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“The Present Age shows just how original Kierkegaard was. He brilliantly foresaw the dangers of the lack of commitment and responsibility in the Public Sphere. When everything is up for endless detached critical comment as on blogs and cable news, action finally becomes impossible.”— Hubert L. Dreyfus, University of California, Berkeley
Soren Kierkegaard’s stunningly prescient essay on the dangers of mass media—particularly advertising, marketing, and publicity. An essential read as we reckon with, and try to understand, the media forces that have helped create our present political moment.
In The Present Age (1846), Søren Kierkegaard analyzes the philosophical implications of a society dominated by the mass-media. What makes the essay so remarkable is the way it seems to speak directly to our time—i.e. the Information Age—where life is dominated by mere “information” not true “knowledge.” Kierkegaard even goes so far as to say that advertising and publicity almost immediately co-opts and suppresses revolutionary actions/thoughts.
A stunningly prescient essay that foresaw the rise of twenty-four-hour news and social media, The Present Age examines the philosophical and political implications of a culture of endless, inconsequential commentary and debate.
In The Present Age, Søren Kierkegaard analyzes the philosophical implications of a society dominated by mass media. What makes this essay so remarkable is that, although it was written in 1846, it seems to speak directly to twenty-first century culture, where life is dominated more by “information” than actual “knowledge.” Kierkegaard goes so far as to say that advertising and publicity almost immediately co-opts and suppresses revolutionary thoughts or actions. The Present Age is essential reading for anyone who wishes to explore the role of media in the modern world. Walter Kaufmann, in his introduction to the book, says: “In The Present Age we find the heart of Kierkegaard.”
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-55) continues to exercise a wide influence on philosophy, literature, and theology. Many of his books were published under exotic pseudonyms, and explored different dimensions of life outside Christianity. These include Either/Or, Fear and Trembling and The Concept of Anxiety. He also wrote a number of more directly devotional works, including Works of Love, but in the last years of his life attacked the established Church in a series of polemical leaflets. “By far the most profound thinker of the 19th century.” - Ludwig Wittgenstein
