Kierkegaard on Ethics and Religion: From Either/Or to Philosophical Fragments

(Hardback)

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Sren Kierkegaard is simultaneously one of the most obscure philosophers of the Western world and one of the most influential. His writings have influenced atheists and faithful alike. Yet there is still widespread disagreement on many of the most important aspects of his thought. Kierkegaard was deliberately obscure in his writings, forcing the reader to interpret and reflect as Socrates did with incessant questioning. But at the same time that Kierkegaard was producing his esoteric, pseudonymous philosophical writings, he was also producing simpler, direct religious writings. Kierkegaard always claimed that he was, despite appearances, a religious writer. This important book accepts that claim and tests it. By using Kierkegaard's direct writings as he suggests, as the key to understanding the more obscure, indirect works, W. Glenn Kirkconnell aims to develop a coherent understanding of Kierkegaard's authorship and his theories.

Reviews

"...this book is for even the most seasoned of Kierkegaard scholars." Religious Studies 45, 2009
'Kirkconnell's admirably nuanced and careful reading is a significant contribution to the recovery of Kierkegaard as a poet/theologian who used his formidable repertoire of rhetorical strategies to foster an appreciation of human incapacity and the consequent need for grace.' Lee C. Barrett, Stager Professor of Theology, Lancaster Theological Seminary, USA
Mention -Book News, February 2009
Mention -Chronicle of Higher Education, January 23, 2009
"The book is written in a clear and lively style and is well-organised ... His readings of the works he does discuss combine careful attention to detail with a sense of their place in the overall progression that he wants to trace. They could certainly be helpful to students approaching these works for the first time, but they should also be of interest to more advanced scholars ... It is very interesting to see Kierkegaard's early work read as a whole in the way Kirkconnell suggests, and, given the relative paucity of philosophical writing about the Discourses, his clear and insightful commentary on them is a valuable contribution." - Notre Dame Philosophical Review,May 2009 -- Anthony Rudd
Listed in bibliography of Anuario Filosofico, XLII/1, pp 244.

Author Bio

W. Glenn Kirkconnell is Adjunct Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studiesat Santa Fe College, USA.