Kierkegaard's Ethic of Love

C. Stephen Evans explains and defends Kierkegaard's account of moral obligations as rooted in God's commands, the fundamental command being `You shall love your neighbour as yourself'. The work will be of interest not only to those interested in Kierkegaard, but also to those interested in the relation between ethics and religion, especially questions about whether morality can or must have a religious foundation. As well as providing a comprehensive reading ofKierkegaard as an ethical thinker, Evans puts him into conversation with contemporary moral theorists. Kierkegaard's divine command theory is shown to be an account that safeguards human flourishing, as well as protecting the proper relations between religion and state in a pluralisticsociety.

presents one of the best treatments of Kierkegaard's ethic to date., admirable, This book is a compelling account of Kierkegaard's ethical views, seeing him against the backdrop of nineteenth-century European society, but showing the relevance of this thought for the twenty-first century., Evans has in my opinion succeeded in shedding light on Kierkegaard's diverse and often opaque comments on ethics and, more importantly, has provided a vigorous, powerful, and to my mind persuasive defence of the divine command theory of moral obligation.

C. Stephen Evans is Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Baylor University.