Abstract
There are many different theories as to how we are to understand the function and significance of the emotions. Kierkegaard was familiar with, and made use of, the classic responses given to that question by Descartes and Spinoza; but he nonetheless develops his own view of the emotions, one which is strongly reminiscent of the way in which Jean-Paul Sartre anchors his description of the emotions phenomenologically. In the small discourse Silhouettes from Part 1 of Either/Or, which will be the primary text discussed in this article, Kierkegaard defines the emotions as a telegraphic report of what lies within a person. For Kierkegaard, emotions do consist of reactions to external circumstances, but at the same time the psycho- logical and physical constitution of the person who reacts is decisive. In emotion, the significance of events manifests itself outwardly, which is why emotions reveal aspects of personality that would otherwise remain hidden. In what follows, we shall look at joy and sorrow in particular, and at what these emotions reveal about a person.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Rivista di Filosofia Neo-Scolastica |
| Volume | 2013 |
| Issue number | 3-4 |
| Pages (from-to) | 681-696 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| ISSN | 0035-6247 |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |