Kierkegaard and Boredom as Root of all Evil

Idleness, Avoiding Work and Marriage and Changing Perspectives

Jun 21, 2009

Kierkegaard believes that boredom is a threat and that it can be overcome by changing one's mindset and attitude towards daily life.

According to Søren Kierkegaard the major conflict of the human condition exists in overcoming boredom. Boredom, to him, is like a poison that flows through the veins of each individual, whether poor or rich, a farmer or an aristocrat. Nobody can escape it and keeping busy does not preclude boredom.

Difference Between Boredom, Idleness and Work

Boredom is a human state and it affects people in different degrees. Kierkegaard distinguishes between those who are boring, which is the common crowd, the mob, the multitude, from those who are bored, which includes the elite and aristocrats.

The former are “boring” because they believe that steady work and by keeping busy one can alleviate boredom; however, Kierkegaard warns that through too much zeal and enthusiasm these people overlook the main motivation for their diligence, namely, their own fear of boredom.

In this manner, these people do not only lack a remedy for their state of boredom, but because of their constant busyness they have no other interests except their work and cannot truly enjoy life. As a result, they are always occupied and in a hurry and, in Kierkegaard’s opinion, they become uninteresting and boring people.

Kierkegaard also makes an important distinction between boredom and idleness. Idleness per se is not a bad thing to him; in fact, it is Kierkegaard’s preferred state, which is why he thinks that the aristocrats are mistaken in feeling bored, as they are in reality rather “entertaining.” The aristocrats are “free” and not drawn towards work or life subsistence; they have the opportunity to break the chain of boredom, but, Kierkegaard believes that they let it go to waste.

Kierkegaard's Advice on Avoiding Marriage

To Kierkegaard marriage is like a trap. He says that marriage is an essentially impossible event as nobody can vouchsafe love for all eternity and the vows amount to “mere pretense.” Kierkegaard claims that it would be more realistic to set a definite end date, to be together for six months, for example, rather than a vague and highly unrealistic notion, such as eternity. In fact, marriage as an institution is seen as a repetitive chain of events that exhausts itself and becomes a continual source and state of boredom.

Kierkegaard claims that marriage both physically limits one’s mobility and freedom. One is bound to a wife and cannot move or travel freely. In addition, the matter of being faithful becomes difficult for both parties and eventually both will end up "faithless," being unfaithful to each other, according to Kierkegaard. Since marriage does not lead to any productive event, it loses its value over time and leads to boredom.

The Cure for Boredom and Changing One’s Perspective and Reality

The best cure for boredom would be a constant change or switching of perspective. He uses the symbol of the rotation field of medieval agriculture, where a plot of land remains fallow while the other is ploughed. As a result, one needs to change one’s view of life and see everything in a different light.

This would constitute a way of overcoming boredom and finding excitement in rather trivial- and mundane-seeming activities. These people then manage to overcome boredom and their attitude resembles the inquisitive and curious mind of children who simply marvel at everything and nothing really bores them.

The copyright of the article Kierkegaard and Boredom as Root of all Evil in Philosophy is owned by Arash Farzaneh. Permission to republish Kierkegaard and Boredom as Root of all Evil in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.