Kierkegaard's Socrates as a 'turning point' and the concept of irony in our time.

ABSTRACT

In this essay two lines are discussed; in the first place, the unique way that Socrates is seen by
Kierkegaard, in 'The concept of irony', as a turning point in the universal history. This is understood
in accordance with the own intelectual engineering that Hegel allocates in his philosophy in order to
understand the historical development. On the other hand, the relevance of the socratickierkegaardian irony in our time and their relations to other criticians of modernity will be
discussed.
I.
Kierkegaard's Socrates.

In the first place, it is important to emphasize which is the theoretical frame and the conceptual
tools that Kierkegaard uses throughout 'The Concept of irony', in his particular interpretation of the
figure of Socrates and his contribution. In fact, Kierkegaard will tackle the figure of Socrates
according to the hegelian theoretical frame, through the understanding of Socrates action into the
frame of a philosophy of the history teleologically oriented and determined by the universal spirit.1
Having reached this point, Kierkegaard interprets the figure of Socrates. In this way, Kierkegaard
defines the historical actuallity a l Hegel, as the concrete embodiment of the idea. 2 Given this,
Socrates represents a historical turning point as far as it is the embodiment of the end of an stage
and at the same time the beginning of another one.3 This impasse or middle term4 is what
Kierkegards defines as irony; this means that Socrates world was indeed a decadent world that
would have been demolished so a new order would emerge. The Socrates irony represents the link
throughout the new priciple will arise as its own truth.

The Socratess irony nature is negativity. 5 The ironys turning point nature is shown when Socrates
is depicted as the end of the historical stage and at the same time he is the main character that faces
his own time questions. Kierkegaard says, ''He ist the last classical figure, but he consumes this
sterling quality and natural fullness of his in the divine service by which he destroys classicism.'' 6
The negative role that assumed Socrates in the Classical era is proved by its own nickname, gadfly
-an annoying insect that bothered all citizens by creating doubts about their own traditions and
beliefs.
The socratic subjectivity is conditioned by some kind of historical determinism given that it arises
from the development of the universal spirit. Kierkegaard agrees with Hegel when he enfasizes that
the way that irony destroys the ancient order is not about a revolutionary action against itself, but
the way that dialectics let the ancient order destroys itself withing its own destructive germ.
Kierkegaard quotes Hegel, 'Alle Dialektik lt das gelten, was gelten soll, als ob es gelte, lt die
innere Zerstrung selbst sich daran entwickeln.7 The destruction is not produced by contraposing
a new order next to an ancient one, but it is the ancient order the one that destroys itself by the
development of its own contradictions. The function of socratic interrogation is to give birth these
contradictions.
Kierkegaards debt to Hegel is not only founded on cathegories or highlights of his theoretical
frame, what is more, this debt determines the justified use of the Socratics irony opposite to the use
of irony in Tieck, Solger and Schlegel. 8 This justification is based on the idea that Socratics irony
is proper for its very own universal historical moment opposite to the arbitrariety of romantic irony
on post-Fichte philosophy and literature. This justify the negativity of Socrates, that is what the
socratic irony is about and this justified utilization that Kierkegaard takes from the figure of
Socrates.
II
Why the socratic kierkegaardian irony is important in our time.
Kierkegaard, like other modern critics, is concerned about fundamental issues of modernity. Paul
Ricoeur called those critics the masters of suspicious: Marx, Nietzsche and Freud. At least, there
are two common issues on all of these authors in concern of modernity: one of those is

the Entfremdung developed in MarxManifesto 9 as one of the most noticeable aspect of modernity;
Kierkegard claims this as the proper sickness of the ironist. 10 The other issue is related to the
negativity that, after the fall of Berlins wall and 20 th Century totalitarism, critical theory means in
modernity and its own practical and theoretical expressions. In other words, I mean the critics via
negationis that exists in late capitalism of 21 st Century after the fall of comunism. Those critics have
also common elements with the socratic-kierkegaardian irony.
The turning point that characterizes Socrates irony keeps and interesting relationship with the
interpretations of his own historical time would give another noticeable marxist thinker, Antonio
Gramsci. Gramsci says, The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born: now is the
time of monsters.11 In the same way, Kierkegaard says ''For the ironic subject, the given actuality
has lost its validity entirely; it has become for him an imperfect form that is a hindrance
everywhere. But on the other hand, he does not possess the new.'' 12 If Gramsci were an 'ironist' or
Socrates a'monster' it would not be important as the recognition of these Kierkegaards echoes on a
20th Century thinker. But, what on 20 th Century included a positive moment -hegelian synthesis,
abolition of class society- is by far in current times, irrecoverable. So, the recovering of the socratic
kierkegaardian irony and its very unique nature is important because of our current historical times
negativity. In other words, the negative way of the socratic kierkegaardian irony is the insuperable
horizon of the critical theory. Kierkegaard summarizes this idea, the principle of movement in
Socrates whole life-that it proceeded not from the abstract to the concrete but from the concrete to
the abstract and continually arrived at this.''13 This negative dialectics -according to Adorno- traces
the unsuperable horizon of all critical thinking of our time.
On the 15th of May of 2011 a popular demonstration was called up in Madrid, this call would have
important consequences for Spanish politics. A popular movement without specific political
direction decided to occupy the main squares of the Spanish cities demanding an urge of
democracy. 14 Among the most noticeable motto -another world is possible, Yes, we can,
Youth without future- are quite a lot of negative ones: the indignants (people were called after
participate on the demonstations) did not know what to oppose to the system they critisized,
therefore, their critic was purely negative. 15-M movement is just an example of the turning point
situation in our current time. We know what we dont want but it is still difficult to imagine what we
really want. As Gramsci would say: it is the time of monsters.

What happened after the fall of the U.S.S.R. had made the left-wing and radical thinking theorists to
adopt an ironical and negative thinking given the fact that they can see a world that crumbles with
no answers yet. May we live an historical situation similar than the one that Socrates lived in. But
irony has its own risks too, and that is why Kierkegaard names the correct utilization of irony
dominated irony.15 In a nihilist society, the passive existence and egoism rule morality, and that
is why Kierkegaards thinking on negativity is more necessary than ever. The utilization of irony is
needed to be wise and consciousness applied. Kierkegaard says: The irony is not the truth but the
path. In current times, Kierkegaards thinking is our guide and company when the spirit of our
times might be questioned. In the mean time, we should be on track for the permanent quest for
truth.
1 'Just as he himself in a certain sense exists and yet again does not exist in world history, so his significance in the
development of the world spirit is precisely to be and yet not to be, or not to be and yet to be; he is the nothing from
which the beginning must nevertheless begin.' The View made necessary, in The Concept of Irony, pag. 198,
Princeton University.
2 'The idea is concret and therefore must become concrete, bur the idea's becoming concrete is precisely the historical
actuality.' Irony after Fichte, bid, pg. 279.
3 bid, pg. 211
4 Ibid.
5 'Socrates reached was rather the negative qualification that subjectivity intrinsically determines itself, but he lacked
the objectivity in which subjectivity in its intrinsic freedom is free', Ibid, pg. 210-11.
6 pg 212.
7 pg 272.
8 ' Here we perceive that this irony was not in the service of the world spirit. It was not an element of the given actuality
that must be negated and superseded by a new element, but it was all of historical actuality that it negated in order to
make room for a self-created actuality. We also perceive here that this irony was totally unjustified and that Hegel's
hostile behavior toward it is entirely in order.' pg 275.
9 'All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned, and man is at last compelled to face with sober senses his
real conditions of life, and his relations with his kind. ' Communist Manifesto, pg 16, Marxist Internet Archive.
10 'the whole of existence has become alien to the ironic subject and the ironic subject in turn alien to existence, that as
actuality has lost its validity for the ironic subject, he himself has to a certain degree become unactual'. Pg 259.
11 A. Gramsci, C.XX, pag 281, 'Antology' Akal editions, Spain, 2011.
12 pag 261.
13 ' pag 267.
14 VVAA 'La rebelin de los indignados', Ed. Popular, Spain, 2011.
15 'Irony as a controlled element manifests itself in its truth precisely by teaching how to actualize actuality, by placing
the appropriate emphasis on actuality. In no way can this be interpreted as wanting to deify actuality in good. Pag
328.