Double-mindedness is a concept used in the philosophy and theology of the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard as insincerity, egoism, or fear of punishment. The term was used in the Bible in the Epistle of James. Kierkegaard developed his own systematic way to try to detect double-mindedness in himself.
Søren Kierkegaard
Kierkegaard asked himself: "Do I want to be a Christian or not? Do I want to be a preacher or not? Do I want to be a teacher or not? Do I want to get married or not?" Many people were willing to give him advice, but he felt the decision was ultimately his own. He believed individuals fear making a decision because of external opposition, but this need not stop one from making a decision, as long as one has the capacity to learn through experience whether the decision was a good one.
The first type of double-mindedness, willing for the sake of reward or out of fear of punishment, is akin to the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic values. The second type of double-mindedness, willing only to a certain degree, is akin to distraction or half-hearted willing. Each type of double-mindedness is a human weakness and an obstacle to an individual pursuit of greatness and strength towards willing and reaching the Good. To counter double-mindedness, Kierkegaard argued that discipline and clarity of the self is essential and necessary. He believed that double-mindedness isn't evil but a person not recognizing that they are a self-contradiction and double-minded is self-deceit.
References
- "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like a wild flower he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away." James 1:2-11
- "Keep near to God, then he will keep near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." — James 4:8; Søren Kierkegaard, Upbuilding Discourses in Various Spirits, p. 24
- Hannay, Alastair. Kierkegaard, Routledge, pp. 220–225.
Sources
- The Bible: The Book of James
- D. Anthony Storm's Commentary on Upbuilding Discourses In Various Spirits
- Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing, by Søren Kierkegaard, March 13, 1847
- Anthony Storm's Commentary on Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses
- Wikiquote Soren Kierkegaard, Four Upbuilding Discourses, 1844