May
6
Farewell & Kierkegaard reading group
May 6, 2012 | by Armando | Tagged Kierkegaard, Philosophy | Leave a Comment
Dear friends of UPA,
On behalf of Kyle and myself, I want to thank all of you so much for making this a wonderful year. David Sosa, who is the chair of the philosophy department, has expressed that in his opinion it was the best year for the undergraduate program ever, and that UPA was the biggest part of that. UPA only exists, however, because of students like you who come to meetings and events, volunteer your time to promote the organization, etc. So again, thanks to all of you, and I hope you get a lot of R&R this summer. Next fall, the reins will be taken by Josh Sklar and Olivia Hursh. We’re delighted to have them on board, and have full confidence that they’ll do just as good – if not better – than we dud.
Speaking of summer, some of you have heard me talk about a proposed Kierkegaard reading group over the summer months. So here’s something of a contingent plan: We’ll be reading Kierkegaard’s “Philosophical Fragments,” (trans. Hong and Hong) which is his most philosophically sophisticated and systematic work. Most people are more familiar with works like “Fear and Trembling” and “Either/Or,” but Fragments cuts more directly to the heart of Kierkegaard’s philosophical outlook. I bought my copy at Half Price Books for $15, but you can find them used on Amazon for like $6. If you’d prefer, I could also scan the first few chapters.
Reading Kierkegaard completely unaided is never a good idea, and I won’t pretend that I’m such an expert that I could explain everything in Fragments on the spot, so as a companion we’ll also be reading “Passionate Reason: Making Sense of Kierkegaard’s Philosophical Fragments” by C. Stephen Evans. It’s pretty expensive, so unless you *really* want to get into it, please don’t buy it. It’s available to read free online through UT Libraries at the following link, but if reading stuff like that is too taxing on the eyes, I could scan the necessary pages too.
I figure we’ll meet every Friday or Thursday for about 8 weeks, starting on the 1st of June. I’d like to get started any time before 4 PM and 6 PM, but please let me know when the best time would be for you. The location isn’t set, but I’m thinking Dog and Duck pub, Spider House, or maybe some lawn on campus, like on Waggener or behind the PCL.
Lastly, there’s a facebook group that you can join if you’re interested. All other email correspondence will be done through my personal email address.
Hopefully you guys can be here with us this summer. Otherwise, get some rest, go swimming, be safe, etc.
Peace,
Armando, former (*sadface*) co-president