Philosophy P335 (§ 13649)/ P535 (§ 28458): Søren Kierkegaard Spring 2011 Lecture Notes by Paul Vincent Spade “Philosophy P335 (§ 13649)/P535 (§ 28458) Søren Kierkegaard: Spring 2011, Lecture Notes,” by Paul Vincent Spade is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Table of Contents Course ..................................................................................................................................1 Readings .................................................................................................................................................... 1 First reading assignment .......................................................................................................................... 1 Mechanics of the course ........................................................................................................................... 2 Weekly quizzes .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Mid-term examination .............................................................................................................................. 3 Term paper ................................................................................................................................................ 3 Peer reviews ............................................................................................................................................... 3 Plan of attack ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Life .......................................................................................................................................5 His name .................................................................................................................................................... 5 What to expect .....................................................................................................................8 Writings................................................................................................................................9 “Kierkegaard’s Writings” (KW) and the “Journals and Papers” (JP) ............................................... 9 Pseudonymous vs. “signed” works ........................................................................................................ 11 Aesthetic vs. religious works .................................................................................................................. 15 Works in the “authorship” and the other works ................................................................................. 15 Some of the main works ......................................................................................................................... 16 The Concept of Irony ........................................................................................................................... 16 Either/Or .............................................................................................................................................. 17 Fear and Trembling .............................................................................................................................. 17 Philosophical Fragments (or Philosophical “Crumbs”) ....................................................................... 18 Concluding Unscientific Postscript ...................................................................................................... 18 Others ................................................................................................................................................... 18 Background on Hegel ........................................................................................................19 Hegel ..................................................................................................................................21 The “standard” picture .......................................................................................................26 ii Reading .................................................................................................................................................... 26 Sources ..................................................................................................................................................... 27 (1) Reaction to Hegel .............................................................................................................................. 28 (2) Emphasis on the individual .............................................................................................................. 28 (3) A “practical urgency” to Kierkegaard ............................................................................................ 30 (4) Kierkegaard’s “dialectic” ................................................................................................................. 31 What are the three lifestyles? ................................................................................................................ 33 The aesthetic life ..................................................................................................................................... 33 Texts .................................................................................................................................................... 34 The ethical life ......................................................................................................................................... 35 The religious life, the life of faith ........................................................................................................... 36 Contrasts between Hegel’s dialectic and Kierkegaard’s “stages on life’s way” ................................ 37 Things to ask ........................................................................................................................................... 37 Criterionless choice ................................................................................................................................. 38 Dread or anxiety ..................................................................................................................................... 40 Other notions in Kierkegaard ................................................................................................................ 42 Existence .............................................................................................................................................. 42 Truth .................................................................................................................................................... 45 The paradox ......................................................................................................................................... 48 Fear and Trembling ............................................................................................................50 Preface ..................................................................................................................................................... 51 The story of Abraham .......................................................................................................................... 53 Situating the text ..................................................................................................................................... 54 “Attunement” .......................................................................................................................................... 55 First version (pp. 45–46) ...................................................................................................................... 56 Second version (p. 46) ......................................................................................................................... 56 Third version (pp. 46–47) .................................................................................................................... 57 Fourth version (pp. 47–48)................................................................................................................... 57 General observation ............................................................................................................................. 57 Speech in praise of Abraham (pp. 49–56) ............................................................................................. 58 Preamble from the heart ........................................................................................................................ 59 Offering the best you have ..................................................................................................................... 60 iii The “special case” interpretation .......................................................................................................... 61 The “context of his times” ...................................................................................................................... 63 The “knights” .......................................................................................................................................... 63 The “structure” of the knight of infinite resignation (p.