Kierkegaard(PHGA7159)
Spring2013
Instructor:JohnDavenport
MainThemes. ThisgraduateseminaronthethoughtofSørenKierkegaardwillfocusonmajor themesinhispseudonymousworks,withattentiontotwolatersignedworksaswell.Noprior knowledgeofKierkegaardisassumed,althoughstudentswithsomebackgroundinKierkegaardare welcome.Wewillconcentrateonunderstandingthedistinctionsandtransitionsbetweenthe “stages”ofexistencedefinedasaesthetic,ethical,andreligious(andthesubdivisionofreligiousfaith intotypesA&B);thesetransitionsinvolvedifficultquestionsinmoralpsychologyandethical theory.Whilefocuswillbeontheprimarytexts,wewilluseselectionsfrommajorsecondaryworks
tohelpusalongtheway(seeerespageforthiscourse–password:Davenport7159).Ourdiscussions willdrawsomelinksbetweenKierkegaardianthemesandideasinrecentanalyticphilosophyon
– ethicsandmoralpsychology,includingcare,will,moralmotivation,andnarrativeunity;
–metaethics,includingfreewill,groundsofnormativity;
–philosophyofreligion,includingagapiclove,alterity,opentheism,eschatology;
– epistemology,includingintellectualvirtues,‘interested’understanding,coherentism.
However,studentsarenotnecessarilyexpectedtofocusontheseconnectionsintheirownwritten work.ApproachestoKierkgaardinformedbyrecentcontinentalthoughtwillbeequallywelcome.
Texts:(Required)
Kierkegaard,Either/OrVol.II,tr.Hongs(PrincetonUniversityPress,1987) Kierkegaard,FearandTrembling,tr.Hongs(PrincetonUniversityPress,1983) Kierkegaard,WorksofLove,tr.Hongs(PrincetonUniversityPress,1995) Kierkegaard,Two Ages,tr.Hongs(PrincetonUniversityPress,1978) Kierkegaard,SicknessUntoDeath,tr.Hongs(PrincetonUniversityPress,1980)
Otherarticlesandbookchapters,includingportionsoftheConcludingUnscientificPostscriptand TheConceptof Anxiety.IwillmaketheoriginalsavailableinthePhilosophyDept.loungeandon reserveinWalsh,andonERES.Eachstudentshouldmakehisorherowncopies.
Recommended textsorderedbythebookstore:
MichelleKosch,FreedomandReasoninKant,Kierkegaard,andSchelling(Oxford2006);
HannayandMarino,eds.,TheCambridgeCompaniontoKierkegaard(CambridgeU.Press,1998) AlastairHannay,Kierkegaard(Routledge,1991)
SharonKrishek,KierkegaardonFaithandLove(CambridgeUniversityPress,2009) DavidRoberts,Kierkegaard’sAnalysisofRadicalEvil(Continuum2006)
ScheduleforReadingsandDiscussionTopics(secondarysourceswillbeaddedinfullsyllabus)
Week1:TheAesthetic.Either/OrVol.Iselections(originalinlounge)
(1) Introductiontocoursethemes;problemsofpseudonymityandchargesof“irrationalism” (2) The“RotationofCrops”(pp.285-300)
(3) The“Seducer’sDiary”(pp.301-17;410-445)
Week2:TheRelationbetweentheAestheticandtheEthical:Either/OrVol.II
(1) “TheEstheticValidityofMarriage,”pp.5-39;pp.134-154.
(2) Begin“TheBalanceBetweentheAestheticandtheEthical,”p.157on.
Week3:TheEthical:Either/OrVol.II,PartIIonthe‘Choice’tobeanAuthenticChooser
(1) “TheBalanceBetweentheAestheticandtheEthical,”pp.157-201;pp.240-265. (2) TheNarrativereadingofPracticalIdentityinKierkegaardandthestagetransition
Week4:FreeWillandtheAesthetic-Ethicaltransition.
(1) TheConceptof Anxiety,firstpart:freewillandsin;linkstoEither/OrII
Week5:PublicEverydayness astheAesthetic(andWantoness). (1) “ThePresentAge,”inTwoAges:linkstoEither/OrIIagain
(2) HarryFrankfurtonwantonness,“bullshit;”GabrielleTayloronacediaandexistentialboredom
Week6:TransitiontotheReligious
(1) FearandTrembling,beginningthroughProblemaI: eschatologicalreadings.
Week7:TheReligiouscontinued
(1) FearandTremblingcontinuedthroughProblemaIII; (2) ComparisontotheStoryofJobinRepetition
Week8:ThePostscriptandsubjectivity,knowledge,interestedness; (1) ConcludingUnscientificPostscript,selections
Week9:ThePostscript:religiousness B
(1) ConcludingUnscientificPostscript,selectionscontinued:eschatologicalinterpretationagain
Week10:Allthecategories fromtheperspectiveof ChristianFaith
(1) TheSicknessUntoDeath–theself-formulaandspiritasfreeprojectivewill
Week11:TheSicknessUntoDeathcontinued
(1) theformsofaestheticismagain;radicalevildistinguished
Week12:FaithandAgapicEthics
(1)WorksofLoveselections.
Week13:Agapeandotherforms of love
(1)WorksofLovecontinued
(2)TheFerreira-Krishekdebate;Lippitt’sresponseonbehalfofagapicself-love
Week14:overflow;anyfinalstudentoralreports.
