Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Michalson, Gordon

Area of Concentration

Religion

Abstract

This thesis tackles the question of “the human condition” from the perspective of religious studies. In order to gain clarity on this ambiguous expression, the thesis draws from two texts: The Sickness unto Death: A Christian Psychological Exposition for Upbuilding and Awakening, by 19th century Danish existentialist Soren Kierkegaard, and Religion and Nothingness, by 20th century Kyoto school philosopher Keiji Nishitani. These two presentations of “the human condition” are first explored through independent analyses. The analyses are then brought together through a modified application of Weberian Ideal Type Theory. This process depicts “the human condition” as a state of suffering that can be transformed through sustained self-reflection.

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