Summary
Title: Kierkegaard
Author: Michael Watts
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
ISBN: 1851683178
Pro:
• Best single source on Kierkegaard I’ve seen
• Excellent short biography of his life and family
• Fantastic explanation of how to approach Kierkegaard’s ideas
Con:
• None
Description:
• Analysis of Kierkegaard’s life and writings
• Provides tips and ideas for how to best read Kierkegaard
• Seeks to inspire further reading rather than simply interpret once and for all
Book Review
There are so many unusual difficulties when it comes to understanding and explaining Kierkegaard that it is hard to find a really good introduction to his life and work. Many have tried and many have written some excellent books; none, in my opinion, have done quite as well as Michael Watts in his book Kierkegaard. I am by no means an expert on Kierkegaard or existentialism, but I did spend a lot of time on the Danish philosopher’s work as a graduate student (particularly Fear and Trembling) and I do wish that I had had this at the time.
Why is Kierkegaard so difficult to read and understand? There are several reasons for this, but foremost is the presence of so many pseudonyms and so much indirect communication. Sometimes it seems as if the majority of what Kierkegaard wrote was written under another name; sometimes he even offered such material through an “editor” who was himself under a false name. He specifically rejected the idea that the thoughts and positions in these writings should be attributed to him; instead, he offered them as experiments and suggestions.
Why were these and other tactics, like the use of irony and parable, so important to Kierkegaard? For the same reason that Kierkegaard studiously cultivated a bad reputation among those around him: he didn’t want to be regarded as an “authority” because he didn’t want his writings to be received as authoritative. Watts writes:
- “Kierkegaard was convinced that in order to realize our true significance, we need to free ourselves completely from the influence of social, cultural and religious values and expectations. Instead, each person needs develop a clear awareness of their life situation so that they can determine their own path by making conscious, responsible choices from among the alternatives that life offers them.”
Kierkegaard didn’t want followers, acolytes, or students. Separating his writings from himself was one of many methods by which he hoped to achieve that. Kierkegaard is difficult to read because he didn’t want us to read “him” or interpret his ideas based upon his life - he wanted people to simply look at the ideas on their own merits and decide for themselves what to do about them. Kierkegaard didn’t want people to “interpret” him so much as be inspired by what he had to offer.
That, too, is the aim of Watts’ book — to inspire people to a greater interest in Kierkegaard, existentialism, and philosophy in general. To that end Watts explains not only Kierkegaard’s life, but also explains ways that make him easier to understand, offers various possible interpretations, and helps the reader arrive at their own personal understanding of what Kierkegaard had to offer.
