ABSTRACT
David E. Mercer's book, Kierkegaard's Living-Room: The Relation between Faith and History in "Philosophical Fragments," was published by McGill-Queen's University Press in 2001. The topic of this book, the relationship between faith and history, also served as the topic of Mercer's doctoral dissertation at the University of Wales. The main purpose of Mercer's book is "to examine the relationship between faith and history" in the "Philosophical Fragments," an issue that Mercer believes to be "fundamental" for Kierkegaard. Mercer wants to offer the reader an "analysis of the Philosophical Fragments."His third and final purpose is much like his first: to make clear "the elephant in the living-room," by which he means the relationship between "Kierkegaard's view of the world of ideas and existence." Mercer explains a difficult text with a clear and easy-to-read style. This book is a helpful supplement to the text and provides valuable commentary to a new student of Kierkegaard's works.
