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date: 05 March 2021

Abstract and Keywords

This chapter analyses Soren Kierkegaard's thoughts and opinions about ancient Greek philosophy. It examines the significance of Kierkegaard's references to Greek philosophy in his writings and suggests that his use of classical thought was part of his effort to define his own intellectual project. The chapter investigates how Greek philosophy influenced Kierkegaard's works and views about ethics, existential thought, Socratic faith, love, and virtue, and also considers what Kierkegaard believed was the legacy of ancient Greek philosophy.

Keywords: Soren Kierkegaard, ancient Greek philosophy, classical thought, intellectual project, ethics, existential thought, Socratic faith, love, virtue

Rick Anthony Furtak

Rick Anthony Furtak is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Colorado College. In addition to his interests in ancient and existential philosophy, he also works on the moral psychology of emotions and on the relations between philosophy and literature. He is the author of Wisdom in Love: Kierkegaard and the Ancient Quest for Emotional Integrity (University of Notre Dame Press, 2005) and the editor of Kierkegaard's ‘Concluding Unscientific Postscript’: A Critical Guide (Cambridge University Press, 2010). He has published one book of poetry in translation as well: Rilke's ‘Sonnets to Orpheus’: A New English Version, with a Philosophical Introduction (University of Scranton Press, 2007). His current projects include works on American philosophy, the philosophy of religion, and the rationality of emotion.

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