Chiff and Fipple Forums

Most won't care about this, but some of you know me and so I'm happy to announce that, after too many years, I've finally finished, defended, and sent to press my dissertation.

My degree is out of Claremont Graduate University. The degree is from the School of Religion there, with the program in Philosophy of Religion and Theology. Title: "Striving Before God: Kierkegaard and the Concept of Religious Authorship."

When I joined Chiff and Fipple, I chose Kierkegaard as my avatar. I did this as a reminder that I needed to be working on my dissertation. I always said I would change avatars when I finished, but I'm used to it now and think I'll keep it. One of the best things about having this done is that now when I spend time playing whistle, I don't have to be worried that I should be writing rather than playing.

If my dissertation ever gets published, I'll put up the link to it. I just know all of you will want to run out and buy it.

It's a good thing to have behind me.

Congratulations!

I find it's usually the case that you should probably be doing something else other than playing the whistle ... unless you're standing in front of a bunch of people waiting for you to play the whistle. But passions being what they are ...

Seriously, congratulations Keith. Well done.

Hey, I care! Congratulations. This is a very big deal!!!! Par-tay!!!!!!

Congratulations, Doc.

hey Keith, congratulations! enjoy your "new life", now that this pressure is gone. I hope you are having a big party to celebrate the event.

Wow! I'm impressed.! Congratulations.

Jim

It's a great and impressive accomplishment. I am happy for you.

emmline wrote:It's a great and impressive accomplishment. I am happy for you.

We can tell by this current avatar that you are pleased.

Congratulations on a fine achievement.

YEAH!!!!!!!

Congrats!
Do you have an abstract of the thesis?

Well done! The question now is whether you
can translate this into free lunch.

Yes, publish it if you can. Books make one's reputation.
Are you going for a faculty job?

Good for you. When one of our friends finally did this, we celebrated a whole day, without ever having to see her pick up a book. We briefly had her full involvement. Then shortly afterwards, the second job that she accepted changed from a part-time to a full-time job so she had 2 full-time jobs in 2 cities 40 miles apart. Her first comment was that she thought she'd be a bit rushed but she learned how to change her clothes while driving. She worked at one hospital in a nursing uniform and worked at the other hospital/college as an instructor in dress clothes. Don't do this.

brewerpaul wrote:Congrats!
Do you have an abstract of the thesis?

Ditto -- It'd be great if you'd post an outline of your work.

Congratulations; I know how much relief you're feeling.

Thanks, all.

jim stone wrote: Are you going for a faculty job?

My wife (who finished her dissertation a few years before) and I both teach here: http://www.byuh.edu/ Folks were very concerned that I finish -- no tenure without it -- and so it's a good thing all around to be done (not to mention being free to do other academic projects I've wanted to do but which I've had to put off). The whole process was made more complicated when the original chair of the dissertation (a fine gentleman from Wales http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.Z._Phillips ) died unexpectedly of a heart attack. He'd helped guide the first two thirds of this. Fortunately, the fellow who took over as chair was on the same page, philosophically speaking, and things went rather smoothly considering.


WARNING: Here's the abstract. It may put you to sleep. Still, it gives a very general idea of what my dissertation is about. The fun is actually in the details and abstracts rarely give you those.

Abstract of the Dissertation

This dissertation explores Kierkegaard’s concept and practice of religious authorship. Focusing primarily on Kierkegaard’s late authorship, with special attention to The Point of View and Kierkegaard’s Journals and Papers, it reviews Kierkegaard’s development of religious authorship, shows how religious authorship may have similarities to philosophical authorship and wherein the two differ, and elucidates aspects unique to religious authorship.

Setting religious authorship over-against a Wittgensteinian view of philosophy, Chapter Two examines the relation between philosophical authorship and religious authorship and draws distinctions between a religious interest and a philosophical interest in philosophy of religion and where the two may share common ground, even though they have different motives.

Chapter Three discuss the possible threat philosophy can bring to faith. Kierkegaard asserts that the answer to a perceived philosophical threat to faith is first to understand how faith and doubt are actually encountered in a religious life. Though doubt may arise from a philosophical investigation, it does not follow that it necessarily must and Kierkegaard illuminates the character of doubt and the religious way of responding to doubt.

Chapter Four explores the use of philosophical apologetics in religious authorship. Kierkegaard generally saw a philosophical defense of Christianity as a mistake. Nevertheless, Kierkegaard is an advocate of Christianity but in a qualified way. Kierkegaard’s philosophical advocacy largely consists of helping one come to see the point of Christianity and then leaving one to judge.

Chapter Five argues that religious authorship has a persuasive end and must go beyond clarity (though clarity is a key part). With a foundation in Aristotle’s conception of the rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos and logos, it explores the complexities of rhetoric and persuasion for the religious author. Kierkegaard argues for indirect communication, but also makes room for persuasive, rhetorical aspects beyond philosophical clarity.

Chapter Six discusses the mixture of certainty and uncertainty in Kierkegaard’s religious authorship. There is naturally something of certainty that goes with religious authorship but also, in communicating the religious to others, an uncertainty. This condition allows the religious author to write with conviction, while retaining a humility that should welcome criticism and correction.

Thanks again, all, for your well-wishes.