Both/And: Reading Kierkegaard from Irony to Edification

by Michael Strawser

Both/And is a new interpretation of Kierkegaard's writings which attempts to make sense of a very diverse authorship by offering a comprehensive interpretation of both Kierkegaard's so-called aesthetic and his religious writings. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) stands for a turning point in philosophy from a systematic philosophy - which, with its focus on objectivity, attempts to place itself on the secure path of science - to a "philosophy" that focuses its attention in subjectivity and openly acknowledges itself as fragmentary and provisional. Strawser examines Kierkegaard's works as religious, aesthetic/poetic, and philosophical and argues that irony runs through both the aesthetic and the religious works - indeed, Kierkegaard referred to himself as the Magister of Irony. But Strawser goes beyond these boundaries to draw in the interpretation of Kierkegaard's writing not a line which cuts off the aesthetic from the religious, but connects them. This is what Strawser calls the line from irony to edification. This line is the line of both/and, the line of connection. Strawser addresses the problematic but natural relationship between Kierkegaard and postmodernism and offers exciting possibilities. Strawser believes that contemporary postmodern philosophical considerations aid a critical reading of Kierkegaard, but such a reading must not be overwhelmed by them. Such a comprehensive reading is what Strawser offers the reader in Both/And .

261 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996