Either/Or
A Fragment of Life
by Søren Kierkegaard · first published 1992
48% recommend52% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Two-volume work of aphorisms, essays and the 'Unhappiest Man' chapter, valued for its wit and its probing of choice, despair and the aesthetic versus ethical life. Suits readers of existentialism and philosophy.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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
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The Republic - Plato - why societies form the way they do Either/Or - Kierkegaard - as a father of Existentialism his views on society helped put things in perspective for me It's All About Time - John Furey - surprised I don't see this mentioned more - how people organise…
on “Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?” ↗…that mean nothing to me. (Well, I did have a religious phase where I could agree with him that christians are nowhere near christian enough!) But I love a lot of his other stuff. Maybe my favourite is Either/Or - some parts of it - the aphorisms, Crop Rotation etc. It's very funny stuff. He's either very compressed or extremely long-winded. And the endless whining about Regine gets very tedious..
on “Kierkegaard’s Leap” ↗…here are some books from religious philosophy that you'd probably do well to read: The Tao te Ching The Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent by John Henry Newman Either/Or by Kierkegaard
on “Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?” ↗Ecclesiastes. (and the other Wisdom books) Kierkegaard’s Either/Or Thoreau’s Walden William Stringfellow’s Impostors of God: Inquiries into Favorite Idols ... and any good poetry.
on “Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?” ↗Kierkegaard's "Fear and Trembling" and "Either/Or"are hard slogs, but worth it, if you like thinking about essential paradoxes, psychological responses to existentialism, and the like.
on “Ask HN: Best books on the psychology of religion?” ↗I used to teach Existentialism before leaving academia. As the other comment mentions Kierkegaard's "Either/Or" is worth a read, I also recommend "Fear and Trembling." The other two writers associated with this term I think are must reads are Dostoevsky and Nietzsche. The former's Notes From Underground is one…
on “For Camus, It Was Always Personal” ↗This reminds me of one my favorite analogies in literature, from Kierkegaard's Either/Or: “What is a poet? An unhappy person who conceals profound anguish in his heart but whose lips are so formed that as sighs and cries pass over them they sound like beautiful music. It is with him as with…
on “Feeling Sad Makes Us More Creative” ↗The logic of deciding on a course of action based on a single determinate decision was not a new concept. I would think Soren Kierkegaard deserves a hat-tip to his existential work: Either/Or.
on “If-then-else had to be invented” ↗I have found that feeling described best in the Either/Or of Kierkegaard. The chapter called The Unhappiest Man. Putting aside the dramatic overtone of the piece, the temporal logic, or rather dialectical swoon of the one that is living in the future/pas(t)ivity…
on “The dark side of entrepreneurship” ↗I liked Either/Or by Søren Kierkegaard also have been reading Baudrillard again -- some people find him hard to understand but he gives me a feeling of Deja Vu. (e.g. what happened to me because I spent years playing…
on “Ask HN: Philosophical Reading Recommendations” ↗A great quote and great book from Kierkegaard Either/Or: A Fragment of Life by Søren Kierkegaard My depression is the most faithful mistress I have ever known. No wonder then, That I return the love.
on “Working at Google has been utterly depressing for over a year” ↗…not trust her, you will regret it either way. ...Hang yourself or do not hang yourself, you will regret it either way. ...This, gentlemen, is the quintessence of all the wisdom of life." - Kierkegaard, Either/Or (The Preface of Either/Or even says about the book's chapters "Read them or do not read them, you will regret it either way."!)
on “Ask HN: How did you decide what problems to solve in your lifetime?” ↗…Charles Darwin, then 29, sat down to make a decision that would alter the course of his life [...] Should he get married?" Incidentally, Kierkegaard kinda tried to answer this question 5 years later in Either/Or. A couple of related snippets: "I see it all perfectly; there are two possible situations — one can either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is this: do it or do not do it — you…
on “How to Make a Big Decision” ↗…it all perfectly; there are two possible situations — one can either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is this: do it or do not do it — you will regret both. (Soren Kierkegaard, Either/Or: A Fragment of Life) Your question is about personal choice - do not rely on strangers in the internet. Personally, I would go with B, even in 34, fun and growing are my top priorities, and money difference…
on “Ask HN: Which Company to Work For?” ↗…been into literature and philosophy for some time now. I'm following the "Masterpieces of World Literature" course [1] and have finished "Beyond Good and Evil" last month, currently reading Kierkegaard's Either/Or. Aside from that, I'm also participating in Leetcode 30 days of code challenge [2] [1] https://www.edx.org/course/masterpieces-of-world-literature [2] https://leetcode.com/explore/featured/card/30-day-leetcoding...
on “Ask HN: What are you learning?” ↗