Kierkegaard: The Present Age

Kierkegaard, Soren: The Present Age,

Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

I found this book another challenging read.  It started out promisingly : "Our age is essentially one of understanding and reflection, without passion, momentarily bursting into enthusiasm, and shrewdly relapsing into repose."  He feels that everything is done deliberately, "one is tempted to ask whether there is a single man left ready, for once, to commit an outrageous folly."

He feels very negatively about the present generation (pg 4-5):

in fact, its ability, virtuosity and good sense consists in trying to reach a judgement and a decision without ever going so far as action.

However well-meaning and strong the individual man may be (if he could only use his strength), he still has not the passion to be able to tear himself from the coils and seductive uncertainty of  reflection. 

Kierkegaard writes that "a passionate tumultuous age will overthrow everything, pull everything down; but a revolutionary age, that is at the same time reflective and passionless, transforms that expression of strength into a feat of dialectics: it leaves everything standing but cunningly empties it of significance.  Instead of culminating in a rebellion it  reduces the inward reality of all relationships to a reflective tension which leaves everything standing but makes the whole of life ambiguous: so that everything continues to exist factually whilst by a dialectical deceit, privatissime, it supplies a secret interpretation -- that it does not exist. pg 14

He feels that the present age "is essentially one of understanding lacking in passion" gaining in "scope what it loses in intensity." pg 42

He speaks alot about passion, ressentiment.  He speaks about the "principle of individuality" and how the generation groups subordinate individuals around an "outstanding and eminent individual". pg 31 

Pg 43 "Silence is the essence of inwardness, of the inner life." He was not a fan of the novel calling it an "excellent example of the kind of talkativeness he is referring to [pg 46] ( which is "doing away with the vital distinction between talking and keeping silent." pg 43).

He makes many comments on the "present age" which hold true today.  He comments at the end that he doesn't know if his prophecies will come true but "what we predict will either happen or not".

Another book to add to my list of books to reread later and see if I get more out of it.

I'm going to miss the discussion as I'll be in Guatemala with Veterinarians Without Borders.  I'm sorry to miss it as I'd love to hear what Gordon has to say about this book.