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 created by former associate professor at the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Jon Stewart, 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.
Excellent overview of Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard's own writing, approached on its own, can be nigh-impenetrable but the lectures really help in figuring out how to approach Kierkegaard's writing.
Was an excellent, informative synoptic of the philosopher's life and works. Kierkegaard's way of interpreting Socrates' method reivitalizes a lost art for the modern world.
Excellent course and subject matter. Discussions were always thought provoking and Prof Stewart gave life to a branch of philosophy I had previously found extremely dull. Highly recommended!
Very thorough. Provided reading is fascinating. Whilst feedback is perfunctory (by necessity, I imagine), as a self-guided course it's pretty much tops.
Hugely enjoyable and informative course. Very well presented. I particularly liked the variety of relevant locations that the videos were presented from.
Enjoyable, very interesting and easy enough to follow. I love how broad yet simultaneously specific the scope of learning is in this course too.
Thanks! I really appreciate the effort put into the course, which has greatly enhanced my understanding of the Key Concepts of Kierkegaard's Philosophy.
An excellent course on Kierkegaard's use of irony. The teacher is great and the lectures are very interesting. I loved the interviews and the views of Copenhagen. Thanks a lot. Greetings from Madrid!
Excellent course, it opened my eyes on existentialism and Kierkegaard's ideas on Socrates and individualism improved my knowledge and understanding
Great introduction course about Kierkegaard! I highly recommend this course for all friends of Kierkegaard. Congratulations Jan Stewart!
The "how this is meaningful to you" message felt a little odd and sometimes a little insulting. Still, a very special thanks to Dr. Stewart and anyone else responsible for sharing this material.
Incredible course for good learning. This has been a real treat to better understand Kierkegaard. I'm buying Jon Stewart's book because of the clarity that he situates Kierkegaard's writing.
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Excellent overview of Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard's own writing, approached on its own, can be nigh-impenetrable but the lectures really help in figuring out how to approach Kierkegaard's writing.
The "how this is meaningful to you" message felt a little odd and sometimes a little insulting. Still, a very special thanks to Dr. Stewart and anyone else responsible for sharing this material.
另外我想表達一下自己對Kierkegaard和本課程的看法，引用委員會對他的論文的評價是最準確的：冗長和情感。
整個課程彷彿就是Kierkegaard不斷的重複socrates，socrates，socrates，socrates。但是我個人覺得，Kierkegaard不過是穿著一個大人制服的孩子，他並沒有學到socrates那種啟發和驚醒世人，而更像是一個因為身世不幸，內心創傷而到處挑釁的人罷了，他也沒有那種沈穩對待別人提問的能力，瞧瞧他被批評之後的樣子，總是暴跳如雷，他正是這種愛挑釁別人自己卻不敢經受批判的而優化自己思想的人，這也和蘇格拉底的初衷完全相悖，他更像是一個相對主義的sophist。Kierkegaard本身在學術上沒有什麼值得稱頌的建樹，他崇拜蘇格拉底，到處都可以看到他引用蘇格拉底，但是他似乎把蘇格拉底當作一種權威在使用，這也恰好和蘇格拉底的本身價值是相悖的，西方哲學史發展就是建立在批判一個時代的學術權威，運用人類的邏輯方式去建立新的系統性知識，這個知識要具有客觀性，普遍性，以及理性。蘇格拉底另一點區別於sophist是他的觀點中，區別於客觀真理的主觀真理，是以倫理道德作為核心的，這也是對相對主義最好的批判，我們不能為自己的慾望和客觀的條件去建立我們的知識，而是用一種自然法的方式，建立一直人性的自然法，他是有普遍性的，那就是倫理學的誕生。蘇格拉底作為西方哲學史的起點，而起點只能有一個，起點之後就是永無窮盡的射線，這個起點之後，我們已經知道哲學家是能夠建立系統的那幫傢伙，Kierkegaard這種到處宣洩不滿的小子，根本稱不上是一個哲學家，拿著蘇格拉底衣服上的一點點衣料，將這塊衣料跟自己能夠容易理解的宗教，社會和個人生活不斷比較，寫出了大量毫無意義的廢話和個人感情，不過是一個著作較多的雜文作家，正是和這個課程如出一轍。這裏是一個不能得分的答案：Kierkegaard什麼都沒有學會，他只是人類歷史上無數個崇拜蘇格拉底的普通的思維碎片化情緒化的壞脾氣小子。
Prezados amigos e amigas do Curso
Søren Kierkegaard - Subjetividade, Ironia e a Crise da Modernidade
Universidade de Copenhagen
Quero deixar aqui registrado meu profundo agradecimento por mais este excelente trabalho desenvolvido pela Universidade de Copenhagen, ministrado, com muita profundidade, pelo professor Jon Stewart, ex-professor associado do Centro de Pesquisas Søren Kierkegaard e recomendado pelo chefe de Estudos da Faculdade de Teologia da Universidade de Copenhagen, Carsten Selch Jensen. Agradeço à toda equipe do Coursera por mais um curso de extrema relevância para o atual cenário educacional brasileiro. Estou muito satisfeito com esta nova oportunidade de ampliação deste ecossistema de aprendizagem, promovendo novas possibilidades de conexão com os excelentes conteúdos da Universidade de Copenhagen.
Muito obrigado pela valiosa oportunidade!
Forte Abraço!
Márcio Monteiro Rocha
Really worthwhile and informative, in-depth review of Kierkegaard as a person, his life, and his works. Can be taken even if you've never touched philosophy before. Great production and selections.
Excelente curso. A excelência manifesta-se tanto nos conteúdos, como na forma. O pensamento de Kierkegaard é muito importante para compreender a atualidade filosófica e a cultura do século XXI.
This course was the perfect opening into my next endeavor of understanding polemics. I was interested in Jay Gould's view of the Non overlapping Magisteria, and I see now that science, philosophy and religion all have the same contradictions and misunderstandings which are all open up the static thinkers and sophists to challenge our faith, reason, and logic. Kierkegaard's conceptual framework of mediating techniques by autonomous individual personalities, rising up out of the fray, in contrast to dogmatic, conventual and doctrinal followers such as the sophists and materialists. These courageous believers like Jay Gould are not the first to understand the progressive flow of meanings and values when we rely on our personal experience rather adopting the abstracts ideas of others.
The course provides a well-documented guide to Kierkegaard's thought, both by the professor's video, and the lists of readings.
About the videos, they are well-built, the explanations are easy to follow, and it is quite a remarkable thing that the professor moves through Kierkegaard's city as he explains it all, showing us the places in which the history that is being told takes place.
About the readings, it would be easy to just enumerate the main books and order the student to read them all, but, in the course, the professor selects specific extracts important to a basic understanding of Kierkegaard's influences, thought, and vital trajectory. The list of readings is carefully planned.
My congratulations to professor Jon Stewart and his team, and my sincere gratitude.
This was my first online course but it was exceptional. Jon Stewart really made the most of the medium: you aren't stuck in a lecture hall, you are on a tour of Copenhagen, observing where Kierkegaard spent his life.
The content of the course itself was amazing and has enriched both my academic appreciation of Kierkegaard and my understanding of truth in my day to day life. Could not recommend more!
An excellent course on Kierkegaard's use of irony. The teacher is great and the lectures are very interesting. I loved the interviews and the views of Copenhagen. Thanks a lot. Greetings from Madrid!
I found the course quite interesting overall and it is delivered by an excellent professor. It's a perfect introduction to Soren Kierkegaard's ideas and life. On the (slightly) negative side, sometimes I felt there was too much emphasis on the biographical details with a very light discussion of the philosophical concepts. However, I don't want to misled anyone with this: the course is very enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Kierkegaard's philosophy.
This was a very interesting course. I have taken quite a few philosophy classes and this was by far the most difficult as it wasn't just really one just one person. It was as if I was taking a refresher class on Socrates as well as Kierkegaard and his views. I became hard to keep it straight about who thought what. But it was a ride worth taking in the long run and I learned a great deal.
If the course content is still interesting and informative, then no one evaluates the final essay for weeks, and there is also no direct contact with the course supervisor (Dr. Timothy Hall).
It is also necessary to take into account the fact of non-objective assessment of the essay.
So keep in mind that you most likely will not be able to complete the course and receive your certificate in time. I recommend the course exclusively for free familiarization.
Embarking on this enlightening journey, I found myself captivated by the intricate transformation and evolution of human thought. This course served as a beacon, illuminating the profound influence of religion, particularly Christianity, on the tapestry of Western philosophical thought. Armed with my existing knowledge of Eastern mysticism and Islamic philosophy, I was struck by the remarkable parallels that emerged. It became evident that despite our diverse paths, we humans are united in our quest for the divine - God, the ultimate teacher and lover of mankind. The disparities in our expressions are merely superficial, overshadowed by the profound unity in our meanings and concepts. I came to understand that the pursuit of divine knowledge has been an enduring quest for humanity. The philosophical accomplishments of today are the fruits of a journey embarked upon centuries ago. Among the philosophers, Kierkegaard, a devout monotheist, resonated deeply with me. My faith, Islam, translates to 'submission to God', a sentiment I found echoed powerfully in Kierkegaard's teachings. Rather than feeling a divide, I found in him a kindred spirit, a model for divine love, resilience, and the transcendence of earthly desires. I have paid my respects at his resting place and yearn for the opportunity to do so again. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Coursera for offering this enlightening course, and to the University of Copenhagen for hosting it. John Stewart's teachings were nothing short of fantastic, and I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to learn from him again.
The course material was very well organized and the book that went with the course was excellent. In this course I gained a deeper appreciation of the life and teachings of Kierkegaard, Socrates, and the role of irony in their life and teachings. Rarely do I encounter an author or religious teacher that I know I will be studying for the rest of my life, but Kierkegaard is one such author. I cannot claim to grasp everything at this time (perhaps never will) but I do feel a sense of anticipation in the discovery of new insights as I pursue his writings in greater depth on my own. I hope to try to learn his technique and apply it in my own life, but have no idea if this is really possible. Thank you for creating this course.
I am delighted by this course. What a great opportunity and honor to learn from Jon Stewart, an expert on Kierkegaard, while he was a professor at the University of Copenhagen - where Kierkegaard himself went to university. Jon Stewart has an unmatched didactic, making it interesting to know every detail about Kierkegaard’s The Concept Of Irony and the influence of Socrates on this philosopher. This course sparked a bigger interest in Philosophy to the point that I will certainly proceed with my studies in Philosophy. Also, the videos are set in Copenhagen and it was a joy to see the places Kierkegaard lived, visited, and studied while learning about his ideas. Thank you, Jon Stewart!
I would like to thank everyone who has hand one's hand in this course for very attractive, lively and interesting material. I believe, this has been a great deal of luck for me to finally find this course, as I have finally found some material which would examine the Kierkegaardian thought in all its colours and shades. I am sure this shall not be an allegory to say that I have obtained some new insights on the questions regarding subjectivity, relativism and their place in modernity of any age. And of course, those insights, I suppose, would be much helpful should I take further examination of matters like mentioned before
Очень счастлива участвовать на данном курсе! Автор программы понятно и интересно излагает материал, с любовью к философу Сёрену Кьеркегору и массой источникой, литературы по теме. Особенно сами труды Кьеркегора, Сократа и Гегеля, но и ведущего Jon Stewart касательно. Удивляет единство слова и дела, то что преподаём, являемся сами примером того на деле, ведь истинная философия- это в первую очередь сама жизнь философа. Считаю себя крайне везучей, что впереди ещё недель 6 сидеть на этом курсе! Спасибо Coursera за радость знаний и за удачных таких сотрудников! Искренне ваша, Элени Томасовна К.
While there were times in the video presentations that resulted in awkward long pauses, or unnecessary introductions with no speaking, the course itself was captivating. I took the class more on a whim than a legitimate interest, but I discovered so much about Kierkegaard and his writing that interested me. As the "godfather" of existentialism, it's important to know where the philosophers I'm interested in started from, who inspired them, and who inspired a lot of the questions and perspectives that informed their own writings. I would gladly recommend this course to anyone.
Hello, I love to thank Professor Jon Stewart and the editors of this course for creating and bringing forth such an Interesting course on Soren Kierkegaard. I enjoyed learning on how Soren Kierkegaard went on learning and growing through his journey by being inspired by a Socratic Philosopher named Socrates and his journey in influencing others to know and have a growing interest in philosophy with the side of knowing the negative and positive view of life. I would very much recommend this course to anyone interested in philosophy and learning more on Soren Kierkegaard.