Either/Or - Classic Text | Alexandria
Either/Or (Danish: Enten-Eller), published in 1843 under the pseudonym Victor Eremita, stands as Søren Kierkegaard's groundbreaking philosophical work that established him as the father of existentialism. This enigmatic text, structured as a collection of papers supposedly discovered in an old desk, presents two contrasting life views through fictional characters: the aesthetic life, represented by "A," and the ethical life, portrayed by Judge William ("B").
The work emerged during Denmark's Golden Age, a period of intense cultural and intellectual ferment in Copenhagen. Written in the aftermath of Kierkegaard's broken engagement to Regine Olsen, Either/Or reflects both personal trauma and broader philosophical questions about individual choice and responsibility. The text's publication coincided with growing challenges to Hegelian systematic philosophy and established Christian orthodoxy, positioning it at a crucial historical and intellectual crossroads.
The manuscript's structure itself embodies its philosophical content: rather than presenting a straightforward argument, it offers readers a choice between competing life-views. The aesthetic papers include seducer's diaries, musical criticism, and reflections on Mozart's Don Giovanni, while the ethical section comprises letters addressing marriage, social duty, and religious commitment. This innovative format revolutionized philosophical writing, introducing literary techniques that would influence generations of writers and thinkers, from Franz Kafka to Jean-Paul Sartre.
Either/Or's legacy extends far beyond its immediate historical context, prefiguring modern discussions of authenticity, personal identity, and moral choice. Contemporary scholars continue to uncover new layers of meaning in Kierkegaard's complex web of pseudonyms and narrative voices. The work's exploration of how individuals navigate life's fundamental choices resonates powerfully with modern concerns about identity and meaning in an increasingly fragmented world. As readers today grapple with questions of authentic existence in a digital age, Either/Or's meditation on choosing oneself amid competing possibilities remains startlingly relevant: how do we choose between infinite possibilities while maintaining our authentic selves?
The text's enduring influence raises provocative questions about the relationship between form and content in philosophical writing, and whether true understanding of life's fundamental choices can ever be communicated directly rather than experienced through individual decision-making.