Kierkegaard and the Irony of Existence: From Existentialism to Modernism | The Poet of Existence: Ep. 4

On Sept 29 1841, Søren Kierkegaard defended a genre-bending dissertation at the University of Copenhagen. Both rigorous scholarship and dazzling literary genius, Kierkegaard's The Concept of Irony, with Continual Reference to Socrates is the first major work in Kierkegaard's authorship. Laying the foundation for his future pseudonymous works, the dissertation explores the importance of irony in his time, and the lecture shows how the importance of Kierkegaard's work on irony is connected to existentialism, modernism, and the challenge of human existence today. Series Description Søren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher and religious thinker, created one of the most consequential bodies of writing in human history.  One of the greatest literary writers, he is also widely regarded as the most important philosopher and theologian to create much of the 20th century: movements like existentialism, modern theology, and even forms of modern nihilism can be traced back to the work of Kierkegaard.  Kierkegaard is known as a delightful and difficult figure; like Socrates, he is ironic and hard to understand. He is also my first great teacher, so to honor his personal and historical influence, I am doing an 8 episode series, Soren Kierkegaard: The Poet of Existence.