Four Upbuilding Discourses, 1844
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| Author | Søren Kierkegaard |
|---|---|
| Original title | Fire opbyggelige Taler |
| Translator | David Swenson, Howard V Hong |
| Language | Danish |
| Series | First authorship (Discourses) |
| Genre | Christianity, philosophy |
| Published | 1990 Princeton University Press |
Publication date | August 31, 1844 |
| Publication place | Denmark |
Published in English | 1946 – first translation |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| Pages | ~110 |
| ISBN | 0691020876 |
| Preceded by | The Concept of Anxiety |
| Followed by | Three Discourses on Imagined Occasions |
Four Upbuilding Discourses (1844) is the last of the Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses published during 1843–1844 by Søren Kierkegaard.[1]
Similar to Kierkegaard's other books, the Four Upbuilding Discourses discusses decision making. In the book, he has to decide if he wants to get married after having already made the "sacred pledge". He also has to decide if he would carry out the wishes of his father Michael and become a Lutheran preacher.[2]
Criticism
Critics were against putting stress on the inner life of the spiritual self at the expense of the outer life of the physical self. Kierkegaard would agree that a balance is necessary for one to be happy. George Brandes said in his memoirs, "That God had died for me as my Saviour,—I could not understand what it meant."[3]
