Socrates Meets Kierkegaard: The Father of Philosophy Cross-Examines the Father of Christian Existentialism

Socrates Meets

by Peter Kreeft

In the Socrates Meets series, Peter Kreeft revives the classic method of bringing philosophy to life through dialogue. In eight innovative volumes, he uncovers the principles, assumptions, and sometimes dangerous conclusions of some of history’s most influential minds.

Each dialogue imagines a purgatory where we can listen in on conversations between Socrates and the great thinkers who, centuries later, picked up the philosopher’s torch. Each conversation investigates one of the philosopher’s key works, a short, readable classic that raises central questions both for philosophy and for life.

In this volume, Socrates cross-examines Søren Kierkegaard, the father of Christian existentialism and author of Philosophical Fragments, exploring imagination, truth, faith, love, and Jesus Christ.

Genres: Philosophy, Christian

168 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 2013

About the author

Peter Kreeft is an American philosopher and prolific author of over eighty books on Christian theology, philosophy, and apologetics. A convert from Protestantism to Catholicism, his journey was shaped by his study of Church history, Gothic architecture, and Thomistic thought. He earned his BA from Calvin College, an MA and PhD from Fordham University, and pursued further studies at Yale. Since 1965, he has taught philosophy at Boston College and also at The King’s College. Kreeft is known for formulating “Twenty Arguments for the Existence of God” with Ronald K. Tacelli, featured in their Handbook of Christian Apologetics. A strong advocate for unity among Christians, he emphasizes shared belief in Christ over denominational differences.

Reviews

[Ashley Stroud · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first glance, Kierkegaard the Christian existentialist could hardly be more different to Socrates the Greek rationalist. And yet Kierkegaard claimed that 'The only analogy I have before me is Socrates; my task is a Socratic task.' In the form of a reassuringly Socratic conversation, Kreeft does a superb job in bringing to life these two thinkers, separated by centuries yet with essentially identical vocations, substantially comparable methods, but of course, quite different conclusions about the aims and ends of human life. Kierkegaard aims to be a Socrates not least to Socrates himself, and to bring to light not only the stage on life's way that he believed came after Socratic rationalism, but that the last and greatest thing such rationalism could do would be to realise just such a limitation of itself.

[ltcomdata · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author imagines a conversation between Socrates --- the father of philosophy --- and Mr. Kierkegaard --- a Christian existentialist philosopher.

This book is, as are all the boos by Peter Kreeft, ultimately an apologetic work for Christianity. I found the objections/questions that make it onto this work to have been either too easily dismissed and/or entirely sidestepped. It is almost as if Socrates came up with a philosophical concern only to be readily ignored and instead the author has Mr. Kierkergaard answer an apologetic question about Christianity. I suppose that this should not be too surprising, since according to the author (and he may or may not be right about this) the point of Mr. Kierkergaard's Philosophical Fragments was to dress Chistianity in pholosophy clothes just to show how different the religion was from philosophy by how badly the clothes fit. As for me, I found that the arguments Kierkergaard made (as represeneted by Peter Kreeft in this book) were purely and entirely non-philosophical. But I suppose it is possible that Kierkergaard's philosophy went way over my head.

[sch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mar 2026. Shortest volume so far. Sparkling follow-up to Kant. With the holiday, it's taking me longer to finish than it should.