Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewSharon Krishek has given us an unusual defense of Kierkegaard's concept of Christian love. It is unusual insofar as it is driven by her substantial criticism of Kierkegaard's tendency in his late writings to devalue and dismiss preferential love as essentially selfish and hence as inferior to the higher universally distributed selfless neighbor love that Christianity seems to demand. As Krishek argues, this reduction of neighbor love to a Kantian-like abstract universal moral principle runs counter not only to the spirit of Christianity but also to Kierkegaard's own concept of faith, since it reduces the concrete individual to a nameless nobody in particular. Sharon Krishek's book will change your mind about Kierkegaard's Works of Love. * Ronald Hall, Stetson University, and editor-in-chief of the International Journal for the Philosophy of Religion *
Sharon Krishek's Lovers in Essence is a thoughtful and invigorating attempt to apply Kierkegaardian themes and insights to our understanding of love, romantic and otherwise. Krishek's careful discussion of self, essence, and potential, and the account of love as a kind of joyful compassionate caring that she draws out of this cluster of ideas, adds something new and very interesting to contemporary philosophical discussions of love. The result breaks fresh ground while remaining true to the spirit of Kierkegaard, and will be of interest to anyone who is working on, or who is curious about, this topic. * Troy Jollimore, California State University, Chico *
This book is both clearly written and closely argued. It shows an excellent knowledge of the philosophical and literary texts it engages with – but also a proper respect for, and sensitivity to, the emotional and personal complexity of the human issues at stake. I think it makes a significant contribution both to Kierkegaard studies and to the philosophy of love; and also offers a model of selfhood which should be of interest to philosophers generally. * Anthony Rudd, St. Olaf College *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: A Neo-Kierkegaardian Project Chapter 1. Individual Essence Chapter 2. The Meeting of Essences Chapter 3. Love as a Joyful Compassionate Caring Chapter 4. Unselfish Love Chapter 5. Universal Love Chapter 6. The Failure to Love Correctly: Despair Chapter 7. Spiritual Romantic Love Conclusion: The Value of Romantic Love
