ABSTRACT
Merold Westphal's Kierkegaard's Critique of Reason and Society is a collection of seven essays written between 1971 and 1985, and published in 1987. In these essays Westphal puts forward the thesis that Soren Kierkegaard's philosophy, far from being reducible to an expression of irrationalism or religious existentialism, elaborates a multi-layered critique of history and society which can be correctly labeled a form of ideology critique. Westphal aims to dispel the misconception that emphasizes Kierkegaard's individualism at the expense of any political engagement; on the contrary, Westphal sets out to demonstrate that Kierkegaard's philosophical critique opens the way to a radical form of politics which is future-oriented and prophetic. Westphal's compelling interpretation stresses the fact that Kierkegaard's ideology critique uniquely combines the denunciation of reason's defense of the established order with the acute awareness of sin. Westphal's collection of essays connects Kierkegaard's work with contemporary themes and issues as well as situating it within its historical dimension.
