Immediacy and Reflection in Kierkegaard's Thought

Immediacy and Reflection in Kierkegaard's ThoughtWe live in a reflective age.
That is Sren Kierkegaards overall conclusion when evaluating the time he lives
in. But his appraisal contains both approval and criticism. On the one hand
reflection is a necessary category to deal with the dynamics and the qualities
of the modern age, on the other hand it bears a great danger. It is
Kierkegaards firm conviction that reflection should always relate to a kind of
immediacy that safeguards it from becoming hollow and detached from our
existential reality.
Throughout the voluminous and complex work of Kierkegaard, the notions of
immediacy and reflection play a crucial role. They appear in such an early
work as From the Papers of One Still Living as well as in the late Anti-Climacus
writings, and indeed their significance or influence can be felt in all
philosophical texts published in between. That is not to say that the meaning of
the notions is unequivocal. After all, Kierkegaard not only uses the terms in
very divergent contexts, but his own understanding of them appears to evolve
quite strongly in the course of his oeuvre. Moreover, in spite of their clearly
philosophical character, the two notions play an unmistakable role in
Kierkegaards understanding of religion. They appear frequently in the religious
discourses indeed. In short, Kierkegaards use of the notions of immediacy and
reflection covers a broad array of meanings and interpretations.
The dialectics of immediacy and reflection, of reflection killing immediacy and
raising the question of the possibility of a new immediacy is the main theme of
Immediacy and Reflection in Kierkegaards Thought. The book contains
contributions authored by a number of well known Kierkegaard scholars.
Kierkegaards theory of the existence spheres of life provides a first
viewpoint on the interplay of immediacy and reflection. Here the philosophical
and pseudonymous writings are the main subject of research. If on the other hand
one pays a closer look at the significance of a second immediacy for a
religious attitude to life, The religious discourses come into play when the
possibility of a second immediacy is taken into consideration. In conclusion
the theme of immediacy and reflection is connected to some important trends in
the modern and contemporary era. On the one hand it is linked to the
philosophical influences Kierkegaard underwent (e.g. from Hegel); on the other
hand Kierkegaard is confronted with later thinkers ( Heidegger in particular).