Søren Kierkegaardâs *Repetition* is not a straightforward philosophical treatise. It is a strange, ironic, and deeply personal book that reads more like a novel. Through the pseudonym Constantin Constantius, Kierkegaard explores a question that cuts to the heart of a meaningful life: is it possible to truly repeat something? Not just to remember it, or to do it again like a machine, but to experience it anew, to have it back in a way that is both the same and utterly transformed. This question is not an abstract puzzle; it is a vital concern for anyone who has ever wondered if love can last, if commitment is possible, or if we are doomed to a life of fleeting novelty and eventual boredom.
This text matters for understanding the DEVICES framework because repetition, in Kierkegaardâs sense, is a fundamental device for constructing a self. We often think of devices as external tools, but Kierkegaard presents repetition as an internal, spiritual technology. It is the mechanism by which we move from the aesthetic sphere of lifeâa world of detached observation and sensory experienceâto the ethical sphere, a world of commitment, responsibility, and identity. The choice to repeat, to affirm one's life and choices, is the device that gives our existence weight and continuity. It is how we become a person with a history and a future, rather than a mere collection of disconnected moments.
As you read, consider the ways in which our modern devicesâfrom social media feeds that endlessly refresh to streaming services that promise infinite contentâare often designed to combat the perceived threat of repetition. They offer a constant stream of the new, training us in a kind of aesthetic restlessness. Kierkegaardâs work challenges us to question this logic, suggesting that true joy and freedom are not found in endless novelty, but in the difficult, courageous, and ultimately profound act of repetition.
Learning Objectives
- Explain Kierkegaard's concept of "repetition" as a forward-looking act of becoming.
- Distinguish between true repetition and mere mechanical recurrence.
- Analyze how repetition functions as a "device" for constructing a meaningful self.
Key Concepts
Repetition vs. Recollection
Kierkegaard draws a sharp distinction between recollection and repetition. Recollection is a backward glance, a nostalgic and ultimately melancholic attempt to recapture a past that is gone forever. It is the unhappy consciousness that laments what has been lost. Repetition, conversely, is a forward movement, a test of spiritual and ethical strength. It is not about simply re-doing something, but about re-choosing, re-affirming, and finding new meaning in a return. It is the joyful, paradoxical act of receiving the same thing again, but as something entirely new.
Within the DEVICES framework, both are conceptual devices for mediating our relationship with time. Recollection traps us in a passive, sentimental loop, a device of stasis. True repetition, however, is an active, embodied device. It is the instrument through which we donât just remember who we were, but actively become who we are, moment by moment. It is the mechanism of willed continuity, of forging an identity not from the ashes of the past, but from the fire of a renewed present.
The Test of Existence
For Kierkegaard, repetition is the crucial test of an individual's seriousness. The aesthetic person, forever seeking novelty and stimulus, flees from repetition. They see it as boredom, the death of excitement. The ethical person, however, embraces it. Marriage, in Kierkegaard's view, is the ultimate example of ethical repetition. It is the daily, conscious renewal of a vow, a commitment that deepens and gains meaning not in spite of its sameness, but because of it.
This is where repetition becomes a powerful device for shaping reality. The daily rituals, the consistent practices, the renewed commitmentsâthese are not empty habits. They are the very substance of an ethical life. They institutionalize a way of being, transforming an abstract choice into a concrete, lived reality. The device of repetition, when embodied, builds the scaffolding of a durable self and a meaningful world.
Freedom and Actuality
True repetition is an act of freedom. It is the choice to affirm one's life and one's choices, not as a matter of deterministic fate, but as a continuous act of will. Kierkegaard's narrator, Constantin Constantius, attempts to orchestrate a literal repetition by returning to Berlin, only to find the experience hollow and changed. The lesson is that repetition cannot be mechanically forced; it must be spiritually won. It is not about recreating external circumstances, but about achieving an internal renewal.
This is the core of repetition as a device of becoming. It is what makes actuality possible. In a world of fleeting possibilities, repetition is the device that allows for something to *be*, to have weight and reality. It is the movement of faith that believes tomorrow is not just another day, but a genuine opportunity for meaning to be born again.
Assignment
Read the opening sections and the concluding letter in Søren Kierkegaard's *Repetition*. Focus on Constantin Constantius's attempts to stage a repetition and his reflections on the Young Man's romantic predicament. Ask yourself: Why does Constantin's trip to Berlin fail as a repetition? What is the difference between the Young Man's love and the kind of love that could withstand the test of repetition? How is repetition different from mere habit?
Read: Repetition (on the Internet Archive) Knowledge Check
Reflect on the key topics in this lesson.
1
How does Kierkegaard differentiate the 'unhappy' movement of recollection from the 'happy' movement of repetition?
Hint: One looks backward with longing, the other looks forward with faith.
2
Why is marriage the ultimate example of ethical repetition for Kierkegaard?
Hint: It requires a daily renewal of commitment, not just a one-time choice.
3
Can a person force a true repetition to occur? Why or why not?
Hint: Think about Constantin's failed experiment in Berlin. What does this suggest about the nature of repetition?
Additional Resources
Supplementary materials for deeper exploration.
Fear and Trembling
Published on the same day as *Repetition*, this work explores the nature of faith through the story of Abraham and Isaac, providing a deeper context for the 'leap' required for religious repetition.
The Sickness Unto Death
This book delves into Kierkegaard's concept of the self and despair, outlining the philosophical anthropology that underpins the importance of choices and commitment explored in *Repetition*.