For Self-Examination/Judge for Yourselves : Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol 21 [Paperback]

Søren Kierkegaard (Author), Howard V. Hong (Translator), Edna H. Hong (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Kierkegaard's Writings | Publication Date: May 6, 1991

For Self-Examination and its companion piece Judge for Yourself! are the culmination of Søren Kierkegaard's "second authorship," which followed his Concluding Unscientific Postscript. Among the simplest and most readily comprehended of Kierkegaard's books, the two works are part of the signed direct communications, as distinguished from his earlier pseudonymous writings. The lucidity and pithiness, and the earnestness and power, of For Self-Examination and Judge for Yourself! are enhanced when, as Kierkegaard requested, they are read aloud. They contain the well-known passages on Socrates' defense speech, how to read, the lover's letter, the royal coachman and the carriage team, and the painter's relation to his painting. The aim of awakening and inward deepening is signaled by the opening section on Socrates in For Self-Examination and is pursued in the context of the relations of Christian ideality, grace, and response. The secondary aim, a critique of the established order, links the works to the final polemical writings that appear later after a four-year period of silence.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The definitive edition of the Writings. The first volume . . . indicates the scholarly value of the entire series: an introduction setting the work in the context of Kierkegaard's development; a remarkably clear translation; and concluding sections of intelligent notes. -- Library Journal

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Danish --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (May 6, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691020663
• ISBN-13: 978-0691020662
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #261,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Potent yet readable, February 17, 2003

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Ross James Browne (Atlanta, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: For Self-Examination/Judge for Yourselves : Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol 21 (Paperback)

This book, page for page, may be Kierkegaard's best ever. This is a rather slim volume, but is packed with Kierkegaard's most profound and life-changing philosophy. Compared to his other works (almost all of which I highly, HIGHLY recommend) this book comes across as one of the most potent and dense. Therefore, I would recommend this one first and foremost to a reader who is pressed for time and is intimidated by the sheer length of Kierkegaard's other works. If you have not devoted every minute of your spare time to reading every page of every book ever written by Kierkegaard, my first question, of course, is WHY NOT?!?!? What are you thinking??? Get with the program!!! I am willing to forgive you, however, if you could just find time in your busy schedule to read this one slim pamphlet. It is the "Reader's Digest" condensed Kierkegaard for realistic 50-hour-a-week men, and it could radically change your life for the better. Profound, uplifting, loving, hopeful, and positive, I recommend this book to all readers.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece of true Christianity, August 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: For Self-Examination/Judge for Yourselves : Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol 21 (Paperback)

Kierkegaard exposes what it means to be a Christian. And be warned. It is impossible to read the book and walk away. A spiritual mirror is setup for those who dare to look. Individual's life including Scripture study is the core of this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars good start for K's Christian writings, December 29, 2010

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suburban dissident - See all my reviews

This review is from: For Self-Examination/Judge for Yourselves : Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol 21 (Paperback)

Kierkegaard is at once a daunting and fantastic author. So much so that it is often hard enough to know where to start. I have many Christian friends who want to know where to start, and I can recommend no book more highly than this one. With vivid examples and metaphors, incisive observations, and piercing wit, Kierkegaard takes aim at anything that would preport to be Christianity but that eschews the true costs and beauty of following Christ. Whether it is redefining what it means to live soberly or how one could ever hope to serve only one master, Kierkegaard is absolutely serious about the actualization of faith and the sanctity of what he dubs "the eternal." You will be convicted.