. I am sometimes swayed

by him nevertheless.... But I believe his total emphasis on the

individual is an aberration. We must rely on the community for

indications of how to run our personal lives. Just because God tells

me I can speed at 95 mph is not enough of a reason for me to do so if

the sign says 15 mph (school zone). Speed limits and other laws and

customs were designed by the community's leaders and we ought to place

a high regard on those laws and customs.

Kierkegaard says we must listen only to God. I don't think that we can

reliably achieve this. To listen only to reason is perhaps also a

slippery slope. We must try to do what is good based on the ten

commandments, but if we get some kind of hallucinatory message asking

us to go beyond and abrogate the law entirely, or to take the law into

our own hands, I can only say, God help us. We must try to get reason