Essay topics
You must write your first paper on Kierkegaard. Here are some broad
suggestions for essay topics, keeping in mind that you can alter these topics,
combine them, or even develop your own if you have an interesting idea:
·
In the section “Preliminary
Expectoration” of Fear and Trembling, Johannes de Silentio describes a
preacher whose oratory is contradictory: on the one hand, he scolds a copy-cat
for wanting to do as did Abraham, describing him as abominable, offscouring of
society, possessed by the devil; on the other hand, he describes Abraham as the
greatest. Given that there is no discernable outward difference between
these two people, how can one distinguish them and why the very different
judgment? What is at stake here? (You can also appeal to “Truth as
Subjectivity” if you are writing on this topic or, for that matter, any of the
other topics).
·
Johannes de Silentio
repeatedly claims that being a knight involves movement. Why is movement
so important? And why, above all, does faith go beyond resignation?
Specifically, why does faith involve a double movement? What, philosophically
speaking, is at stake here?
·
Johannes de Silentio provides an
example, other than Abraham, to “think through” faith: the tax collector. Why
is the tax collector an equally good exemplar of faith? Is he a good exemplar? Why
does Di Silentio appeal to this example?
·
Problem
1 of Fear and Trembling takes the form of a question: “Is There Such a
Thing as a Teleological Suspension of the Ethical?” How does Johannes de
Silentio answer this question, or does he? And, if making yourself an exception
is wrong ethically speaking, then how can Abraham be great? Is Abraham an
immoralist? Is Kierkegaard advancing a form of divine command theory? What is
at stake here?
Instructions
and criteria of assessment
Choose
one of the above topics (or develop your own) and write an argumentative essay,
whereby you:
(i) State
your thesis explicitly
(‘My goal in this paper is to…’).
(ii) Explicate the text (identifying,
contrasting, and discussing the arguments
which relate to your thesis).
(iii) Provide
analysis (with a view
to supporting your thesis)
You
should draw from the texts examined in class, including “Truth is Subjectivity”
and Fear and Trembling. There is no need to use any external sources
other than these texts. The paper should be double spaced, 5 to 6 pages long.
Here
are some questions you should keep in mind in writing your paper:
Does your paper have a clearly
articulated thesis?
Is the thesis supported by arguments?
Are these arguments logically
structured?
Do you make use of the primary texts in
defending your thesis?
Have you anticipated potential
criticisms of your position and demonstrated why your position is superior to
rival interpretations?
Is your writing clear and to the point?
Is your writing technically flawless,
free of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors?
Do you have proper documentation in a
consistent style?
