The Sickness unto Death

by Soren Kierkegaard

A christian psychological exposition of edification and awakening by anti-climacus.

Genres: Philosophy

Paperback

Published March 30, 1989

Reviews

[Meg Huber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with a friend and it produced a wonderful 4 hour conversation. I find his idea of “the state of sin” compared to “particular sin” compelling and the antidote to not be virtue but faith. My qualms with existentialism were lessened due to the theological framework he sets up.

My favorite line comes not from Kierkegaard but from Plutarch “'From men man learns to speak, from the gods to keep silent.”

[Patricio Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that everyone with an abstract and non-dogmatic mind should read

[Logan Davis]

Hard to follow at points but full of wonderful insights. Would recommend those that are okay with a bit of a challenge give it a read. Don’t quit if you feel stupid… just keep reading.

[Hudson Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kierkegaard puts into words what I’ve always struggled to say.

Complex but profound.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s hard for me to write any thoughts about this book considering how intricate Kierkegaards propositions were. And my pea brain can’t recall each argument or theorem or whatever that he put forward, and also cannot fully comprehend them. I got the gist of the book and I understood each point that he made, but I would have to do some more reflection and research to comment on them intelligently. Some of my favorite learnings came from off hand sentences within the larger propositions.

I appreciate how Kierkegaard described what a self is, what it means to be a self, and what it means to be a self before God. I enjoyed his description of the state of despair, and the different states of despair, and how fundamentally everyone exists in despair.

I also appreciated his discussion of paganism and Christianity. I agreed with his acknowledgement that most states of Christianity are more empty and spiritless than many pagans.

Okey let me stop before I just start recapping the entire book. What I’m trying to say is I really enjoyed the book. It was a difficult read, and I would like to think about these ideas further in hopes of one day being able to articulate them.

[Keegan Dunlap · Rating 4 out of 5]

A challenging but insightful look at despair, self, and faith. It’s dense and abstract, but also full of moments that strike right at the heart of the human, existential struggle. Difficult to read, but worth it.