Living Joyfully after Losing Social Hope: Kierkegaard and Chrétien on Selfhood and Eschatological Expectation
In this essay, I offer an existential-phenomenological consideration of what it might look like to live joyfully after losing social hope. Using the example of the widespread hopelessness that many are feeling in light of the election of Donald Trump, I suggest that the danger of losing hope is that...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2017-02-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/8/3/33 |
| _version_ | 1818959097776570368 |
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| author | J. Aaron Simmons |
| author_facet | J. Aaron Simmons |
| author_sort | J. Aaron Simmons |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this essay, I offer an existential-phenomenological consideration of what it might look like to live joyfully after losing social hope. Using the example of the widespread hopelessness that many are feeling in light of the election of Donald Trump, I suggest that the danger of losing hope is that we can also lose our selfhood in the process. In order to develop a conception of “eschatological hope” that would be resistant to the loss of such social and political expectations, I draw specifically on Søren Kierkegaard’s notion that “the expectancy of faith is victory,” and Jean-Louis Chrétien’s idea of “the unhoped for,” in order to develop a model of hope that remains when it seems like all other hope has been lost. Rather than being overcome by anxiety about the future, eschatological hope fosters joy in the present. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T11:36:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cc54ae88b82946d69fd862e70a2518c9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T11:36:14Z |
| publishDate | 2017-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-cc54ae88b82946d69fd862e70a2518c92022-12-21T19:42:07ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442017-02-01833310.3390/rel8030033rel8030033Living Joyfully after Losing Social Hope: Kierkegaard and Chrétien on Selfhood and Eschatological ExpectationJ. Aaron Simmons0Department of Philosophy, Furman University, Greenville, SC 29613, USAIn this essay, I offer an existential-phenomenological consideration of what it might look like to live joyfully after losing social hope. Using the example of the widespread hopelessness that many are feeling in light of the election of Donald Trump, I suggest that the danger of losing hope is that we can also lose our selfhood in the process. In order to develop a conception of “eschatological hope” that would be resistant to the loss of such social and political expectations, I draw specifically on Søren Kierkegaard’s notion that “the expectancy of faith is victory,” and Jean-Louis Chrétien’s idea of “the unhoped for,” in order to develop a model of hope that remains when it seems like all other hope has been lost. Rather than being overcome by anxiety about the future, eschatological hope fosters joy in the present.http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/8/3/33hopeeschatologyjoysubjectivitySøren KierkegaardJean-Louis ChrétienDavid KangasClaude Romanophenomenologyphilosophy of religion |
| spellingShingle | J. Aaron Simmons Living Joyfully after Losing Social Hope: Kierkegaard and Chrétien on Selfhood and Eschatological Expectation Religions hope eschatology joy subjectivity Søren Kierkegaard Jean-Louis Chrétien David Kangas Claude Romano phenomenology philosophy of religion |
| title | Living Joyfully after Losing Social Hope: Kierkegaard and Chrétien on Selfhood and Eschatological Expectation |
| title_full | Living Joyfully after Losing Social Hope: Kierkegaard and Chrétien on Selfhood and Eschatological Expectation |
| title_fullStr | Living Joyfully after Losing Social Hope: Kierkegaard and Chrétien on Selfhood and Eschatological Expectation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Living Joyfully after Losing Social Hope: Kierkegaard and Chrétien on Selfhood and Eschatological Expectation |
| title_short | Living Joyfully after Losing Social Hope: Kierkegaard and Chrétien on Selfhood and Eschatological Expectation |
| title_sort | living joyfully after losing social hope kierkegaard and chretien on selfhood and eschatological expectation |
| topic | hope eschatology joy subjectivity Søren Kierkegaard Jean-Louis Chrétien David Kangas Claude Romano phenomenology philosophy of religion |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/8/3/33 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jaaronsimmons livingjoyfullyafterlosingsocialhopekierkegaardandchretienonselfhoodandeschatologicalexpectation |