State

In the sense most relevant to the present discussion, the Danish term Stat refers to an organized, independent society and, more specifically, to the civil government of such a society.1 Kierkegaard’s references to the state are closely intertwined with those concerning the establishment (det Bestaaende). Therefore, they must be analyzed side by side. Broadly speaking, Kierkegaard’s attitude vis-à-vis the state as well as the established order, is essentially ambiguous. As a realist thinker who lived in an increasingly liberal and democratic society, Kierkegaard had a profound disdain for any anarchistic proclivities of society and the groups or individuals within it. However, as a consistently Christian author, Kierkegaard could not and did not defend the ultimacy or absoluteness of any mundane authority. In this sense, his overall evaluation, although not lacking in finesse, remains predominantly critical. Also, Kierkegaard seems to have been most interested in this particular topic in the beginning and towards the end of his intellectual career. At the same time, his core judgments are found mainly in the manuscripts for The Book on Adler and in his journalistic output from 1854 to 1855.