kierkegaard and crisis of modernity coursera course syllabus
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Important course on KierkegaardTRANSCRIPT
Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre Jon Stewart Faculty of Theology Associate Professor University of Copenhagen
Søren Kierkegaard: Subjectivity, Irony and the Crisis of Modernity
Course Description: In this course we will explore how the Danish thinker Søren Kierkegaard (1813-‐55) deals with the problems associated with relativism, the lack of meaning and the undermining of religious faith that are typical of modern life. His penetrating analyses are still highly relevant today and have been seen as insightful for the leading figures of Existentialism, Post-‐Structuralism and Post-‐Modernism. It is often claimed that relativism, subjectivism and nihilism are typically modern philosophical problems that emerge with the breakdown of traditional values, customs and ways of life. The result is the absence of meaning, the lapse of religious faith, and feeling of alienation that is so widespread in modernity. Kierkegaard gave one of the most penetrating analyses of this complex phenomenon. But somewhat surprisingly he seeks insight into it not in any modern thinker but rather in an ancient one, the Greek philosopher Socrates. In his famous work The Concept of Irony Kierkegaard examines different forms of subjectivism and relativism as they are conceived as criticisms of traditional culture. He characterizes these different tendencies under the heading of “irony.” He realizes that once critical reflection has destroyed traditional values, there is no way to go back. But yet the way forward is uncertain. As the modern movements such as Existentialism, Post-‐Structuralism and Post-‐Modernism reveal, the issues that Kierkegaard faced are still among the central problems of philosophy today. Part 1: Kierkegaard on Socratic Irony (Full text titles for abbreviations and links are listed at end of syllabus) Week 1 Course Introduction: The Life and Work of Kierkegaard as a “Socratic Task” Plato: The Euthyphro pp. 1-‐16 Plato: The Apology pp. 17-‐37 Week 2 Kierkegaard, Martensen and Hegelianism at the University of Copenhagen Hegel: The Socratic Method Hist. of Phil., vol. 1, pp. 384-‐389, pp. 397-‐406 Hegel: The Daimon Hist. of Phil., vol. 1, pp. 421-‐425 Hegel: The Fate of Socrates Hist. of Phil., vol. 1, pp. 430-‐448 Supplemental Reading Hegel: The Principle of the Good Hist. of Phil., vol. 1, pp. 406-‐411 Kierkegaard: Journal AA:12 KJN, vol. 1, pp. 19-‐22
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Week 3 Kierkegaard’s View of Socrates Kierkegaard: “The Daimon of Socrates” CI, pp. 157-‐167 Kierkegaard: “The Condemnation of Socrates” CI, pp. 167-‐183, pp. 193-‐197 Supplemental Reading Kierkegaard: “The View Made Necessary” CI, pp. 198-‐214 Kierkegaard: “The Conflict between the Old and the New Soap-‐Cellar,” Journal DD:208, KJN, vol. 1, pp. 278-‐289 Part 2: Kierkegaard on Romantic Irony Week 4 Kierkegaard, Heiberg and History Kierkegaard: “The World-‐Historical Validity CI, pp. 241-‐271 of Irony, the Irony of Socrates” Supplemental Reading Kierkegaard: “Introduction” CI, pp. 9-‐12 Kierkegaard: “Hegel’s View of Socrates” CI, pp. 219-‐237 Heiberg: On the Significance of Philosophy for pp. 83-‐119 the Present Age Week 5 Kierkegaard, P.M. Møller and Friedrich von Schlegel Kierkegaard: “Irony After Fichte: Fichte” CI, pp. 272-‐286 Kierkegaard: “Irony After Fichte: Schlegel” CI, pp. 286-‐301 Kierkegaard: “Irony as a Controlled Element, CI, pp. 324-‐329 the Truth of Irony” Supplemental Reading Hegel: Fichte Hist. of Phil., vol. 3, pp. 479-‐506 Hegel: The More Important Followers of Fichte Hist. of Phil., vol. 3, pp. 506-‐508 Part 3: Kierkegaard’s Socratic Task Week 6 The Conception of Kierkegaard’s Socratic Task: 1843 The Trip to Berlin and the Beginning of the Authorship Kierkegaard: “Diapsalmata” EO1, pp. 17-‐43 Kierkegaard: “Problema I” FT, pp. 54-‐67 Supplemental Reading Martensen: “Rationalism, Supernaturalism” pp. 127-‐143
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Kierkegaard: “A Word of Thanks to Professor COR, pp. 17-‐21 Heiberg” Week 7 Kierkegaard’s Socratic Task: 1844-‐45 The Development of the Pseudonymous Works Kierkegaard: “The Absolute Paradox” PF, pp. 37-‐48 Kierkegaard: The Concept of Anxiety CA, p. 3, p. 5, p. 16, pp. 134-‐135 Kierkegaard: “Preface VIII” P, pp. 159-‐170 Kierkegaard: Stages on Life’s Way SLW, pp. 481-‐485 Kierkegaard: “Becoming Subjective” CUP, pp. 184-‐188 Kierkegaard: “The Issue in Fragments” CUP, pp. 381-‐384 Week 8 Kierkegaard’s Socratic Task: 1846-‐55 The Second Half of the Authorship and the Attack on the Church Kierkegaard: The Point of View PV, p. 24, pp. 54-‐55, pp. 68-‐69 Kierkegaard: “The Socratic Definition of Sin” SUD, pp. 90-‐100 Kierkegaard: “The God-‐Man is a Sign” PC, pp. 9-‐10, pp. 81-‐83, pp. 124-‐127 Kierkegaard: “Was Bishop Mynster a ‘Truth M, pp. 3-‐8 Witness’ ” Kierkegaard: The Moment, no. 10 M, pp. 340-‐347 Texts: Plato: The Euthyphro, in Socrates of Athens, trans. by Cathal Woods and Ryan Pack. (Available at http://books.google.dk/books?id=v53iDJDi_M0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false) Plato: Socrates’ Defense (The Apology), in Socrates of Athens, trans. by Cathal Woods and Ryan
Pack. (Available at http://books.google.dk/books?id=v53iDJDi_M0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false) Hegel: Hist. of Phil. = Lectures on the History of Philosophy, vols. 1-‐3, trans. by E.S. Haldane,
London: K. Paul, Trench, Trübner 1892-‐96; Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press 1955.
(Vol. 1 available at http://archive.org/details/lecturesonhisto00hegegoog) (Vol. 3 available at http://archive.org/details/lectureshistoryp03hegeuoft)
Heiberg: On the Significance of Philosophy for the Present Age in Heiberg’s On the Significance of Philosophy for the Present Age and Other Texts, ed. and trans. by Jon Stewart, Copenhagen: C.A. Reitzel 2005 (Texts from Golden Age Denmark, vol. 1), pp. 83-‐119.
(Available courtesy of Museum Tusculanum Press: see http://www.mtp.hum.ku.dk/details.asp?eln=203519)
Kierkegaard: CA = The Concept of Anxiety, trans. by Reidar Thomte in collaboration with Albert B. Anderson, Princeton: Princeton University Press 1980.
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Kierkegaard: CI = The Concept of Irony, trans. by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, Princeton: Princeton University Press 1989.
Kierkegaard: COR = The Corsair Affair; Articles Related to the Writings, trans. by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, Princeton: Princeton University Press 1982.
Kierkegaard: CUP = Concluding Unscientific Postscript, vols. 1-‐2, trans. by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, Princeton: Princeton University Press 1992, vol. 1.
Kierkegaard: EO1 = Either/Or 1, trans. by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, Princeton: Princeton University Press 1987.
Kierkegaard: FT = Fear and Trembling, trans. by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, Princeton: Princeton University Press 1983.
Kierkegaard: KJN = Kierkegaard’s Journals and Notebooks, ed. by Niels Jørgen Cappelørn et al., Princeton: Princeton University Press 2007-‐.
Kierkegaard: M = The Moment and Late Writings, trans. by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, Princeton: Princeton University Press 1998.
Kierkegaard: P = “Preface VIII” in Heiberg’s Perseus and Other Texts, ed. and trans. by Jon Stewart, Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press 2011 (Texts from Golden Age Denmark, vol. 6), pp. 157-‐180.
(Available courtesy of Museum Tusculanum Press: see http://www.mtp.hum.ku.dk/details.asp?eln=203519)
Kierkegaard: PC = Practice in Christianity, trans. by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, Princeton: Princeton University Press 1991.
Kierkegaard: PF = Philosophical Fragments; Johannes Climacus, or De omnibus dubitandum est, trans. by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, Princeton: Princeton University Press 1985.
Kierkegaard: PV = The Point of View, trans. by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, Princeton: Princeton University Press 1998.
Kierkegaard: SLW = Stages on Life’s Way, trans. by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, Princeton: Princeton University Press 1988.
Kierkegaard: SUD = The Sickness unto Death, trans. by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, Princeton: Princeton University Press 1980.
Martensen: “Rationalism, Supernaturalism and the principium exclusi medii,” in Mynster’s “Rationalism, Supernaturalism” and the Debate about Mediation, ed. and trans. by Jon Stewart, Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press 2009 (Texts from Golden Age Denmark, vol. 5), pp. 127-‐143.
(Available courtesy of Museum Tusculanum Press: see http://www.mtp.hum.ku.dk/details.asp?eln=203519)