ONLINE FIRST
published on June 5, 2025
Claudine Davidshofer
https://doi.org/10.5840/ipq202563257
Kierkegaard¡¯s Critique of Hegel¡¯s Dialectical Method
On Negation and Mediation
It is well-known that Kierkegaard is critical of Hegel¡¯s dialectical method, especially of determinate negation and mediation that move his dialectic along. Previous scholars have focused on Kierkegaard¡¯s existential critiques of Hegel¡¯s dialectic¡ªwhy it cannot be transferred to ethical-religious life¡ªbut Kierkegaard¡¯s metaphysical critiques of Hegel¡¯s dialectical method¡ªwhy it may not work even in abstract thought with abstract concepts¡ªhave gone largely unstudied. This article analyzes Kierkegaard¡¯s critiques of Hegel¡¯s dialectical method itself¡ªas it functions in speculative thought. This article begins with an examination of Hegel¡¯s dialectical method, follows with an analysis of Kierkegaard¡¯s critique of Hegel¡¯s dialectical method¡ªespecially of determinate negation and mediation¡ªand concludes with an analysis of how Kierkegaard¡¯s critique of Hegel¡¯s method in general underlies his belief that Hegelian dialectical reason cannot think religious concepts in particular.