What does it mean for a self to be posited? An analysis of Chapters 1 and 2 of the First Part of Kierkegaard’s The Sickness unto Death

• Autor: Rodríguez, Pablo Uriel
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2025
• Institución: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
• Repositorio: Revistas - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
• Lenguaje: español
• OAI Identifier: oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/32983
• Enlace del recurso: http://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.php/arete/article/view/32983
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: Kierkegaard; self; freedom; posited-by-another; omnipotence; yo; libertad; puesto-por-otro; omnipotencia

“What is a human being?” and “What is the self?” With this questions, Anti-Climacus–the famous pseudonym of Kierkegaad– begins The Sickness unto Death (1849). The answer follows promptly. A human self is a relationship that relates to itself. This self-relationship has been posited by an other (Andet) or a power (Magt). By relating to itself, this self-relationship thereby relates to this other or power. This paper aims to clarify what it means for the self to be a derived self-relation. To achieve this goal, it analyzes the first two chapters of Anti-Climacus’ book. This analysis is grounded in Kiekegaard’s reflections on the interplay between human freedom and divine omnipotence.