Document Type
Journal Article
Department/Unit
Department of Religion and Philosophy
Title
Comparing Søren Kierkegaard and Feng Youlan on the search for the true self
Language
English
Abstract
This article attempts to compare the theories of life between Søren Kierkegaard and Feng Youlan. It will focus specifically on the identity of the self in Kierkegaard's "stages of life" and Feng's "realms of life" (rensheng jingjie). Whereas Kierkegaard subscribes doctrinally to the Christian understanding of the self and claims that the highest stage of life is achievable only for the God-centered self, Feng draws his insights from the Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist traditions, which, by imposing human values onto the universe, runs the danger of rendering the self the very center of the "great whole" (daquan ̈). Moving beyond a descriptive comparison, I will argue that the Kierkegaardian stage theory includes a critique of Feng's realm doctrine, the latter appearing to be overly idealistic, missing the dark side of the human essence so succinctly pointed out by former and, consequently, falls short of offering a more realistic description of the self. © 2013 Journal of Chinese Philosophy.
Publication Date
2013
Source Publication Title
Journal of Chinese Philosophy
Volume
40
Issue
1
Start Page
87
End Page
105
Publisher
Wiley
DOI
10.1111/1540-6253.12025
Link to Publisher's Edition
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1540-6253.12025
ISSN (print)
03018121
ISSN (electronic)
15406253
APA Citation
Lee, R. (2013). Comparing Søren Kierkegaard and Feng Youlan on the search for the true self. Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 40 (1), 87-105. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-6253.12025