Kierkegaard and His German Contemporaries. Tome I: Philosophy

398 Pages·2007·2.758 MB·English

by  Jon Stewart (ed.)

KierKegaard and His
german Contemporaries
tome i: pHilosopHy
Kierkegaard Research: Sources, Reception and Resources
Volume 6, Tome I
Kierkegaard Research: Sources, Reception and Resources
is a publication of the søren Kierkegaard research Centre
General Editor
Jon stewart
Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre,
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Editorial Board
Katalin nun
K. Brian söderquist
Advisory Board
istvÁn CzaKÓ
david d. possen
Joel d. s. rasmussen
HeiKo sCHulz
This volume was published with the generous financial support
of the danish agency for science, technology and innovation
Kierkegaard and His
german Contemporaries
tome i: philosophy
Edited by
Jon stewart
First published 2007 by Ashgate Publishing
Published 2016 byRoutledge
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711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
Copyright © Jon stewart 2007
Jon stewart has asserted his right under the Copyright, designs and patents act, 1988, to be
identified as the editor of this work.
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Kierkegaard and his german contemporaries
tome 1: philosophy. - (Kierkegaard research : sources,
reception and resources ; v. 6)
1. Kierkegaard, søren, 1813-1855 2. Kierkegaard, søren,
1813-1855 - Friends and associates 3. philosophy, german -
19th century
1. stewart, Jon (Jon Bartley)
198.9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kierkegaard and his german contemporaries / edited by Jon stewart.
tome 1: philosophy
p. cm. -- (Kierkegaard research ; v. 6)
includes bibliographical references and index.
isBn 978-0-7546-6182-5 (hardcover) 1. Kierkegaard, søren, 1813-1855.
2. philosophy, german--19th century. i. stewart, Jon (Jon
Bartley)
B4377.K4552 2007
198'.9--dc22
2006034593
Cover design by Katalin nun.
isBn 978 0754661825 (hbk)
isBn 9781138273269 (pbk)
Contents
List of Contributors vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgements xiii
List of Abbreviations xv
Baader:
the Centrality of original sin and the difference of immediacy and innocence
Peter Koslowski 1
Karl Bayer:
Kierkegaard’s attempt at social philosophy
J. Michael Tilley 17
Feuerbach:
a malicious demon in the service of Christianity
István Czakó 25
i.H. Fichte:
philosophy as the most Cheerful Form of service to god
Hartmut Rosenau 49
J.g. Fichte:
From transcendental ego to existence
David J. Kangas 67
Hegel:
Kierkegaard’s reading and use of Hegel’s primary texts
Jon Stewart 97
Herder:
a silent Background and reservoir
Johannes Adamsen 167
Kant:
a debt both obscure and enormous
Ronald M. Green 179
vi Kierkegaard and His German Contemporaries
lichtenberg:
lichtenberg’s aphoristic thought and Kierkegaard’s Concept
of the “subjective existing thinker”
Smail Rapic 211
schelling:
a Historical introduction to Kierkegaard’s schelling
Tonny Aagaard Olesen 229
schopenhauer:
Kierkegaard’s late encounter with His opposite
Simonella Davini 277
schubert:
Kierkegaard’s reading of gotthilf Heinrich schubert’s philosophy of nature
Stefan Egenberger 293
trendelenburg:
an ally against speculation
Darío González 309
werder:
The Influence of Werder’s Lectures and Logik on Kierkegaard’s thought
Jon Stewart 335
Index of Persons 373
Subject Index 378
list of Contributors
Johannes Adamsen, afdeling for systematisk teologi, det teologiske Fakultet,
aarhus universitet, tåsingegade 3, 8000 Århus C, denmark.
István Czakó, pázmány péter Catholic university, Faculty of Humanities,
department of philosophy, 2087 piliscsaba, egyetem u. 1. pf. 33, Hungary.
Simonella Davini, Faculty of Foreign languages and literature, via s. maria, 85,
56126 pisa, italy.
Stefan Egenberger, Johann wolfgang goethe-universität, Fachbereich evangelische
theologie, systematische theologie und religionsphilosophie, grüneburgplatz 1,
60323 Frankfurt am main, germany.
Darío González, søren Kierkegaard research Centre, Farvergade 27 d, 1463
Copenhagen K, denmark.
Ronald M. Green, department of religion, thornton Hall, dartmouth College,
Hanover, nH 03755, usa.
David J. Kangas, Florida state university, department of religion, tallahassee,
Florida 32306-1520, usa.
Peter Koslowski, department of philosophy, Free university amsterdam, de
Boelelaan 1105, 1081 Hv amsterdam, Holland.
Tonny Aagaard Olesen, søren Kierkegaard research Centre, Farvergade 27 d,
1463 Copenhagen K, denmark.
Smail Rapic, universität Köln, philosophische Fakultät, pädagogisches seminar,
münstereifeler str. 23, 50937 Köln, germany.
Hartmut Rosenau, institut für systematische theologie der Christian-albrechts-
universität, leibnizstr. 4, 24118 Kiel, germany.
Jon Stewart, søren Kierkegaard research Centre, Farvergade 27 d, 1463
Copenhagen K, denmark.
J. Michael Tilley, department of philosophy, university of Kentucky, lexington,
Ky 40506, usa.

preface
due to linguistic, historical and geographical reasons, german culture in the
nineteenth century was closely connected to danish culture of the same period. the
danish Kingdom included a number of southern provinces where german was the
primary language. moreover, many danish intellectuals at the time were bilingual
or very close to it. a study trip to a german university was considered absolutely
obligatory for young danish scholars who hoped to enter upon an academic career.
due to the close linguistic and cultural relations prior to the sleswig wars, the culture
of Germany and Prussia exerted a tremendous influence on theologians, writers
and philosophers of the danish golden age. indeed, the danish golden age was,
ironically enough, in part constituted by this foreign influence.
the present volume aims to explore in detail Kierkegaard’s various relations to
his German contemporaries. Kierkegaard read German fluently and made extensive
use of the writings of german-speaking authors. it can certainly be argued that, apart
from his contemporary danish sources, the german sources were probably the most
important in the development of his thought generally. this volume thus represents
source-work research dedicated to tracing Kierkegaard’s readings and use of the
various German-speaking authors in the different fields. The goal has been in the first
line to trace these influences in a way that is as clearly documented as possible.
an invaluable resource to all of the authors in this volume has been the extensive
explanatory notes in the new danish edition of Kierkegaard’s writings, Søren
Kierkegaards Skrifter, published by the søren Kierkegaard research Centre. the
commentators and editors of this edition have already located and identified the many
quotations and allusions to german authors in Kierkegaard’s texts. these useful notes
were then made the point of departure for many of the articles featured here.
with respect to organization, the volume has been divided into three tomes
reflecting Kierkegaard’s main areas of interest with regard to the German-speaking
sources, namely, philosophy, theology and a more loosely conceived category, which
has here been designated “literature and aesthetics.”
The first tome treats the German philosophical influences on Kierkegaard. The
dependence of danish philosophy on german philosophy is beyond question. in a
book review in his Hegelian journal Perseus, the poet, playwright and critic, Johan
ludvig Heiberg (1791–1869) laments the sad state of philosophy in denmark, while
lauding german speculative philosophy.1 moreover, Kierkegaard’s lifelong enemy,
the theologian Hans lassen martensen (1808–84) claims without exaggeration that
1 Johan ludvig Heiberg, “recension over Hr. dr. rothes Treenigheds- og
Forsoningslære,” Perseus, Journal for den speculative Idee, 1, 1837, pp. 3–7. (reprinted in
Prosaiske Skrifter, vols. 1–11. Copenhagen: C.a. reitzel 1861–62, vol. 2, pp. 1–9.)