Existential Melancholia: The Affective Psychology of the Diapsalmata

Rick A. Furtak, Ruth Rebecca Tietjen

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterScientificpeer-review

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    Abstract

    Kierkegaard’s aesthete, named only as A, continually laments the lack of meaning in his life. He suffers through passions that flare up and quickly die away, leaving him in a melancholic state. His mode of being is on display in the Diapsalmata, the fragmentary writings at the start of Either/Or. In this chapter, we examine why he avoids becoming consistently engaged in the world and remains trapped within his alienated melancholia. We offer a general account of melancholy, arguing that melancholia is an existential condition that must be understood in terms of the metaphysics of possibility. We also provide a sympathetic interpretation of A’s melancholy, rather than placing blame upon him, because melancholia attunes us to certain aspects of the world and of human existence. The aesthetic life has epistemic, moral, and aesthetic worth on its own terms, so a person may legitimately decide to remain melancholic. This avoids compromising our possibilities, makes us receptive to the suffering of others, and may inspire creative activity such as writing poetical fragments.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationKierkegaard's 'Either/Or'
    Subtitle of host publicationA Critical Guide
    EditorsRyan Kemp, Walter Wietzke
    Place of PublicationCambridge
    PublisherCambridge University Press
    Chapter1
    Pages8-24
    Number of pages17
    ISBN (Electronic)9781009067713
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2023

    Keywords

    • melancholia
    • possibility
    • emotions
    • passion
    • mood
    • aesthetic way of life
    • receptivity
    • compassion
    • meaning of life
    • Finitude

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