"Man created by god, was given the faculty for understanding truth, but he has lost this faculty though the freedom he has also been given, that is to say through, his own, guilt."
what is this quote trying to say?
I have to incorporate into my essay about man's subjection to fate and finding truth through the past.
You have to be careful with this quote. Kierkggaard was a theologian here. He was speaking from Socrates, who believed we came from Devine beings, and that we remembered our origins. Kierkggaard is speaking of Man's origins in Spirit: Let me parapharase his writing.
Man is of God, was Man was given the ability to understand God, but Man lost this ability through his choice of disobeying God, and living in Sin.
So this is what the Fruit of the Knowledge Tree leads to.
thanks but how does it relate to the hellenistic perspective?
Socrates believed also that man retained a memory of his divine origins,and that was the source of "goodness" in Man. Why did Kierkegaard even refer to Socrates in this? Answer: Kierkegaard was in the midst of a fiery contemporary argument about the truth of Scripture. Kierkegaard interpreted the irony of Socrates as a critical method clearing the way for the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle; like Hegel he attacked German Romantic irony, whose morally dissolute effects he had recently felt in his own soul and body (Keirkegaard had fell into sin in his own life). To the Greeks, truth was in man; to know oneself is to find God. Kierkegaard then wrote the line you cited as a refutation of that Greek argument. Kierkegaard then makes the arguement that it is only through a mediator that man can be brought back to an understanding of God, and he cited the man-God of Jesus Christ as that mediator.
This is pretty heavy stuff for your essay, and somewhat off on a tangent, but I admit, many bring Kierkegaard into the argument, when in fact, Kierkegaard was arguing not philosophy, but religion. Yes, a lot of what Keirkegaard was reacting to was German Philosophy, especially Hegel, but Kierkegaard was protecting his turf.
The quote suggests that according to the belief that man was created by God, humans were given the ability to understand truth. However, humanity has lost this faculty due to their own actions and choices, which resulted in guilt.
In your essay about man's subjection to fate and finding truth through the past, you can interpret this quote in a way that connects to these themes. Here's how you can incorporate it:
This quote reflects the notion of man's subjection to fate and the search for truth in relation to the past. It acknowledges the belief that humans were initially granted the capacity to comprehend truth, which implies that there is an inherent destiny for each individual. However, it also emphasizes that humanity has lost this ability through their own actions, leading to a sense of guilt.
By connecting the past, which represents the accumulation of human actions and experiences, with man's understanding of truth, the quote suggests that truth can potentially be found by revisiting and understanding the events that have shaped our existence. This aligns with the idea that man's fate is intertwined with his past, as it is through examining the consequences of past choices that one may seek redemption, enlightenment, or a deeper understanding of the truth.
Ultimately, this quote highlights the complex relationship between man, fate, guilt, and the pursuit of truth. It suggests that the key to finding truth may lie in acknowledging the role that our history and personal choices have played in shaping our present circumstances.