Tenth International Kierkegaard Conference Keynote
The conference plenary lecture takes place in the Buntrock Commons Ballrooms on June 15th, 2026 at 7 pm.
Speaker: (Marilyn) M.G. Piety, Professor of Philosophy
Department of English and Philosophy, Drexel University
Title: “The Secret Note: Unraveling the Central Mystery of Kierkegaard’s Authorship”
Abstract: “After my death,” wrote Kierkegaard in 1843, “no one will find in my papers (this is my consolation) the least bit of illumination concerning what has really filled my life; [no one] will find that inscription in the core of my being that explains everything, and which often makes what the world would call bagatelles into exceedingly important events to me, and which I, too, view as insignificant, if I remove the secret note that explains them.” Scholars have puzzled over the mystery of this “secret note” ever since this reference to it was first discovered. Since Kierkegaard makes clear that this “note” will not be found among his papers we can only guess at its contents. The contents may be less mysterious, however, than the note suggests. This lecture examines several possible answers to the question of its contents that are well supported by both what we know about Kierkegaard’s life and times and by what he has himself written in both his published works and his journals and papers.