Jacob Howland, Kierkegaard and Socrates: A Study in Philosophy and Faith,

Abstract

Jacob Howland notes that his intended audience consists of the “educated amateur” and the “scholars of philosophy and religion.” Howland provides a very helpful overview of the background for Kierkegaard’s Climacus literature. He gives a very brief account of St. John Climacus, “or John of the Ladder,” Climacus’ namesake, who wrote “one of the most well-known books of Eastern Christendom,”The Ladder of Divine Ascent. While Howland does make clear that this work is focused primarily on the Climacus pseudonym, this book does claim to account for “the significance of Socrates for Kierkegaard’s thought in general.” Howland has provided a very important contribution to the field of Kierkegaard studies with this work, especially as it relates to understanding Socrates’ role in Climacus’ discussion of the relationship between faith and reason.