The Concept of Anxiety: A Simple Psychologically Oriented Deliberation in View of the Dogmatic Problem of Hereditary Sin

Discussing his own approach to philosophy, Kierkegaard remarks that he “will bring [his] observations entirely fresh from the water, wriggling and sparkling in the play of their colors” (55). What does this passage suggest about Kierkegaard’s approach as a writer and thinker? How does it compare to some of the approaches of other major philosophers of his era?

Self-determination and personal freedom are very important concepts in the philosophies of Kierkegaard, Kant, and Hegel. Compare how Kierkegaard discusses individuality and freedom with either Kant or Hegel’s discussion of these topics. What are the similarities and differences between the two thinkers?

Analyze Kierkegaard’s views of sin. What role does sin play in Kierkegaard’s arguments throughout The Concept of Anxiety? How does it compare with orthodox Christian understandings?

Compare The Concept of Anxiety to one of Kierkegaard’s other major works, such as Either/Or or Fear and Trembling. What key themes and ideas do the two works share? How do the texts illuminate core aspects of Kierkegaard’s philosophy?

Kierkegaard regards faith as something that can never be “proven” or justified via empirical or rationalist means. What are the strengths and limitations of his argument? How does this belief affect his argumentation in The Concept of Anxiety?

How does Kierkegaard interpret the story of Eve in the Book of Genesis? What role do conceptions of masculinity and femininity play more broadly in The Concept of Anxiety?

Kierkegaard discusses at length anxiety and the idea of fate in the context of the “genius” (105-110). Choose one such well-documented historical figure in politics, the creative arts, or science. Drawing on biographical information, how might Kierkegaard’s discussion of anxiety apply to them?

Analyze faith in The Concept of Anxiety. What is the role and wider significance of faith in the text? Could Kierkegaard’s concept of faith operate outside of a Christian context? If not, why not, and if so, how and why?