ABSTRACT
Farmakis' synoptic but substantial approach to Kierkegaard's overall existential philosophy focuses mainly on Kierkegaard's views on the nature of existence and despair. Farmakis tries to both underline and explain the complex relation between existence and despair, while he unveils Kierkegaard's general existential thought. Farmakis is fully capable of presenting to his readers a complete picture of the close relation between Kierkegaard's real life and his thoughts. He makes the necessary conceptual bridges that explain and underline Kierkegaard's different philosophical stages, from his early life as a follower of German idealism to his late days as an authentic philosopher of human existence. Farmakis examines three specific aspects of the existential experience of despair: (a) sin, (b) evil, and (c) freedom. He is mostly interested to point out the personal responsibility of every human being in despair, and he argues that our capacity to freely accept our despair is the key to the way out of the despair.
