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237th out of 514 books
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The Essential Kierkegaard
This is the most comprehensive anthology of Soren Kierkegaard's works ever assembled in English. Drawn from the volumes of Princeton's authoritative "Kierkegaard's Writings" series by editors Howard and Edna Hong, the selections represent every major aspect of Kierkegaard's extraordinary career. They reveal the powerful mix of philosophy, psychology, theology, and literary...more
Paperback, 544 pages
Published
May 30th 2000
by Princeton University Press
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The case of Kierkegaard (as opposed to Kierkegaard’s case, which does not exist) is a conundrum. His polemy has been appropriated as mascot to the causes of existentialism, phenomenology, theology , philosophy and .....(fill in the blank. As long as it ends in ‘gy’. Go on), each drawing parasitically from his cornucopia (of groszartig gibberish) to substantiate their cause celebre.
This can be easily done. Because Kierkegaard is a virtuoso of the verbose, spinning square (linguistic) pegs into c...more
This can be easily done. Because Kierkegaard is a virtuoso of the verbose, spinning square (linguistic) pegs into c...more
In the high stakes game of life, bringing Kierkegaard to the table gives a player the equivalent of a flush - the essentials are all here to assemble the various suits of humanity with the requisite five cards: passion, sincerity, reflection, curiosity, and humour. Whether you are Christian or not, his spiritual tetherhooks provide vitally needed support in stabilizing the platform for a probing of oneself and one's placement in this infinitely vast material mystery. This expertly edited book co...more
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It took me some time to read this book but it was worth it.
Here are some of my favourite lines:
"But he who becomes guilty through anxiety is indeed innocent, for it was not he himself but anxiety, a foreign power, that laid hold of him, a power that he did not love but about which he was anxious."
"Anxiety is neither a category of necessity nor a category of freedom; it is entangled freedom, where freedom is not free in itself but entangled, not by necessity, but in itself."
"... only when it is a...more
Here are some of my favourite lines:
"But he who becomes guilty through anxiety is indeed innocent, for it was not he himself but anxiety, a foreign power, that laid hold of him, a power that he did not love but about which he was anxious."
"Anxiety is neither a category of necessity nor a category of freedom; it is entangled freedom, where freedom is not free in itself but entangled, not by necessity, but in itself."
"... only when it is a...more
What can I say? I need another cat, because I would like to name something of note in my life Soren. I finished this yesterday, 09/10/09, and I immediately picked up Chekov's stories.
I had heard about the philosopher Kierkegaard some time ago and had this book on my list of things to read for some time. Now that I have finally finished reading it, I can say that his works are very interesting, but also very difficult to grasp at times. Since this book is made with philosophy students in mind, this is not a book for the uninitiated to tread lightly into. Some of the excerpted works are excellent and I will definitely be looking to read them in their entirety in the future (Fe...more
Kierkegaard is certainly one of the most versatile spiritualist's I've ever read: philosophy, aesthetics, beautiful writing - what more can one ask for?
This edition is a very good start, but be warned that his circumlocutions can be an eye-full to the inexperienced young thinker. But, if you're really bold just slam through the tome, consuming as much spirit as possible, in utter awe... and it might all just come to you in a FLASH! That's how It happens!
Also: it seems as though Kierkegaard's w...more
This edition is a very good start, but be warned that his circumlocutions can be an eye-full to the inexperienced young thinker. But, if you're really bold just slam through the tome, consuming as much spirit as possible, in utter awe... and it might all just come to you in a FLASH! That's how It happens!
Also: it seems as though Kierkegaard's w...more
I admit, Kierkegaard challenges me big time! Very difficult reading, but there is treasure to be found. "Compared with the person who is conscious of his despair, the despairing individual who is ignorant of his despair is simply a negativity further away from the truth and deliverance…Yet ignorance is so far from breaking the despair or changing despair to no despair that it can in fact be the most dangerous form of despair."
Kierkegaard... you crazy mfugger. His ideas only appear complex because of how he writes. He has no continuity of thought, and intentionally takes on multiple viewpoints - literally different aliases at times - in order to confuse his reader so that its literally impossible to read, and my professor was all like, "Thas some classic Kierkegaard righ' ther." Yea. right. You want to know what Kierkegaard is like? 1) Go to a Taiwanese whore house 2)Contract syphilis 3) WRITE PHILOSOPHY, BECAUSE THAT...more
There is so much more to Kierkegaard than the text books give him credit for. He is often painted as a relativist, but I find that description too simplistic. He encourages people to actually think about what they are doing, so that when they act, it is with their entire being. He describes it as a "perfect leap of faith". He tells us to do things because we actually believe in them-not just out of duty, tradition or community pressure. This is the point of the essay on walking the dog at Deer P...more
Haven't finished reading all the passages yet, but have read enough to know that Kierkegaard is one of my all time favorites
This is a great tool, put together by reputable people, for anyone looking to grasp the K man.
I want to read this in conjunction with "The Moviegoer"
Extracts from the translations of Hong
Christianity for contrarians
While I appreciate the overall scope, and especially the access to some of Kierkegaard's more obscure pieces, I am generally frustrated by the fact that certain passages are skipped without warning. The eternal frustration of any abridged work I suppose, but I find it particularly annoying with Kierkegaard.
A wonderful collection of readings. A treasure for always, one of the best books I have ever owned.
It's been a joy this first month of owning it to engage with new and favourite writings. Very restorative, not just as K., but as a serious centre, delightfully funny as it usually is!
It's been a joy this first month of owning it to engage with new and favourite writings. Very restorative, not just as K., but as a serious centre, delightfully funny as it usually is!
Apr 02, 2009
Julia
added it
My graduation gift from Mark. The fact that I received it nearly a year ago and am still reading it pretty much says it all. I enjoy Kierkegaard in small doses.
I read Either/Or and Fear and Trembling.
This book serves as a fairly good introduction to his work, but all the selections are excerpts, so you won't be able to read an entire work without going out and finding it individually -- or unless you go find a real anthology.
If you want to get to know the essential message of Kierkegaardian philosophy this reader is the way to go.
kierkegaard is one of my favorites...i haven't read everything in here, but recommend it wholeheartedly nonetheless.
Kierkegaard is the Woody Allen of philosophers. Funny, insightful, irreverent. Enjoyable.
veryyyyy helpful in understanding the fundamental philosophy of this crazy man
Review at http://znovels.blogspot.com/2012/01/e...
Apr 06, 2007
daniel
marked it as to-read
(unless one of you could suggest a better place to start with Kierkegaard)
Mar 24, 2008
Josiah
marked it as to-read
Partially read, shelved for awhile.
Excellent work!
May 24, 2013
Kai
marked it as to-read
May 22, 2013
Deepthi Raju
marked it as to-read
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Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was a prolific 19th century Danish philosopher and theologian. Kierkegaard strongly criticised both the Hegelianism of his time and what he saw as the empty formalities of the Church of Denmark. Much of his work deals with religious themes such as faith in God, the institution of the Christian Church, Christian ethics and theology, and the emotions and feelings of individua...more
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