Existence and Education

Abstract

It may not be immediately obvious why Kierkegaard should be considered an important educational thinker. It is argued that his relevance to educational issues lies in his thinking about which kinds of knowledge are of primary (that is, practical and existential) significance, in his development and critical discussion of the central notions of authenticity and self-cultivation and in his reflections on the possibility of a special kind of communication, which prompts the student to freely appropriate what is learned. Kierkegaard’s life and work is briefly described and used to characterize the peculiar nature of his project and style of thinking. His doctrine of stages is presented. Finally, Kierkegaard’s criticism of objective knowledge is analysed and its relevance to education is discussed.