키르케고르의 인간관은 ‘인간은 근원적으로 종교적인 존재’라는 것이다. 다시 말해 인간은 애초에 초월적인 것 혹은 신성한 것과의 관계성 중에 있는 존재라는 것이다. 이러한 초월성에 대한 추구를 실존적인 정열로서 가진 사람이 곧 종교적인 사람이다. 키르케고르는 이러한 진리를 논함에 있어서 ‘소크라테스적인 무지’를 논의의 쟁점으로 끌어들이는데, 진리를 추구하는 소크라테스의 산파술을 일종의 ‘실존적인 파토스’로 이해하며 여기서 일반성과 보편성을 넘어서는 ‘주관성으로서의 진리’ 개념을 파악하고 있다. 본 논문에서는 소크라테스적인 주관성이 왜 종교적 진리를 특징짓는 주관성으로서의 진리일 수 있는지를 삶의 궁극적인 목적으로서의 ‘에토스’ 개념을 통해 정립하고 있다. 이러한 ‘에토스’를 자신의 내면으로부터 발견한 사람이 ‘내면성’을 가진 사람이며, 그리고 이러한 내면성은 진정한 종교가 형성되기 위한 기반이 된다. 따라서 소크라테스는 최초로 자연종교를 형성한 상징적인 사람이라고 볼 수 있다. 반면 그리스도교는 소크라테스적인 내면성과 주관적인 진리를 그 전제조건처럼 가지면서 ‘한 개인이 개별자로서 절대자와의 절대적인 관계’를 가지는 것에서 형성된다. 이는 곧 ‘계시에 대한 수용’이며, 이를 가능하게 하는 힘이 곧 부조리의 힘이다. 부조리의 힘에 의해 ‘절대자와의 관계성을 가지는 것’이 곧 역설로서의 믿음이다. 이러한 믿음은 시간성(역사성)과 상대적이고 일반성의 지평에 있는 사회와 문화(윤리성)를 넘어서는 것으로 그 자체 개별적이고 절대적인 주관성으로 나타나는 것이다. 따라서 믿음을 가진다는 것은 고차적인 자아를 가지는 것이고, 초월자와 자신에 대한 체득된 앎, 즉 실존적인 앎으로서의 주관적인 진리를 가지는 것이라고 말할 수 있다.
Kierkegaard's view of humanity is that human beings are essentially religious beings. In other words, human beings are transcendent in the first place, or are in a relationship with the divine. The person with the existential passion to pursue this transcendence is a religious person. Kierkegaard brings “Socratic ignorance” to the discussion issue in discussing these truths. He understands Socrates's maieutic method practice of truth-seeking as a kind of “existential Patos”, and recognizes the concept of “truth as subjectivity” beyond generality and universality. In other words, the person who found the “ēthos” as the ultimate goal of life transcending the socio-cultural generalities and universality of reason is the one who discovered the truth from his inner self, and this person is a person with “internality.” And the possession of this internality is the basis for the formation of religion. Therefore, Socrates can be regarded as a symbolic person who formed the first natural religion. Christianity, on the other hand, is formed by having an absolute relationship with the Absolute as an individual, having the Socratic internality and subjective truth as preconditions. This is the acceptance of revelation, and the power that makes it possible is the strength of absurdity. It is the belief as a paradox that “having relationship with the Absolute” by the power of absurdity. This belief goes beyond the sociality and culture(ethics) in temporal(historical) and relative and generic horizons, and manifests itself as individual and absolute subjectivity. Therefore, having faith has a higher degree of self, and can be said to have learned knowledge of God and self, subjectivity as existential knowledge.
Kierkegaard's view of humanity is that human beings are essentially religious beings. In other words, human beings are transcendent in the first place, or are in a relationship with the divine. The person with the existential passion to pursue this transcendence is a religious person. Kierkegaard brings “Socratic ignorance” to the discussion issue in discussing these truths. He understands Socrates's maieutic method practice of truth-seeking as a kind of “existential Patos”, and recognizes the concept of “truth as subjectivity” beyond generality and universality. In other words, the person who found the “ēthos” as the ultimate goal of life transcending the socio-cultural generalities and universality of reason is the one who discovered the truth from his inner self, and this person is a person with “internality.” And the possession of this internality is the basis for the formation of religion. Therefore, Socrates can be regarded as a symbolic person who formed the first natural religion. Christianity, on the other hand, is formed by having an absolute relationship with the Absolute as an individual, having the Socratic internality and subjective truth as preconditions. This is the acceptance of revelation, and the power that makes it possible is the strength of absurdity. It is the belief as a paradox that “having relationship with the Absolute” by the power of absurdity. This belief goes beyond the sociality and culture(ethics) in temporal(historical) and relative and generic horizons, and manifests itself as individual and absolute subjectivity. Therefore, having faith has a higher degree of self, and can be said to have learned knowledge of God and self, subjectivity as existential knowledge.
