Kierkegaard's Romantic Legacy: Two Theories of Self

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University. She is the author of several books, including The
Mountain Is Moving: Japanese Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret
Laurence: The Long Journey Home.

In a six-page preface, Anoop Gupta observes that his ideas on
Kierkegaard’s romantic legacy have “morphed and crystallized as time
passed.” Gupta describes himself as being a “generally committed
follower of naturalism and realism.” He renounces reductionism and
prefers to follow the pragmatism of Hilary Putnam. The romantic
tradition reacted against the so-called Enlightenment. Gupta argues that
Kierkegaard would have rejected existentialism and preferred
Aristotle’s views to those of Jean-Paul Sartre. Gupta sums up his own
views as “anti-reductionist” and argues that the Kierkegaardian self
is relevant today, as evidenced by considering contemporary romantics
such as the existential psychiatrist.

The text proper is divided into three sections: Kierkegaard’s
theological self, the sociological self, and what Gupta calls “Some
Consequences for Practice.” In the second section, Gupta examines the
sociological self through the work of three writers. Rosseau’s world
is analysed under the headings nature, morality, and the social being.
Durkheim’s theories are organized under the topics of sociology,
religion, and suicide. Winnicott’s shorter analysis is devoted to two
short chapters on dependence and independence. The third section,
“Some Consequences for Practice,” is clear and concise. It covers
the ideas of suicide, suicide and schizophrenia, and existential
psychology. In a short conclusion, Gupta acknowledges that he has long
admired the writings of Kierkegaard, whose prose is less scientific and
more comprehensible to the average reader.

Gupta is a recent graduate in philosophy from the University of Ottawa.
His work is heavily indebted to Kierkegaard, although it lacks the charm
and clarity of Kierkegaard’s prose. By drawing heavily on
Kierkegaard’s writings, with numerous quotations, Gupta develops a
metaphysical account of the self that refutes the idea that there is no
such thing as human nature.