The Point of View

by Søren Kierkegaard, Edna Hatlestad Hong, Howard Vincent Hong

As a spiritual autobiography, Kierkegaard's The Point of View for My Work as an Author stands among such great works as Augustine's Confessions and Newman's Apologia pro Vita Sua . Yet Point of View is neither a confession nor a defense; it is an author's story of a lifetime of writing, his understanding of the maze of greatly varied works that make up his oeuvre.


Upon the imminent publication of the second edition of Either/Or , Kierkegaard again intended to cease writing. Now was the time for a direct "report to history" on the authorship as a whole. In addition to Point of View , which was published posthumously, the present volume also contains On My Work as an Author , a contemporary substitute, and the companion piece Armed Neutrality .

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Religion, Biography, Christianity, Classics

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1859

About the author

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was a prolific 19th century Danish philosopher and theologian. Kierkegaard strongly criticised both the Hegelianism of his time and what he saw as the empty formalities of the Church of Denmark. Much of his work deals with religious themes such as faith in God, the institution of the Christian Church, Christian ethics and theology, and the emotions and feelings of individuals when faced with life choices. His early work was written under various pseudonyms who present their own distinctive viewpoints in a complex dialogue.

Kierkegaard left the task of discovering the meaning of his works to the reader, because "the task must be made difficult, for only the difficult inspires the noble-hearted". Scholars have interpreted Kierkegaard variously as an existentialist, neo-orthodoxist, postmodernist, humanist, and individualist.

Crossing the boundaries of philosophy, theology, psychology, and literature, he is an influential figure in contemporary thought.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part explanation and part defense, The POV is essential for understanding Kierkegaard's method. It's not nearly as interesting as the work itself and is probably best treated as a preface, but one with real weight. The explanation part of it is similar to the Buddhist concept of "expedient means," or maybe even Plato's noble lie -- basically, the pseudonymous writings are tricks designed to lead the reader along the road to life of the individual in Christ (not to be confused with the life of a Christian in Christendom, which SK simply despised.) The aesthetic works (such as Either/Or) and the aesthetic aspects of the quasi-religious works (Fear and Trembling) are intentionally interesting. but ultimately unsatisfying for an understanding of the self. They only go part of the way, but they do go part of the way, which leads the reader further down the road, from the aesthetic to the ethical to child-like belief (Religiousness A) to the ineffable faith of the individual

The other pieces in this volume are "The Individual," which is a core concept explained here in the "direct" manner, and "The Accounting," which is sort of a re-hash but simply stated. All of these are simplifications, travel guides to a fascinating literary and spiritual world. They are nice places to start, but don't let the travel guide take the place of the travel. SK would insist you make the journey yourself.

[Anna Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this one. Kierkegaard's humility, while coming down hard on problems he sees in Christianity of his day (and I would say, looking forward to today as well), and writing style reminded of St. Paul. My first existentialist read in full - I am looking forward to many more.

[Matko · Rating 5 out of 5]

If someone asked me for an advice where one should begin reading Kierkegaard, I would recommend him The Point of View. Kierkegaard gives a short summation of his project right here.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This edition of "The Point of View (of My Work as an Author)" includes an updated translation by the Hongs, a short historical introduction, the title essay and its supplement "The Single Individual"(published posthumously in 1859), "Armed Neutrality" (published posthumously in 1880), together with a lengthy supplement and appendix containing relevant entries from Kierkegaard's journals and papers.

I do not read Danish, so I cannot comment on the accuracy of the translation; one hopes the stilted syntax is the price of greater accuracy, since the old Walter Lowrie translation remains much more readable (and includes the 1851 essay "On My Work as an Author"). To my mind, the advantage of owning this edition is the wealth of additional material the Hongs collected in the supplement and appendix.

For readers interested in Kierkegaard this book provides an insightful window into his thought--and to the degree that it can be trusted, into his motives. Although I've studied and taught Kierkegaard throughout my academic career, I remain conflicted about him. And this book only deepens the paradox of a man who devoted his life to writing about authenticity, Christianity, and the self-deception, but who seems strangely powerless to see through his own delusions. Perhaps what I find most disturbing about this book is the naked arrogance its author often demonstrates in defending his pseudonymous authorship, dialectical tactics, and self-proclaimed genius. But virtues and faults aside, "The Point of View for my Work as an Author" is a required read for anyone who wants to understand Kierkegaard's work in its entirety and from a philosophical perspective.

[Igor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never read this book as an intro to Kierkegaard. Read it after a couple of years of studying him. Then it would make a difference, in the beginning, it can explain things indeed, but the dialect of communication will be lost.

[Contemporáneos de Cristo · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mi punto de vista" es literalmente lo que su título alude; se trata del punto de vista real del autor detrás de numerosas obras en las que quizá el lector casual o ingenuo ha malinterpretado su significado y su intención. Es un libro de tinte autobiográfico, no al punto de llegar a ser 'confesiones' de San Agustín pero sí de tal forma que Kierkegaard expone parte de su vida, sus pensamientos y dolores más íntimos y cómo estos corroboran el propósito que el autor tiene para su producción literaria. Algunos calificarán el libro de no tan buena manera por ser demasiado kierkegaardiano e incluso de mero interés académico para la investigación filosófica de Kierkegaard, pero esta valoración no hace justicia al intento genuino que posee el autor en llevar al entendimiento de todo público (el hombre común) su punto de vista y el método que ha usado (y cualquiera podría usar) para cumplir un propósito mayor, una misión que él consideró «Divina».

El corpus literario de Søren es complejo y enrevesado, por tanto, cualquier persona que esté interesada en entender qué hay detrás del abismo Kierkegaardiano debería leer este libro de forma obligada. Es de lejos uno de los libros más accesibles en su prosa y está pensado no como una defensa o ensayo sobre sí mismo sino como un testamento para que quede constancia histórica de lo mal que iban a interpretar a Søren Kierkegaard en el futuro (y la historia le daría la razón).

Ya lo decía el aclamado filósofo alemán Ludwig Wittgenstein:
«Kierkegaard fue, con mucho, el más profundo pensador del siglo XIX. Kierkegaard fue un santo»

5/5 por ser un libro en cuanto mínimo «Profético» y con una honestidad poco vista en el mundo filosófico.

Aquí algunos fragmentos:
«en el sentido más humano (terrenal) de la palabra, yo nunca he vivido. Empecé de inmediato con la reflexión; no es que en mis años posteriores haya acumulado un poco de reflexión sino que yo soy reflexión de principio a fin»

«Y a pesar de lo mucho que he sufrido por malentendidos, no puedo hacer otra cosa que agradecer a Dios por lo que es de infinita importancia para mí, que Él me ha concedido la comprensión de la Verdad»

- Kierkegaard, Mi punto de vista -

[Sabrina Dawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Speaking of his aesthetic works, Kierkegaard says, "A direct attack only strengthens a person in his illusion, and at the same time embitters him. There is nothing that requires such gentle handling as an illusion, if one wishes to dispel it. If anything prompts the prospective captive to set his will in opposition, all is lost. And this is what a direct attack achieves."

Christendom is a monstrosity that convinces the crowd in Christian nations that they are Christians. To combat this strong illusion, Soren Kierkegaard does not use the direct approach of telling people that they are not actually Christians--that would only result in his being ignored or attacked by offended, deceived people. Instead, he takes the indirect approach, using his literary skills to woo readers; his artistry is displayed in his aesthetic works and also the nudging towards mimicking the life of Christ instead of standing at a distance from Him and being captivated by a more comfortable illusion.

Kierkegaard's career--through pseudonyms; aesthetic, ethical, and religious publications and the various combinations of the three in single works--shows the process of becoming a Christian. A person filled with illusions cannot be told the truth directly; an author must walk said person out of his or her illusions by meeting the reader where the reader is (by way of pseudonyms) and working through the illusions using a process of elimination until the singular truth is reached, which is Christ: God living his word on earth.

Kierkegaard's writings are designed to inspire us to see ourselves in his pseudonyms and therefore follow his literary path of reflection out of the labyrinth of falsehood--the various illusions that the modern world and its influencers have trapped us in--and into the action of the life of Christ.

[cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

On Kierkegaard's overarching method in writing and in life. Glad I read this after reading his other work because I could more closely inhabit his ideal reader.

But all true effort to help begins with self-humiliation: the helper must first humble himself under him he would help, and therewith must understand that to help does not mean to be a sovereign but to be a servant, that to help does not mean to be ambitious but to be patient, that to help means to endure for the time being the imputation that one is in the wrong and does not understand what the other understands. (27)

Alone in dialectical tensions which (without God) would drive any man with my imagination to madness; alone in anguish unto death; alone in the face of the meaninglessness of existence, without being able, even if I would, to make myself intelligible to a single soul–but what am I saying, ‘to a single soul’?–nay, there were times when it could not be said in the common phrase, ‘that alone was lacking’, times when I could not make myself intelligible to myself. (71)

Christianity is just as lenient as it is austere, just as lenient, that is to say, infinitely lenient. When the infinite requirement is heard and upheld, heard and upheld in all its infinitude, then grace is offered, or rather grace offers itself, and to it the individual, each for himself, as I also do, can flee for refuge. And then it is possible. But surely it is not an exaggeration when (in the interest of grace itself) the requirement of infinity, the ‘infinite’ requirement, is presented infinitely. (154)

Read for thesis.

[Juan Maggiani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Para comprender a fondo este libro primero es necesario haber leído previamente algunas obras del autor. Dado que aquí se da una explicación de cómo las fue escribiendo y también se va explicando a detalle varios cabos sueltos de otros ensayos. Es una obra valiosa en sí, porque el autor la usa como un diccionario para comprender el fondo de sus otros libros. Vale la pena, si eres muy adepto a Soren.

[Luiz Felipe Lopes]

An autobiography, which diverges a little from what I expected when I started reading this book. Nonetheless, it is a great work, as most of Kierkegaard's writings.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread this gem today. The Dane is haughty, but a perfect Socratic lad; this is one of the better works in the psychology of teaching.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

From childhood on I have been in the grip of an enormous depression, the depth of which finds its only true manifestation in the equally enormous proficiency granted me to hide it under a seeming cheerfulness and zest for life. My only joy from almost as far back as I can remember was that no one could discover how unhappy I felt; this circumstance (the equally great magnitude of my depression and of my dissimulative art) does indeed signify that I was assigned to myself and the God-relationship. -- As a child, I was rigorously and earnestly brought up in Christianity, insanely brought up, humanly speaking -- already in earliest childhood I had overstrained myself under the impression that the depressed old man, who had laid it upon me, was himself sinking under -- a child attired, how insane, as a depressed old man. Frightful!

No wonder, then, that there were times when Christianity seemed to me the most inhuman cruelty....

[Megan Fritts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic, autobiographical take on the methodology of Kierkegaard's writings. This work shows the reader Soren's plan to draw his audience into the realm of the the (truly) religious by first masqerading his message in his aesthetic writings.

[Mayowa Adebiyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of pain and misunderstanding would have been avoided if I had started with this. So, don't be like me, start with this one.

[Wm. Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kierkegaard comes off as an odd duck, but his existential Christianity comes through solidly.

[Mina Herz]

Read excerpts in Kaufmann