Marcel Studies, Vol. 1, Issue No. 1, 2016
THE EXISTENTIAL APPROACH TO GOD IN KIERKEGAARD AND MARCEL: A CONCILIATORY STUDY ANTHONY MALAGON, Queens College, City University of New York, 136-28 62nd Avenue, Flushing, New York, 11367. Amalagon22@gmail.com Abstract: Thomas Anderson has argued that the philosophies of Kierkegaard and Marcel are mutually exclusive. He explains that although Kierkegaard and Marcel have much in common, their two paths are ultimately “fundamentally irreconcilable.” Although an ecumenical interpretation of these philosophers is rejected by Anderson, the following article attempts to challenge this view, and provide further reflection upon their approach to God. It undertakes a more detailed analysis of their supposed opposition, and defends the view that their differences are, in fact, typically misunderstood, exaggerated, or both, and that the judgment of mutual exclusivity is at very least not well founded, if not a misunderstanding of the common themes in both philosophers. The article explores the view that Kierkegaard and Marcel‟s philosophies can, in the end, be reconciled in a fruitful way.
Introduction Although scholarship on the relation between Søren Kierkegaard and Gabriel Marcel is scant, there are some who have dealt with the issue, but have done so only cursorily, and have generally ended by emphasizing their differences rather than their commonalities. Professor Thomas C. Anderson has provided one of the best and thorough treatments of the matter, but has essentially suggested that their philosophies are mutually exclusive.1 Anderson‟s article, “The Experiential Paths to God in Kierkegaard and Marcel,” concludes with the statement, “I suspect… that the two paths are fundamentally irreconcilable.”2 Indeed, this is the most common view of the relation between the two. This article, however, attempts to provide further reflection upon both philosophers‟ approach to God and their supposed opposition to each other—since not enough clarity has been reached with respect to this issue in the philosophical literature as a whole. This article will seek to explore and defend the alternative and unorthodox view that, upon detailed analysis, it can be shown that their differences, although apparently irreconcilable, are typically misunderstood, or exaggerated, and that Anderson‟s suspicion of mutual exclusivity may not be the only tenable position on the matter.3 1 Thomas C. Anderson, “The Experiential Paths to God in Kierkegaard and Marcel,” Philosophy Today 26 (1982), p.37. 2 Ibid. 3 I am aware that even Marcel attempted to distinguish himself from Kierkegaard, yet I believe his criticism of Kierkegaard was also based upon a misinterpretation; hence, my contention is also against Marcel‟s own view. I hold that their differences lay elsewhere and that they are not substantial.