Either/or

Published in 1843, this is one of the earliest of Kierkegaard's major works. The author plays devil's advocate putting forward two opposing points of view challenging the reader to question the different alternatives. This book is written to provoke philosophical debate. In Either/Or, using the voices of two characters - the aesthetic young man of part one, called simply ''A'', and the ethical Judge Vilhelm of the second section - Kierkegaard reflects upon the search for a meaningful existence, contemplating subjects as diverse as Mozart, drama, boredom, and, in the famous Seducer''s Diary, the cynical seduction and ultimate rejection of a young, beautiful woman. A masterpiece of duality, Either/Or is a brilliant exploration of the conflict between the aesthetic and the ethical - both meditating ironically and seductively upon Epicurean pleasures, and eloquently expounding the noble virtues of a morally upstanding life.