Lexington Books Selfhood and Otherness in Kierkegaard's Authorship: A Heterological Investigation

This book investigates the polysemy of the category of otherness in Søren Kierkegaard's authorship as a whole. Leo Stan identifies, expands upon, and discusses the interconnections between four different senses of otherness: the other within the human self, the infinite alterity of God, the paradoxical alterity of Christ, and the alterity of the human other. He also analyzes in detail the three stages of human existence: the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious. His claim is that in its Kierkegaardian version, otherness can be understood only within the redemption-oriented framework of Christianity and in strict correlation with an ethic of singular persons. Review [This book] is a very thorough survey of Kierkegaard's primary works, as well as the relevant secondary literature on the focused issue of "heterology," meaning the relationships of the person with others. . . . Overall, this is a very readable and thoroughly researched treatise on an important aspect of Kierkegaard's thought. I recommend its purchase by academic libraries and scholars who have an interest in its subject matter.--Reading Religion Kierkegaard's understanding of alterity or otherness is a topic of white-hot debate amongst students of the Danish philosopher/poet/ theologian. It is also a topic that brings Kierkegaard into vibrant conversation with modern masters such as Adorno, Levinas, and Buber. Refreshingly heterodox, Stan's long percolating study is rigorously researched and deftly argued. It is the most comprehensive and in-depth analysis of Kierkegaard's view on alterity available today, and I suspect that it will remain the standard on this subject in the years to come.--Gordon Marino Leo Stan's Selfhood and Otherness in Kierkegaard's Authorship is an outstanding study that explores Kierkegaard's analyses of different versions of the other. He thus allows Kierkegaard to take his rightful place as an important forerunner of the tradition of heterology that runs from Rosenzweig to Levinas. While this topic has at times been touched upon in the literature, it has never been explored with the acuity and depth of analysis of Stan's investigation. This work will give both students and scholars a greater appreciation for Kierkegaard's views on ethics, psychology, personal identity, and religion.--Jon Stewart, Harvard University About the Author Leo Stan earned his PhD at McMaster University.