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 | | The Sickness Unto Death: A Christian Psychological Exposition For Upbuilding And Awakening (Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol 19) (v. 19) by Soren Kierkegaard, Howard V. Hong (Editor), Edna H. Hong (Editor) ISBN-10: 9780691020280 ISBN-10: 0-691-02028-0 ISBN-13: 9780691020280 ISBN-13: 978-0-691-02028-0 Paperback 1983-11-01 Princeton University Press Find Lowest Price |
Reviews | ||
Despair is the sickness unto death. This book is a deep meditation on despair by the foremost modern Christian existentialist. If you despair, or want to understand despair, I suggest that you read this book. It might turn your life around. | ||
Slow The book was in a good condition. However, although I ordered 2-day shipping, the book arrived like 2-3 weeks later. | ||
Kierkegaard was not a confused "self" but an agonized, overly aware self Anti-Climacus, the pseudonym that Kierkegaard used in this work, defines sickness as the despair that each person experiences whether he/she knows it or not. The feeling of despair is associated with being alive; the only way to overcome despair is death or infinite faith in God. Kierkegaard analyzes different types of despair and the origins of despair in such lengthy complicated and tedious detail, that I just wanted to tell him: chill and have a drink man, but admittedly, he fully engaged my mind, especially, when he reached the conclusion that despair is a direct result of self awareness. A body and brain makes a person but not a self. A self is one's relationships with self, others and God. Relating to oneself constitutes self awareness and the stronger one's faith is the stronger his/her self awareness. The most interesting part of Kierkegaard's discussion is his understanding of the will. The will is synonymous with the self that binds a person's different aspect into one whole. However, for Kierkegaard, the inability to make a choice is equivalent to the ability to make a choice. The self is the will, or possibly, the lack of will. Kierkegaard is one of the first thinkers who wrote about despair or the sickness associated with existence, which is likely the reason he is associated with existentialism. The reader might hear this despair's echo in Sartre's Nausea and Camus' Absurdity. Still, Kierkegaard uniquely explores and presents his philosophy about being, existence and faith but like others before and after him he gets stuck in endless intellectual circles. | ||
Priceless This was my first Kierkegaard book, and I can't imagine it'll ever not be my favorite. This should be everyone's introduction to him. It's short, sweet, beautiful, encouraging, exotic, convicting, brutal, and funny. Written by Anti-Climacus, K's very idealized Christian author who always does his best to expose externalisms in the lives of human beings--both Christians and pagans. I'm not going to get into a major discussion of this book here; you can do that on your own or peruse some of the other reviews on this page. I will, however, give a very cursory sketch of _some_ of his great ideas. 1. It is written from an unabashedly orthodox Christian standpoint (orthodox meaning Apostles Creed). While there are a few passages contained therein that can be read like Arminian creeds, overall this book presupposes God's Word as Truth itself and thus is congruent mostly with what is later called Van Tillian apologetics (of course one could then say that Van Til had some Kierkegaard in him!). 2. It is written to examine what faith, in its nature as an exclusively Christian concept, is. But ever heard that Kierkegaard hated doctrine, that he loved the irrational leap into blind faith? Forget it. That's Johannes de Silentio. The passion and power of his prose here, along with his journal notes as provided by the Hongs' priceless scholarship, show that when he lists "dogma" with the three essentials of Christianity (the other two are faith and paradox), he meant it! (It wasn't just Anti-Climacus's idea.) He even says that once people throw out the "thou shalts" and God's special revelation as what it is--that Christianity is dead. Once we make Christ into an event, once philosophers merge God and man together--that Christianity is dead. Very powerful stuff. Now what does this have to do with faith? Kierkegaard shows that all natural men put their faith in themselves--and they will despair forever as they autonomously insist that they are the source of themselves. What Christianity insists on in men's putting their faith in the Creator as the Bible commands. Faith in God is not irrational, Kierkegaard says; but it is the gospel, as so wonderful, so inexpressibly amazing, that cannot fit into the minds of rationalistic men. This is a huge distinction. And a wonderful one! 3. It is written to examine thanklessness in those who don't look like they're despairing. This is where he attacks the Danish State Church. It's brutal and very convicting. I won't spoil it for you. Despair is the refusal of man to admit who he is--a creature of his Creator. It's hubris, it's solipsism, it's pride, it's fear of humiliation. But Kierkegaard doesn't stop there. He shows the solution; he shows Christ as the only answer, using Christ's character as manifested in the gospels to show that it is our rebellion that He saves all men from. In this way, Anti-Climacus is in no way judgmental or self-righteous. Another note: the Hongs are amazing. Write them a letter and tell them how amazing their work is. Each Princeton Kierkegaard book contains journal entries, an historical introduction, earlier draft changes, indices, &c. And one more: another reviewer was totally right when he said that some of this is so powerful and--yea-- beautiful that you won't know you're reading Theology. The passage starting with the hourglass on pages 27-8 comes to mind immediately. I only detract a star because of the ambiguity in certain places that has deceived many non-Christians into thinking that they're a-okay. And I've met a few of them, working at a bookstore as I did. It's written for Christians, so use your Biblical framework while reading it. | ||
Hong translation excels As a student at St. Olaf College, I got Kierkegaard pretty much thrown at me. The professors Hong translations of Kierkegaard are the most erudite I've seen. They own the largest Kierkegaard library in the world... They know their stuff. It's definitely worth the extra money over and against the penguin translation. "The self is a self which relates itself to itself or is a relation relating itself to itself in the relation." Don't get too flummoxed by the first page, it gets better. One thing I like about Kierkegaard is that he knows how to WRITE. Other philosophers lose common literary skills that make writing enjoyable, for example, Kant. You cannot sit down and read 200 pages of a Critique of Pure reason straight, your head will explode. With Kierkegaard however, he is so enjoyable and fun to read, you hardly notice your're reading philosophy. This book however, I wouldn't recommend to beginners, I'd choose either "Either/Or" or "The two ages" | ||