About this course: 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. The Danish thinker Søren Kierkegaard (1813-55) gave one of the most penetrating analyses of this complex phenomenon of modernity. But somewhat surprisingly he seeks insight into it not in any modern thinker but rather in an ancient one, the Greek philosopher Socrates. In this course we will explore how Kierkegaard 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.
Created by: University of Copenhagen
Taught by: Jon Stewart, Associate Professor
Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre
| Language | English, Subtitles: Portuguese (Brazilian), Czech |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
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Syllabus
WEEK 1
Course Introduction: The Life and Work of Kierkegaard as a "Socratic Task"
In this first unit, the basic premise of the class is presented, namely, the idea that Kierkegaard used Socrates as his model. The lecture begins by taking a brief look at Kierkegaard’s early life: his family background and his education at the School of Civic...
3 videos, 7 readings
Graded: Course Introduction
WEEK 2
Kierkegaard, Martensen and Hegelianism
Kierkegaard’s understanding of Socrates was of course based on his reading of the texts of Plato, Xenophon and Aristophanes, that is, the primary sources. But it was also largely shaped by the interpretation of the famous German philosopher G.W.F. Hegel, with ...
3 videos, 2 readings
Graded: Kierkegaard, Martensen and Hegelianism
WEEK 3
Kierkegaard’s View of Socrates
The goal in this lecture is to have a look at Kierkegaard’s understanding of Socrates and to see where he agrees with Hegel and where he disagrees. We look at Kierkegaard’s analysis of Socrates’ daimon, the trial and conviction of Socrates, the relation of Soc...
3 videos, 2 readings
Graded: Kierkegaard’s View of Socrates
WEEK 4
Kierkegaard, Heiberg and History
Kierkegaard is interested in the problem of the meaninglessness of life. He regards this as an important modern phenomenon that must be taken seriously. This lecture begins with a treatment of the second part of The Concept of Irony, where Kierkegaard examines...
3 videos, 2 readings
Graded: Kierkegaard, Heiberg and History
WEEK 5
Kierkegaard, Møller and Schlegel
During this unit, we will continue the analysis of the second part of The Concept of Irony. Here Kierkegaard introduces the irony of the German Romantics as a contrastive form of irony to that of Socrates. We begin with Kierkegaard’s account of Fichte’s theory...
3 videos, 2 readings
Graded: Kierkegaard, Møller and Schlegel
WEEK 6
The Trip to Berlin and the Beginning of the Authorship
This unit looks at the years that immediately followed Kierkegaard’s The Concept of Irony, namely, from 1841 to 1843. From the autumn of 1841 to the spring of 1842 Kierkegaard was in Berlin where he heard the lectures of the German philosopher Schelling. Durin...
3 videos, 2 readings
Graded: The Trip to Berlin and the Beginning of the Authorship
WEEK 7
The Development of the Pseudonymous Works
The years 1844 to 1846 were perhaps the most productive in Kierkegaard’s entire life. In this lecture we explore the series of famous works that he penned during this time, among others, the Philosophical Fragments, The Concept of Anxiety, Prefaces, Stages on ...
4 videos, 2 readings
Graded: The Development of the Pseudonymous Works
WEEK 8
The 2nd Half of the Authorship and the Attack on the Church
The last decade of Kierkegaard’s life was in many ways the most dramatic. This was the time of the Revolution of 1848 and of Kierkegaard’s public attack on the Danish state church in his final years. This period represents what Kierkegaard scholars refer to as...
4 videos, 2 readings
Graded: The 2nd Half of the Authorship and the Attack on the Church
Graded: Final Peer Assessed Essay
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