$2 million gift adds new chair in Kierkegaard studies
St. Olaf College recently received a $2 million gift to establish an endowed Kierkegaard Chair in Christian Philosophy. The professorship will advance scholarship and publication concerning the writings of Søren Kierkegaard and Christian Philosophy.
Kierkegaard was a 19th-century Danish philosopher who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. The newly endowed chair, in St. Olaf’s Department of Philosophy, enables the college to add courses aligned with its new general education curriculum as well as new courses exploring Kierkegaard’s work. The position also includes dedicated time for research.
We are thrilled to know our resources for teaching Christian philosophy, as well as 19th-century continental philosophy (including critics of Christianity), will soon be greatly enhanced.Associate Professor of Philosophy and Department Chair Danny Muñoz-Hutchinson
“Kierkegaard’s authorship was nothing short of a lifelong meditation on the nature and meaning of the Christian faith,” says Associate Professor of Philosophy and Department Chair Danny Muñoz-Hutchinson. “Coining the phrase ‘the leap of faith,’ he insisted that faith is beyond reason. Nevertheless, his extensive work is in constant dialogue with other Christian thinkers such as Augustine, Pascal, Aquinas, Eckhart, and Luther as well as more secular minds such Hegel, Kant, and Schopenhauer. We are thrilled to know our resources for teaching Christian philosophy, as well as 19th-century continental philosophy (including critics of Christianity), will soon be greatly enhanced.”
The addition of the position complements a project underway now to move the Howard and Edna Hong Kierkegaard Library that is housed at St. Olaf from Rolvaag Memorial Library to Steensland Hall by next fall. The Kierkegaard Library is home to the largest collection of works, approximately 20,000 book volumes, by and about Kierkegaard outside of Denmark. As a special collection and center for research and publication, the Kierkegaard Library fosters an intellectual community highly conducive to reflection on faith and values. In Steensland, it will be closer to the college’s departments of Religion and Philosophy located in Old Main and Holland Hall. The Kierkegaard rare book collection will remain in a climatized vault in Rolvaag Memorial Library.
The move to Steensland and having our own building as well as the newly endowed professorship will further cement the Hong Kierkegaard Library as the global epicenter for the study of the immortal Dane.Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Interim Curator of Kierkegaard Library Gordon Marino
“The move to Steensland and having our own building as well as the newly endowed professorship will further cement the Hong Kierkegaard Library as the global epicenter for the study of the immortal Dane,” says Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Interim Curator of Kierkegaard Library Gordon Marino.
The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, were motivated to make the gift following their own interest in Kierkegaard’s work.
“Kierkegaard was renowned as a Galileo of the inner world,” says Muñoz-Hutchinson. “His depth psychology has long been a magnet for the interest of St. Olaf students. Equally important, he provides abundant material for reflections on burning moral and socio-political issues. We are confident the position’s impact will be far reaching and are very grateful for this gift.”