COMMITMENT IN SOREN AABYE KIERKEGAARD’S PHILOSOPHY: IMPLICATION FOR LEADERSHIP BY OBAWEKI, JOSEPH OSOLASE 950107038 B.A. (HONS.), M.A. (UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS) BEING A THESIS SUBMITTEDTO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Ph.D) IN PHILOSOPHY NOVEMBER, 2012 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Certification............................................................................................................. i Dedication............................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements................................................................................................. iii-iv Declaration............................................................................................................. v Abstract................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ANALYSIS 1.0 Introduction……………………………………………………………… 1-14 1.1 Statement of the Problem……………………………………………….... 14-16 1.2 Aims of Study……………………………………………………………. 16 1.3 Objective of Study………………………………………………………. 16-17 1.4 Significance of Study……………………………………………………. 17-19 1.5 Scope and Limitation of Study………………………………………….. 19 1.6 Research Questions……………………………………………………… 20 I.7 Operational Definitions………………………………………………….. 20-23 1.8 Theoretical Framework………………………………………………….. 23-26 1.9 Methodology…………………………………………………………….. 26-27 1.9.1 Synopsis of the Work…………………………………………………….. 28-29 1.10 Literature Review………………………………………………………… 30-42 CHAPTER TWO: KIERKEGAARD’S PHILOSOPHY: A GENERAL OVER VIEW 2.0 Introduction................................................................................................ 43-44 2 2.1 Denmark in the time of Soren Kierkegaard............................................... 45-46 2.2 The Man Soren Kierkegaard...................................................................... 47-51 2.2.1 His Education……………………………………………………………. 51-53 2.2.2 His Religious Experience........................................................................... 53-54 2.2.3 His Marital Experience and The influence of Regine Olsen...................... 55-57 2.2.4 Individual Influences on Soren Kierkegaard.............................................. 57-64 2.3 Kierkegaard‟s Art of Indirect Communication........................................... 64-68 2.4 Kierkegaard‟s Concept of Dialectic............................................................ 68-75 2.5 Existentialism: How it contributed to Kierkegaard‟s Thought................... 75-86 2.6 Existence and Thought............................................................................... 86-92 2.7 Kierkegaard‟s Notion of Faith and Reason................................................ 92-100 2.8 Kierkegaard‟s Attack on Hegelianism........................................................ 100-105 2.8.1 The Corsair Incidence and his Attack........................................................ 105-107 2.8.2 Kierkegaard‟s Attack on Christendom....................................................... 107-109 2.9 Kierkegaard‟s Intellectual and Literary Experience............................................. 110-112 2.10 Kierkegaard‟s Works.................................................................................. 113-115 2.11 Summary..................................................................................................... 115-116 CHAPTER THREE: KIERKEGAARD’S ETHICAL THINKING AS INSIGHT INTO THE CONEPT OF COMMITMENT 3.0 Introduction................................................................................................ 117-119 3.1 The Various Conceptions of Ethics............................................................ 119-122 3.2 Ethics before Kierkegaard.......................................................................... 123-125 3.3 Kierkegaard‟s Ethical Thinking………………………………………….. 125-131 3.4 Kierkegaard‟s Theory of Stages................................................................. 131-147 3 3.5 Existentialist Themes in Kierkegaard‟s Thought………………………… 148 3.5.1 Authenticity and Inauthenticity………………………………………….. 148-154 3.5.2 Freedom, Choice and Responsibility.......................................................... 155-162 3.5.3 Anguish, Forlornness and Despair.............................................................. 162-170 3.5.4 Anxiety, Guilt and Conscience................................................................... 170-176 3.6 Summary..................................................................................................... 176-178 CHAPTER FOUR: KIERKEGAARD’S NOTION OF COMMITMENT 4.0 Introduction................................................................................................ 179-180 4.1 The Meaning, Nature and Types of Commitment...................................... 180-192 4.2 Different Senses of Commitment............................................................... 192-201 4.3 Kierkegaard‟s Notion of Commitment....................................................... 201-205 4.3.1 Commitment and Freedom......................................................................... 205-210 4.3.2 Commitment and Faith............................................................................... 210-216 4.3.3 Commitment and Subjectivity.................................................................... 216-218 4.3.4 Commitment and Responsibility................................................................ 218-224 4.3.5 Commitment and Transcendence............................................................... 224-227 4.4 Commitment, Will, Conscience, and Consciousness................................. 227-228 4.4.1 Commitment and Will................................................................................. 228-232 4.4.2 Commitment and Conscience...................................................................... 232-235 4.4.3 Commitment and Consciousness................................................................. 236-240 4.5 Significance of Commitment....................................................................... 241-244 4.6 Summary...................................................................................................... 244-246 4 CHAPTER FIVE: THE NOTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN KIERKEGAARD’S THEORY OF COMMITMENT 5.0 Introduction................................................................................................. 247-249 5.1 The Meaning and nature of the Individual……………………………….. 249-252 5.2 The Nature of the Ethical Individual........................................................... 252-259 5.3 The Nature of the Subjective Individual………………………………….. 259-266 5.4 Subjectivity and Objectivity......................................................................... 266-276 5.5 The Individual and the Masses..................................................................... 276-285 5.6 Summary....................................................................................................... 285-287 CHAPTER SIX: THE CONCEPT OF LEADERSHIP: AN EXPOSITION 6.0 Introduction.................................................................................................. 288-291 6.1 The Meaning and Nature of Leadership....................................................... 291-301 6.2 Types of Leadership..................................................................................... 301-303 6.3 Theories of Leadership…………………………………………………… 303-313 6.4 Characteristics and Qualities of Leadership................................................. 314-326 6.5 Leadership and Followership....................................................................... 326-334 6.6 Leadership Effectiveness and Responsiveness............................................ 334-342 6.7 Philosophical Basis of Leadership.............................................................. 343-350 6.8 Relationship between Commitment, Ethics and Leadership……………. 350-359 6.9 Summary.................................................................................................... 359-360 5 CHAPTER SEVEN: COMMITMENT IN SOREN KIERKEGAARD’S PHILOSOPHY: IMPLICATIONS FOR POLITICAL LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA 7.0 Introduction............................................................................................... 361-365 7.1 For Political Leadership............................................................................. 366-376 7.1.1 For Democracy........................................................................................... 376-380 7.1.2 For the Executive ……………………………………………………….. 380-381 7.1.3 For the Legislative.....……………………………………………………. 381-383 7.1.4 For the Judiciary ………………………………………………………… 383-385 7.2 For Social Welfare..................................................................................... 385-388 7.3 For Education.... ………………………………………………………… 388-389 7.4 For Security Challenges.............................................................................. 389-391 7.5 For Corruption............................................................................................ 391-400 7.6 Summary..................................................................................................... 400 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION Summary…………………………………………………………………………. 401 Results and Findings of the Research....................................................................