Kierkegaard, Communication, and Virtue
Authorship As Edification

Mark A. Tietjen (Author)

9780253008626

Paperback / softback, published 12 June 2013

176 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1 cm, 0.249 kg

"Tietjen's critique of deconstructionist readings of Kierkegaard along with an emphasis on employing a hermeneutic of trust clearly distinguishes his work from other treatments of Kierkegaard as a virtue ethicist and edifying writer."—Sylvia Walsh, Stetson University
"Mark A. Tietjen's book makes an important contribution towards clarifying a debatable issue, which is pivotal to the interpretation of Kierkegaard's writing, namely: how should one evaluate the diversity of voices and other literary devices characteristic of Kierkegaard's method of 'indirect communication'?"—Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

In contrast to recent postmodern and deconstructionist readings, Mark A. Tietjen believes that the purpose behind Kierkegaard's writings is the moral and religious improvement of the reader. Tietjen defends Kierkegaard against claims that certain features of his works, such as pseudonymity, indirect communication, irony, and satire are self-deceived or deceitful. Kierkegaard, Communication, and Virtue reveals how they are directly related to the virtues or moral issues being discussed. In fact, Tietjen argues, the manner of presentation is a critical element of the philosophical message being conveyed. Reading broadly in Kierkegaard's writings, he develops a hermeneutics of trust that fully illustrates Kierkegaard's aim to evoke faith in his reader.

Acknowledgements
Sigla
Introduction: Philosophy and Edification
Part I. Jest and/or Earnestness
1. Blunt Reading
2. Alternatives to Différance
3. Communicating Capability
Part II. Suspicion or Trust
4. Deconstructing The Point of View
5. Trusting The Point of View
Part III. Faith and Virtue
6. The Pseudonymous Dialectic of Faith, I
7. The Pseudonymous Dialectic of Faith, II
Conclusions: Kierkegaard, Virtue, and Edification
Notes
Works Cited
Index