Full Idea
The real subject is not the cognitive subject …the real subject is the ethically existing subject.
Gist of Idea
The real subject is ethical, not cognitive
Source
Søren Kierkegaard (Concluding Unscientific Postscript [1846], p.281), quoted by Kevin Aho - Existentialism: an introduction 2 'Subjective'
A Reaction
Perhaps we should say the essence of the self is its drive to live, not its drive to know. Just getting through the day is top priority, and ethics don’t figure much for the solitary person. But each activity, such as cooking, has its virtues.
Book Reference
Aho,Kevin: 'Existentialism: an introduction' [Polity 2014], p.25
Related Idea
Idea 20739 Levinas took 'first philosophy' to begin with seeing the vulnerable faces of others [Levinas, by Aho]