ABSTRACT
Gordon Marino's Kierkegaard in the Present Age is a collection of seven essays, six of which are previously published journal articles. Marino argues that Kierkegaard would answer "no" on both counts. Whereas both the madman and the religious fanatic have passion, they direct their passion towards something objective and lack the personal interest or self-concern that characterize subjective truth and true faith. Marino has Kierkegaard defend a rigorist ethical position, that is to say: no excuses when it comes to doing what is good. To be clear, in contrast to what the title may suggest, Kierkegaard's Two Ages: A Literary Review does not receive special attention in Marino's essays. "The Place of Reason in Kierkegaard's Ethics" tackles Alasdair MacIntyre's irrationalist reading of Kierkegaard's ethics. Wishing away objective content to Christianity in Kierkegaard's views cannot be done, argues Marino, and what is more, it should not be done.
