Kierkegaard

This study is an examination of the relationship between Islamic and Christian ethical thoughts. In this study, we find that faith is the central element of both ethical thoughts. Ayatollah Meṣbāḥ Yazdī defining the Islamic ethical thoughts, understands faith as the key determiner of ethics, which is rationally understood by human reason. On the contrary Søren Kierkegaard who argues that surrendering to the will of God, regardless of the rationality of commands of God, is the highest moral trait. Kierkegaard concludes that the goal of humans is to reach the Abrahamic level of submission to the will of God, whereas Ayatollah Meṣbāḥ Yazdī concludes that the goal of human life is to find happiness obtained by seeking proximity to God.  Both ethical thoughts emphasize the importance of God as the true judge of virtues concluding that acting in accordance with the wish of God is the highest level of morality, but the Islamic ethical thought concludes that ethics are based on ethical truths. The final goal for both ethical thoughts is reaching nearness to God, through human responsibility. This means that both ethical thoughts argue that being ethical means the fulfilment of ethical responsibilities towards God, oneself and others. Finally working together in a symbiosis where God and all His creations are closely connected and upholding virtues in relation to all dimensions of life will lead to final bliss.

Dans cet article, on étudiera le modèle du récit de l'épreuve d’Abraham. Ce modèle bénéficie d'un genre de récit qui crée une sorte de conscience et cette dernière va créer à son tour une autre narration. On aperçoit cette continuité de création dans La Crainte et tremblement et dans Hamoun. Le premier est un essai du philosophe danois Søren Kierkegaard, écrit 1843, qui met en scène l’opposition entre l’éthique et la foi. L’éthique se rapportant au général, la foi joue par contre au niveau personnel. Ainsi Kierkegaard raconte les hésitations d’Abraham qui, accompagné de son fils, avançait vers Morija où il devait tuer Isaac selon l’ordre divin. Les parties suivantes s’occupent de ce même thème mais abordent une aventure différente qui est plus personnelle. En ce qui concerne Hamoun, il s’agit d’une œuvre cinématographique projetée 1989 dans lequel le personnage principal, Hamid Hamoun, s’occupe de la rédaction d’une thèse intitulé « L’Amour et la foi dans les religions abrahamiques ». En fait, son but consiste à connaître l’essence de la foi et de l’amour à travers le récit d’Abraham mais n’ayant pas abouti à une conclusion précise, sa vie personnelle avec sa femme qu’il aime follement confronte avec des problèmes sérieux. Aussi peut-on observer la trace du contenu de ce récit chez les poètes iraniens comme Mowlana, Hafez, Khayyâm etc. En fait, les œuvres de ces derniers contiennent une sorte d'éloge pour ce grand prophète. Cette dernière résulte de la conscience humaine qui est entremêlée du doute. En fait, pour l’homme ordinaire, l’épreuve prophétique se transforme en décisions pour les coïncidences quotidiennes qui nous informent du conflit entre l’homme et ses choix. Il s’agit d’une vérité qui met en relief le besoin de l’homme d’une certitude profonde. En étudiant les mises en scène de Hamoun et la dialectique lyrique de Søren Kierkegaard, on essaiera d’étudier le cycle infini de l’existence des personnages confrontés aux circonstances de la vie et le message des récits basés sur l’histoire de Morija, la montagne désignée par Dieu où Abraham devait sacrifier Isaac. Celle-ci constitue la base des autres récits puisque là, il s’agit de la conscience humaine. Et, chacun en profite selon sa compréhension et puis il essaie d’influencer les autres. A la fin, ce cycle répétitif informe l’homme de cette vérité qu’il lui faut sacrifier ce qu’il possède pour atteindre un Idéal précieux et tout ce qui est sacrifié atteindra une transcendance plus élevée ; qu’il s’agisse de son enfant, de son amour ou de sa vie.

Soren Kierkegaard, as one of the leading anti-philosophers of the school of existentialism, employs an ironic and groundbreaking approach to find fault with rationalism, abstract thinking, heteronomy, ethics and pluralism developed from the ideas of thinkers such as Kant and Hegel. Instead of valuing society, government, and conventional ethical and moral norms, he supports de-familiarization, creativity, autonomy, activity, individuality, and singularity. Kierkegaard argues that there are three stages on life’s way or three spheres of existence on the path to self-realization. He believes that the highest realm of human life is the religious sphere in which Abraham, as a believer in the realm of faith, decides to sacrifice his son Isaac to God with the aim of saving his agency, individuality and singularity from the clutches of moral, governmental and public systems. Kierkegaard argues that the leap of faith is making a decision in the very moment of madness, and considers it as a kind of gambling and risk-taking. He believes that faith is a belief in the impossibility, irrationality and paradoxicality. In this sense of faith, on the one hand, Abraham is willing to obey God’s command regarding the sacrifice of Isaac, and on the other hand, he believes in his heart that Isaac will be returned to him in this material world by God’s command. The present paper, accordingly, examines the following hypothesis: Although Kierkegaard is against the official government policy based on sovereignty and pluralism, his leap of faith, which implies standing on the boundaries and suspending the moral and the general, can lead to the emergence of a political event and, consequently, the birth of an active and autonomous subject.

Ibn Ṭufayl and Kierkegaard share existentialist elements around nature. Ibn Ṭufayl believes in nature as the best teacher of philosophy and philosophical reasoning. For Kierkegaard, being human means being dependent on and embedded in nature. This makes Kierkegaard a highly relevant interlocutor for contemporary Eco philosophy and ecocriticism. Ibn Ṭufayl’s opinion on the subject is discernible in his novel called Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān. Pursuing the truth of life, Ḥayy, the main personage of Ibn Ṭufayl’s novel, finds his way through four travels of mind. Nature is the context of his travels, so determined to protect nature, Ḥayy takes considerable care of fauna and flora as he steps into the highest levels in his ascent. In the first travel, Ḥayy begins from nature from which is created and in which is raised by a roe mother. In the second travel, he figures out all of natural affairs insofar as becoming a leading scientist. In the third travel resulted in the former travel, Ḥayy becomes successful in philosophical analysis. In the fourth travel, Ḥayy goes forward with philosophical analysis and reaches mystical level. The mystical experiences go on so that through all natural beings and events Ḥayy conveys to God. In this last pace, Ḥayy returns to nature and becomes a nature protectionist. At the end of story, Ḥayy faces a religious stranger showed up from another island. Ḥayy finds his beliefs thoroughly in accordance with his own opinions.