George Pattison and Steven Shakespeare (eds.), Kierkegaard: The Self in Society

Abstract

The anthology by George Pattison and Steven Shakespeare is an excellent overview of Kierkegaard scholarship on sociality and politics. There are two kinds of Soren Kierkegaard scholars: those who side with him, building on what he says; and those who take his words and try to think them through, adopting a more critical stance. Both have value, especially when what is at stake, is something affecting everyone: how to live in society as individuals. Moreover, since all major pro-Kierkegaard approaches are represented, the book is a perfect overview of this kind of scholarship. It is the first anthology to deal with the "post-modern situation." The introduction seems to have these two claims mixed up, and most of the papers slip between them too. Stressing freedom and possibility can have a liberating effect in society; it need not go against other-relatedness, and Kierkegaard's style and play on authority can have a role in this.