Søren Kierkegaard - book.itmens

Paperback, 240 pages

Published by Oxford University Press.

ISBN:: 978-0-19-878522-4

(1 review)

Soren Kierkegaard: Subjectivity, Irony, and the Crisis of Modernity examines the thought of Soren Kierkegaard, a unique figure, who has inspired, provoked, fascinated, and irritated people ever since he walked the streets of Copenhagen. At the end of his life, Kierkegaard said that the only model he had for his work was the Greek philosopher Socrates. This work takes this statement as its point of departure. Jon Stewart explores what Kierkegaard meant by this and to show how different aspects of his writing and argumentative strategy can be traced back to Socrates. The main focus is The Concept of Irony, which is a key text at the beginning of Kierkegaard's literary career. Although it was an early work, it nevertheless played a determining role in his later development and writings. Indeed, it can be said that it laid the groundwork for much of what would appear in his later famous …

Soren Kierkegaard: Subjectivity, Irony, and the Crisis of Modernity examines the thought of Soren Kierkegaard, a unique figure, who has inspired, provoked, fascinated, and irritated people ever since he walked the streets of Copenhagen. At the end of his life, Kierkegaard said that the only model he had for his work was the Greek philosopher Socrates. This work takes this statement as its point of departure. Jon Stewart explores what Kierkegaard meant by this and to show how different aspects of his writing and argumentative strategy can be traced back to Socrates. The main focus is The Concept of Irony, which is a key text at the beginning of Kierkegaard's literary career. Although it was an early work, it nevertheless played a determining role in his later development and writings. Indeed, it can be said that it laid the groundwork for much of what would appear in his later famous books such as Either/Or and Fear and Trembling.

1 edition

gesang reviewed Søren Kierkegaard by Jon Stewart

Mediocre

3 stars

The overall direction is not wrong: The Concept of Irony truly is the central and foundational work for Kierkegaard. But the author doesn't really have that sensitivity regarding Kierkegaard's use of pseudonyms, and more importantly the author's whole writing defeats the purpose of Kierkegaard's irony.

However, plainly, this is an introductory work, written for audiences without even a knowledge of Socrates, Hegel, Fichte... hence many depth cannot be revealed (granted that they can in principle be explicated), especially when the reader hasn't faced the difficulties that Kierkegaard was confronting himself.

Kierkegaard is an immensely difficult and profound thinker. He's not technically, verbally, difficult, but philosophically difficult. He has no set positions, it is in the dialectical process, in the very process of feeling, thinking, etc. that the essence of his thought lies, not in various conclusions and positions. It's ill-advised to write an introductory exposition to his thoughts, unless the …

The overall direction is not wrong: The Concept of Irony truly is the central and foundational work for Kierkegaard. But the author doesn't really have that sensitivity regarding Kierkegaard's use of pseudonyms, and more importantly the author's whole writing defeats the purpose of Kierkegaard's irony.

However, plainly, this is an introductory work, written for audiences without even a knowledge of Socrates, Hegel, Fichte... hence many depth cannot be revealed (granted that they can in principle be explicated), especially when the reader hasn't faced the difficulties that Kierkegaard was confronting himself.

Kierkegaard is an immensely difficult and profound thinker. He's not technically, verbally, difficult, but philosophically difficult. He has no set positions, it is in the dialectical process, in the very process of feeling, thinking, etc. that the essence of his thought lies, not in various conclusions and positions. It's ill-advised to write an introductory exposition to his thoughts, unless the author himself is a profound thinker and a literary master. The author of this book certainly is not the case.

Subjects

Philosophy
Literary Criticism