Either/Or: Parts I & II

Description

In Either/Or , using the voices of two characters - the aesthetic young man of part one, called simply 'A', and the ethical Judge Vilhelm of the second section - Kierkegaard reflects upon the search for a meaningful existence, contemplating subjects as diverse as Mozart, drama, boredom, and, in the famous Seducer's Diary, the cynical seduction and ultimate rejection of a young, beautiful woman. A masterpiece of duality, Either/Or is a brilliant exploration of the conflict between the aesthetic and the ethical - both meditating ironically and seductively upon Epicurean pleasures, and eloquently expounding the noble virtues of a morally upstanding life.

cf. these Philosophy StackExchange questions re: his views on virginity (ref:17.166-75) and speculative/theoretical vs. practical/experiential knowledge.

Thomist Ralph McInerny first did a dissertation on Kierkegaard [A Thomistic Evaluation of Kierkegaard, U. of Minnesota, 1952]; E. Michael Jones, Logos Rising (pp. 627-8, PDF pp. 600-1):

Ralph McInerny was hired [at Notre Dame] in 1956 because he was a Thomist with a specialization in Kierkegaard, which presumably would allow him to teach courses in existentialism, which was growing in popularity among undergraduates during the 1950s. The presumption was that Thomism would expose the weaknesses in the other philosophies.