Three Discourses

Three Discourses on Imagined Occasions was among seven signed works by Kierkegaard, each published concurrently with one of his seven pseudonymous works - in this case, with Stages on Life's Way. The two volumes not only have a chronological relation but distinctively treat some common themes. It is quite possible, the editors suggest, that Kierkegaard worked alternatively on the two manuscripts: on Stages at his ordinary desk and on Discourses on Imagined Occasions at his high desk. The first of the three discourses, "On the Occasion of a Confession", centers on stillness, wonder, and the ultimate object of a human being's seeking - in contrast to the speechmaking on erotic love in "'In Vino Veritas, '" part one of Stages. The second discourse, "On the Occasion of a Wedding", complements the second part of Stages in which Judge William delivers a panegyric on marriage. The third discourse, "At a Graveside", sharpens the ethical and religious earnestness implicit in Quidam's "A Story of Suffering", in the third part of the other work.

Three Discourses on Imagined Occasions was the last of seven works signed by Kierkegaard and published simultaneously with an anonymously authored companion piece. Imagined Occasions both complements and stands in contrast to Kierkegaard's pseudonymously published Stages on Life's Way. The two volumes not only have a chronological relation but treat some of the same distinct themes. The first of the three discourses, "On the Occasion of a Confession," centers on stillness, wonder, and one's search for God--in contrast to the speechmaking on erotic love in "In Vino Veritas," part one of Stages. The second discourse, "On the Occasion of a Wedding," complements the second part of Stages, in which Judge William delivers a panegyric on marriage. The third discourse, "At a Graveside," sharpens the ethical and religious earnestness implicit in Stages's "'Guilty'/'Not Guilty'" and completes this collection.

For the first time in three centuries, this book brings back into print three discourses now confirmed to have been written by the young Thomas Hobbes. Their contents may well lead to a resolution of the long-standing controversy surrounding Hobbes's early influences and the subsequent development of his thought. The volume begins with the recent history of the discourses, first published as part of the anonymous seventeenth-century work, Horae Subsecivae. Drawing upon both internal evidence and external confirmation afforded by new statistical "wordprinting" techniques, the editors present a compelling case for Hobbes's authorship. Saxonhouse and Reynolds present the complete texts of the discourse with full annotations and modernized spellings. These are followed by a lengthy essay analyzing the pieces' significance for Hobbes's intellectual development and modern political thought more generally. The discourses provide the strongest evidence to date for the profound influences of Bacon and Machiavelli on the young Hobbes, and they add a new dimension to the much-debated impact of the scientific method on his thought. The book also contains both introductory and in-depth explanations of statistical "wordprinting."