Envy; Kierkegaard's Critique of the Age of Reflection

Søren Kierkegaard (1803-1855), nineteenth century Danish thinker, is mostly known for his deliberation on individual human life in connection with Christian faith. However, next to this context, Kierkegaard also gives an account on social or civil life, although his account on this issue is less known in comparison to the former one. The present paper is trying to investigate Kierkegaard's account of civil life, from a particular point of view. First, an account will be given of the phenomenon of envy and its various kinds, as it is treated in Kierkegaard's literature. then, the way in which, Kierkegaard considers the whole route of western philosophy - from the beginning of the New Age to the Hegelian System - as a representation of what he calls "the Age of Reflection", and opposes to "the Age of Revolution", will be pointed out. Also this will be shown that how Kierkegaard - in opposition to Hegel - does not consider "speculation" as a way out of reflection, but in fact, its completion. Finally and by focusing on the phenomenon of envy, Kierkegaard's critique of the Age of Reflection will be explained, and his account of the two sides of this particular age, i.e. its threatening and liberating sides, will be studied.