Kierkegaard's Either/Or: A Critical Guide

by Ryan S. Kemp (Editor), Walter Wietzke (Editor)

Overview

Either/Or is Kierkegaard's first major work and arguably his most virtuosic. It introduces many of the most important philosophical themes that define the rest of his authorship and showcases - through its several pseudonyms and genres - Kierkegaard's prodigious literary scope. In this Critical Guide, a diverse group of scholars strike new ground in our understanding of both this work, and Kierkegaard's authorship as a whole. Their essays highlight the text's philosophical range, with substantial discussions of issues in aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, phenomenology, and philosophy of religion. The volume will be essential reading for any person seeking to deepen their understanding of Either/Or and Kierkegaard's work more generally.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781009066945
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/01/2025
Series:	Cambridge Critical Guides
Pages:	263
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Ryan S. Kemp is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Wheaton College, Illinois. He is the author of two books: Reason and Conversion in Kierkegaard and the German Idealists (2020) and Marilynne Robinson's Worldly Gospel (2023).

Walter Wietzke is Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. His work has been published in journals including Res Philosophica and The European Legacy.

Table of Contents

Introduction Ryan S. Kemp and Walter Wietzke; 1. Existential melancholia: the affective psychology of the 'Diapsalmata' in Either/Or Rick Anthony Furtak and Ruth Rebecca Tietjen; 2. Don Giovanni and the musical-erotic Fred Rush; 3. For what may the aesthete hope? Focus and standstill in 'the unhappiest one' and 'rotation of crops' Elizabeth Li and Andrew Chignell; 4. Companions in guilt: aestheticism and cartesianism as two sides of the same coin Genia Schönbaumsfeld; 5. A's religion of boredom Antón Barba-Kay; 6. The artist is not present: metaphysical performance in the diary of the seducer Noreen Khawaja; 7. Failed temporalities in Patrick Stokes; 8. Love, marriage and delusion in Either/Or Walter Wietzke; 9. The philosophy of science in Either/Or Hans Halvorson; 10. The despair of judge William Sharon Krishek; 11. The problem of evil in Either/Or: a religious-aesthetic debate Ulrika Carlsson; 12. Illusions of ethical independence: the last word in Either/Or Daniel Watts; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

‘[An] excellent volume of essays that will result in at least a bit smoother time with ‘Either/Or’. … Both novices and experts will find this an important resource for understanding Kierkegaard. Recommended.’ J. A. Simmons, CHOICE

From the Publisher