"Either/Or by Kierkegaard; comments from the "foreward by the reviser"

"Neither volume represents fully or finally what K believes...each volume is written by a psuedonym...
he impersonates two different individuals who are passionately committed to these divergent outlooks on life. Each man is 'sold' on his own position, and each is out to 'sell' the other--and you!"


"With this book he intends only that we shall be sharply observant of 2 contrasted philosophies of life--or else, perhaps,find ourselves impelled to seek a solution elsewhere.  True to his method, K will not dictate the answer.  What he does do, and relentlessly, is compel us to take note of the question and of the need for a decision."--Howard A Johnson, Cathedral Church of Ste John the Divine, 1958

The modern existentialist, in theory, pays no attention to the import of a choice and chooses arbitrarily. This is very theoretical and impossible to live out. K appears at times to be frozen as he is very analytical; but I conjecture that that is because we have no way to determine this, for K, or for anyone else.  Massive motion may take place entirely internally without a ripple on the surface--but maybe only for a few. In comparison to many philosophers, K is still practical while being far more than a mere pragmatist. Another reason why people easily give up on K's writings--but there are many others...