The Philosophy of Kierkegaard Continental European Philosophy This series provides accessible and stimulating introductions to the ideas of continental thinkers who have shaped the fundamentals of European philosophical thought. Powerful and radical, the ideas of these philosophers have often been contested, but they remain key to understanding current philosophical thinking as well as the current direction of disciplines such as political science, literary theory, comparative literature, art history, and cultural studies. Each book seeks to combine clarity with depth, introducing fresh insights and wider perspectives while also providing a comprehensive survey of each thinker's philosophical ideas. Published titles The Philosophy ofGadamer The Philosophy of Merleau-Ponty Jean Grondin Eric Matthews The Philosophy ofHaberma s The Philosophy of Nietzsche Andrew Edgar Rex Welshon The Philosophy of Kierkegaard The Philosophy of Schopenhauer George Pattison Dale Jacquette Forthcoming titles include The Philosophy ofDeleuz e The Philosophy ofHusserl Peter Sedgwick Burt Hopkins The Philosophy ofDerrid a The Philosophy of Kant Mark Dooley and Liam Kavanagh Jim O'Shea The Philosophy ofFoucau lt The Philosophy of Rousseau Todd May Patrick Riley, Sr and Patrick Riley, Jr The Philosophy of Hegel The Philosophy of Sartre Allen Speight Anthony Hatzimoysis The Philosophy of Heidegger Jeff Malpas The Philosophy of Kierkegaard George Patt/son McGill-Queen's University Press Montreal & Kingston • Ithaca © George Pattison 2005 ISBN 0-7735-2986-1 (hardcover) ISBN 0-7735-2987-X (paperback) Legal deposit third quarter 2005 Bibliotheque nationale du Quebec This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. No reproduction without permission. All rights reserved. Published simultaneously outside North America by Acumen Publishing Limited McGill-Queen's University Press acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Development Program (BPIDP) for its activities. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Pattison, George, 1950- The philosophy of Kierkegaard / George Pattison. (Continental European philosophy) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7735-2986-1 (bound).—ISBN 0-7735-2987-X (pbk.) 1. Kierkegaard, S0ren, 1813-1855. I. Title. II. Series. B4377.P37 2005 198'.9 C2005-900997-7 Designed and typeset by Kate Williams, Swansea. Printed and bound by Biddies Ltd., King's Lynn. Contents Acknowledgements ix Abbreviations and forms of reference xi Introduction: Kierkegaard and philosophy 1 1 Existence 12 2 Anxiety 46 3 The good 90 4 The infinite qualitative difference and the absolute paradox 133 Epilogue: The Christian witness and the simple wise man of ancient times 172 Notes 185 Guide to further reading 197 Index 201 V This page intentionally left blank For students past and present who have wrestled with me over the interpretation of Kierkegaard and to whom I owe many of my best insights into his thought. This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgements I am grateful to Acumen Publishing for the invitation to write this book. Working on it has made me bring together and to think through a lot of loose threads that have been floating around in my reading and teaching of Kierkegaard. As the dedication states, I am also grateful to undergraduate and, especially, postgraduate students who have read Kierkegaard with me and have provided me with innumerable insights, angles and questions that I would never have reached on my own. I am particularly indebted to Dan Conway and an anonymous reader who commented on the original outline of the book, and to Ed Mooney, Anthony Rudd, Robert Stern and Merold Westphal, who saw portions of the text in preparation and gave helpful advice and encouraging words. John Lippitt and Jamie Ferreira read the draft for Acumen and their characteristically precise and sharp comments have helped to tighten the book and to make it more accessible, although there will doubtless remain some points on which we shall continue to disagree. Thanks too to Steve Shakespeare, to Helle M011er Jensen for explaining the mysteries of the "Hopsasa" and to Matthew Power for helping with the cover illustration. George Pattison Christ Church, Oxford IX