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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A monumental work, June 11, 2003
This review is from: Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments, Volume 1 (Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol 12.1) (Paperback)
This is Kierkegaard's most important work - the real meat of his writings. It is more difficult then most of his works and should be approached with caution, but it is absolutely essential to achieve a full understanding of Kierkegaard. Keep in mind that _Concluding Unscientific Postscript_ was originally written under the pseudonym of Johannes Climacus, the sceptical and pessimistic alter ego of the real Kierkegaard. Not to spoil the surprise, but in reading this book you should remember that much of what is being said is contradictory to Kierkegaard's real beliefs. In my experience reading this book, I only began to realize this gradually. This is because not EVERYTHING in this book is antithetical or diametrically opposed to Kierkegaard's real views; only portions of it are antithetical. Kierkegaard truly engages and challenges the reader by exposing views that make sense at first, but then after letting Climacus get riled up, his rantings and ravings become increasingly illogical and pessimistic. The challenge consists in discovering where the real Kierkegaard leaves off, and where the pseudonymous Johannes Climacus picks up. The reader must constantly be on alert for antithetical and contradictory statements, and must approach this book with a highly critical mindset. The end result is one of the most fantastically thought-provoking, creative, original, and entertaining books you will ever read. By forcing the reader to take this critical approach, Kierkegaard gives us an opportunity to formulate and fortify our individual beliefs in contradistinction to those of Climacus, forcing us to truly think for ourselves. The reader is bombarded with profound philosophical statements which are oten true and sensible, and can be proven consitsent with Kierkegaard's real beliefs. But sandwiched between these logical statements, Climacus will say something so off the wall that the reader must subject these statements to a critical re-evaluation. This is what makes the _Postscript_ such a profoundly thought-provoking and personally enriching experience. One more thing to consider before you read this book: As I said, this book was written under the pseudonym Johannes Climacus. To fully understand the inner workings of this character, you must also read _Philosophical Fragments/Johannes Climacus_, which is the precursor to _Concluding Unscientific Postscript_. This first book helps the reader understand the pseudonymous and sometimes antithetical beliefs held by Kierkegaard's neurotic alter-ego. Taken together, the _Johannes Climacus/Philosophical Fragments/ Conlcuding Unscientific Postscript_ series is the be-all end-all philosophical work of the 19th century. It is a monumental achievement of epic proportions and will go down in history as the most important and profound work of literature to come out of Europe during that time period.
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Be Warned!!, January 14, 2003
This review is from: Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments, Volume 1 (Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol 12.1) (Paperback)
Be warned! The Princeton edition of this book comes in two volumes. Volume 1 is just the body of text to Kierkegaard's book. There is no historical introduction in the first volume, just Kierkegaard's satirical introduction that was intended for the original book. The historical introduction and scholarly apparatus are in the second volume. If the reader does not wish to inquire beyond Kierkegaard's text, he need not worry, the second volume is for the person who did not find Kierkegaard mind numbing enough and sees need to go behind the text. I am one of those kind of people, but you might not be.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Seminal work in western philosophy, August 1, 2009
This review is from: Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments, Volume 1 (Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol 12.1) (Paperback)
This, along with The Concept of Anxiety, Fear and Trembling, and The Sickness Unto Death, constitutes Kierkegaard's major contribution to western philosophy and the beginning of existentialism. They have tended to be misread as direct philosophical statements by Kierkegaard, but they are in fact all attributed to pseudonymous authors designed to represent specific, and limited, points of view. That being said, these books are potentially life-changing, complex, and difficult, but the work required to apprehend them pays off.
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