Climacus' Miracle: Another Look at "the Wonder" in Philosophical Fragments through a Spinozist Lens
In Chapter 2 of the Philosophical Fragments, Søren Kierkegaard's pseudonym Johannes Climacus poetises about a "king who loved a maiden." Climacus concludes this venture with a bold claim: what he has just described is "so different from any human poem" that it should not be...
| Published in: | Kierkegaard studies / Yearbook |
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| Subtitles: | Section 1: Problems and Perspectives in Kierkegaard’s Authorship |
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
[2019]
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| In: |
Kierkegaard studies / Yearbook
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| RelBib Classification: | AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism KAH Church history 1648-1913; modern history NBC Doctrine of God VA Philosophy |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | In Chapter 2 of the Philosophical Fragments, Søren Kierkegaard's pseudonym Johannes Climacus poetises about a "king who loved a maiden." Climacus concludes this venture with a bold claim: what he has just described is "so different from any human poem" that it should not be regarded as a poem at all, but as "the wonder" [Vidunderet] which leads one to exclaim in adoration that "[t]his thought did not arise in my own heart!" In the subsequent chapter of Philosophical Fragments, Climacus proceeds to offer a number of arguments against demonstrations of God's existence, leading many scholars to conclude that he represents an unequivocally anti-rationalist perspective. Against such interpretations, this paper will seek to highlight how Climacus' claims track those of the seventeenth century Dutch lens-grinder and rationalist philosopher, Baruch Spinoza. From this, it will be argued that "the wonder" in Climacus' thought takes the form of an indirect, ethico-existentialist argument for the truth of Christianity's incarnate God. |
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| ISSN: | 1612-9792 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Kierkegaard studies / Yearbook
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/kierke-2019-0003 |