The paradox as passion of the contemplative reason in Søren Kierkegaard’s philosophy
The meeting between the reason and the paradox represents an event of special order for the human consciousness.The cognitive analytical flow is put in front of an obstacle that not only stops it, but also stimulates it. By analyzing theratio between the paradoxical situation and the reason, in correspondence with the ratio between passion and affectivity,Søren Kierkegaard insists on the ability to potentiate and to incite that the paradox can exert on the meditative thinking.The paradox, as passion of the contemplative reason, represents the unknown that induces the need of self-surpassing themeditative procedure, the need to jump over its own self-imposed limits. The meeting with the paradox resembles to thesetting of the consciousness in front of the mystery of the Divine, placing that troubles, by its ontological and gnoseologicaldisproportion, by perceiving the difference and the distance between God and the man, distance inaugurated, accordingto the mystical and theological version, by the original sin. For Kierkegaard, a contemplator who does not experiment theanxious meeting with the paradox is just like a lover who does not totally assume his love or like a false believer who invokeshis god without actually living his sacrament. Such a contemplator is and remains a mediocre spirit.
Keywords: paradox, reflexive consciousness, stimulation of reason, unknown, anxiety, metaphysical trembling,over-cognitive barrage, gnoseological censorship, the axiology of revelation
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