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The Spectrum of Faith: Meaning in the Fog of Uncertainty

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The Spectrum of Faith: Meaning in the Fog of Uncertainty 1 The Spectrum of Faith: Meaning in the Fog of Uncertainty Mark Morse University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 4/13/18 2 A healthy society I presuppose is one which is able to develop as effectively and efficiently as the citizens within it are capable. A sick society is unable to meet this criteria because of unnecessary internal sickness standing in conflict with the society’s developmental capabilities. Whether a society may be deemed healthy can be deduced to correspond with the general existential health of the citizens within it. If the citizens are unnecessarily existentially sick, then their cognitive state conflicts with their developmental capabilities.1 The greater the health of the citizens, the greater their own developmental capabilities. The greater the developmental capabilities of the citizens, the greater the developmental capabilities of the society. So, the pursuit of obtaining the condition of a healthy society is the pursuit of obtaining the health of the citizens within it. In this essay, I will argue that the healthiest society is the one in which the greatest number of people are self-satisfied by the subjective belief that their lives are meaningful and authentic. However, in couching objective uncertainty regarding meaning, for the individual to acquire a firm belief of self-satisfaction requires a leap of faith. Because of objective uncertainty, acquiring self-satisfaction through faith is subjective to the cognition of the individual. The vast spectrum of cognitive capabilities thus calls for an equally vast spectrum of faiths with corresponding “lengths” to which one must leap. The Danish Christian-existentialist, Soren Kierkegaard (1813–1855), and the German Secular-existentialist, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), both held the existential imperative: become who you are—to not become who one is, is existential sickness. The theism of Kierkegaard and the atheism of Nietzsche will represent the opposing postmarks on the spectrum-of-faith. Moreover, the philosophers held opposing ontological beliefs regarding the 1 This conflict between a negative cognitive state and one’s “developmental capabilities” is simply a reference to a cognitive-state which hinders one’s potential to become the best person they are capable of—which hinders the society from becoming the best society it is capable of. 3 nature of who one is. These causally relate to their differing methodologies for becoming one’s authentic-self. Both philosophers came to the realization that there is no epistemically-objective certainty to existential meaning; all that one can be epistemically certain of regarding existential meaning is that it is absolutely subjective. The problem, then, arises in how to find any “true” meaning in one’s own life. For Kierkegaard, a truly authentic-self can only be actualized through rejecting societal norms, and, consciously understanding and actively living the synthesis of the spiritual (eternal) and the natural (temporal), through continuous actions self-determined through a devout faith in God. This is one’s duty in living one’s subjective life within the incomprehensible objective function given by God to the universe. For Nietzsche, the truly authentic self is manifested through rejecting societal norms, including religion, and realizing the earthly nature of oneself. Then the agent must have faith in herself as her only affirmer of meaning. All that is, are material objects perceived through the senses. To continue to affirm what one perceives then gives the individual a meaning-framework while living in the reality of objective-meaninglessness. Kierkegaard and Nietzsche were both ultimately concerned with the meaning of existence, inquiring into how to apply a subjective meaning to an objectively incomprehensible universe in striving to create one’s authentic-self. Though, their opposing ontological beliefs lead to their distinct methodologies for self-becoming, both philosophers held to the supposition that the inaugural component for existential meaning is faith. Couching objective uncertainty, these two subjective philosophies of faith can stand as opposing postmarks, generally in accordance with juxtaposed normative systems of faith in Western society: atheism and theism. According to both of their distinct conceptions of existential sickness, they would both deem the other to be sick. Neither were concerned with the overall health of society; their primary focus was on the 4 health of the individual, as most existentialists are. However, when pursuing the overall existential health of a society, couching objective uncertainty, the teleological meta-narrative of a Kierkegaardian faith is the healthiest form for most, and the perspectivism of a Nietzschean faith is the healthiest form for the rest of society.2 Soren Kierkegaard’s metaphysical conception of self is a duality between the physical and the spiritual. The task of becoming oneself is not only to realize this duality but to actualize it. The teleological narrative to self-actuality is plagued with sickness. He viewed existential sickness as despairing, a condition a priori to life as a human. We have, in his work, three forms of despair. First, inauthentic despair: being unconscious of being in despair of oneself. Second, two forms of authentic despair (conscious of self): the self wanting, or willing, to be oneself; and the self wanting, or willing, to be rid of oneself. In the first sense, it is a weakness of preventing oneself from becoming who one is even when conscious of it. For instance, the weak could be conscious of their being but be too weak to abandon societal norms to become their authentic- self. The second form is a denial of who one is even when conscious of it. For instance, the denier could be conscious of their being but reject the divine element.3 To deny or to not will one’s true-self, Kierkegaard prescribes “is the formula for all despair”.4 The level of consciousness of oneself and the intensity of despair have a reciprocating relationship so that an “increase in the degree of consciousness, and in proportion to that increase, the intensity of despair increases.”5 The more an individual is conscious of their dual-self the more they realize 2 This does not mean to imply a false dichotomy regarding faith but intends to take the two primary forms of faith in the West as the opposing post-marks of this society. 3 Nietzsche is a primary example of what Kierkegaard would consider a denier of their true self. Nietzsche denies the duality of being but is conscious of what Nietzsche refers to as his conscience. 4 Kierkegaard, Soren. Sickness Unto Death. pg. 19 5 I.e.d. pg. 65 5 the contradiction between the content of their eternal spirit and the content of their temporal existence. The consciousness of self is a self-relation. The self is relating itself to itself, as both subject and object. Because an individual’s consciousness can act as subject viewing itself, consciousness, as object; greater consciousness is thus something that can be reached for. Consciousness of the synthesis of self is a necessary attribute of becoming an authentic-self, he posits, “the more consciousness, the more self; the more consciousness, the more will, the more will the more self”.6 This sort of self-relation derives personal-responsibility and self- accountability, motivated by the supposition that only the individual with God’s help is capable of realizing and willing into actuality who they are. The realization is the role of consciousness, the more one realizes who she is the more one is herself. The greater the realization, the greater the will to become their self. The strength of the will leads to the strength of the self. If devout in faith and strong in will, the despair of life will be healed through living with God. The more conscious someone is the more she despairs, but, is also closer to becoming who they are. This teleological “meta-narrative” of an increase in despairing, or suffering, leading to a preferred state of being mirrors traditional dualist presuppositions of purpose. To see the universe, and correspondingly oneself, as all part of a teleological universe gives one’s suffering meaning; this is the ultimate belief that in the end a reward of eternal bliss will be granted if one wills it. Just as the believer wills a faith in God as the possible salvation from eternal suffering, Kierkegaard also believed that willing a faith in God is the only possible salvation from temporal suffering. He believes this because without God all can only be 6 Sickness unto Death, p. 76 6 perceived as essential, to only see necessity, and to be inherently sick, means freedom from this sickness doesn’t exist in possibility. Kierkegaard speaks of the healing power of a faith in God in Sickness Unto Death: salvation (from despair) is humanly speaking the most impossible thing of all; but for God all things are possible! This is the fight of faith, which fights madly (if one would so express it) for possibility. For possibility is the only power to save.7 To live one’s life only in accordance with what is rational is to live in permanent despair. One must strive to accept possibility in all of its absurdities to be within the reality of living as a creation of a divine omnipotent creator. This devout faith is a trust in the omnipotence of God as redeemer. This belief in an omnipotent being, Kierkegaard established is the only solution to the existential problem of despair. Kierkegaard emphasizes, “despair is the disrelationship in the (self-)relation,”.8 What the physical self must relate to is their divine self. This comes through the strength of one’s faith, which is the strength in their relationship with the divine: God. Without a relationship with God through faith, there is no self the individual can actualize because they are living outside of the reality of their self.
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