Erik M. Hanson
1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway
Philosophy Dept., University of Colorado
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
Email: ehanson2@uccs.edu
719-255-8112 (work)
Education
PhD
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
2010
MPhil University of London, Kings College London, UK
2001
MA
Ancient Philosophy, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
1997
BA
University of Colorado, Philosophy (cum laude), Boulder, CO
1994
Areas of Specialization: Kant/Nineteenth Century Philosophy; Philosophy of Religion
Areas of Competence: Philosophy of Religion; History of Philosophy (Ancient and Early Modern);
Eastern Philosophy
Dissertation:
Kant and Kierkegaard: Radical Evil and the Ethics of Love
Committee: Prof. William McBride (chair); Prof Martin Matuštik (co-chair); Prof. Daniel
Frank; Prof. Jacqueline Mariña
Employment History:
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Full Time Instructor
Colorado Mountain College, Part-Time Instructor
Colorado Community Colleges, Part-Time Instructor
Buena Vista University (online), Part-Time Instructor
Ivy Tech Community College, Part-Time Instructor
Indiana University Kokomo, Part-Time Instructor
Purdue University, Part-Time Instructor
Colorado Christian University, Part-Time Instructor
2010 – present
2012 – present
2002 – present
2011 – 2012
2009 – 2010
2007 – 2008
2005 – 2007
2001 – 2002
Publications
“Finitude/Infinity.” Kierkegaard’s Concepts, Tome III: Envy to Incognito. Kierkegaard Research: Sources,
Reception and Resources, vol. 15, ed. by Steven M. Emmanuel, William McDonald and Jon Stewart.
Surrey,UK: Ashgate, 2014, pp. 73-79.
“Guilt.” Kierkegaard’s Concepts, Tome III: Envy to Incognito. Kierkegaard Research: Sources, Reception
and Resources, vol. 15, ed. by Steven M. Emmanuel, William McDonald and Jon Stewart. Surrey,
UK: Ashgate, 2014, pp. 131-35.
“Kant: Radical Evil.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, James Fraser & Christian Onof, eds.,
December, 2012.
“Thomas Merton: Kierkegaard, Merton, and Authenticity.” Kierkegaard’s Influence on Theology, Tome III:
Catholic and Jewish Theology. Kierkegaard Research: Sources, Reception and Resources, vol. 10,
ed. by Jon Stewart, Surrey, UK: Ashgate, 2012, pp. 111-130.
3/4/2016
“Grounding a Transcendent Ethic of Love: Kierkegaard and Taoism.” Kinesis 35.2, Fall 2008
(with Erik Baldwin), pp. 7-22.
“Augustine, Kierkegaard, and Moral Evil,” Augustine and Kierkegaard, ed. by Kim Paffenroth (et al.).
Lexington, KY: Lexington Books, 2017 (commissioned article, in progress).
Reviews
“Benjamin Daise, Kierkegaard’s Socratic Art, Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press 1999.”
Kierkegaard Secondary Literature, Kierkegaard Research: Sources, Reception and Resources, vol.
18.1, ed. by Jon Stewart, Surrey, UK: Ashgate, 2016 (in press, March, 2016).
“Alastair Hannay, Kierkegaard: A Biography, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2001.”
Kierkegaard Secondary Literature, Kierkegaard Research: Sources, Reception and Resources, vol.
18.1, ed. by Jon Stewart, Surrey, UK: Ashgate, 2016 (in press, March, 2016).
“Alastair Hannay, and Gordon Marino (eds.), “The Cambridge Companion to Kierkegaard, Cambridge
Cambridge University Press 1998,” Kierkegaard Secondary Literature, Kierkegaard Research:
Sources, Reception and Resources, vol.18.1, ed. by Jon Stewart, Surrey, UK: Ashgate, 2016 (in press,
March, 2016).
Papers Presented
“Søren Kierkegaard and Second Life, a Second Look,” Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture. Waco,
TX, October 2013.
“Kierkegaard and Kant: The Self, Radical Evil, and Despair (an update),” Seventh International
Kierkegaard Conference. Saint Olaf College. Northfield, MN, June 2013.
“Søren Kierkegaard and Second Life: A Second Look,” American Academy of Religion/Society of
Biblical Literature, Rocky Mountain – Great Plains Region Conference. Denver Seminary. Denver,
CO. April, 2013.
“Kierkegaard’s Platonism and Love’s Necessity.” Kierkegaard on Love and the Passions, International
Conference. Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre (SKC). University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen,
Denmark. August, 2012.
"Kierkegaard and Kant: Selfhood, Radical Evil and Despair." Kierkegaard and the Philosophical Traditions.
The Nordic Network of Kierkegaard Research (NordForsk), Norwegian University of Science and
Technology (NTNU)/The Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre (SKC). Trondheim, Norway. August,
2012.
“Kierkegaard, Authenticity, and the Vocation of Commanded Neighbor Love: Or Must I Love My
Facebook ‘Friend’?” American Academy of Religion/Society of Biblical Literature, Rocky Mountain
– Great Plains Region Conference. University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology. Denver, CO.
March 2011.
“Kierkegaard and Love’s Necessity,” Society of Christian Philosophers: Midwest Conference: Values and
Virtues. Hope College, Holland, MI, February 2011.
“A Defense of an Innate Propensity to Evil in Kant’s Religion,” Society of Christian Philosophers,
Eastern Regional Conference. Winston Salem, NC, March 2010.
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“Is Kierkegaard’s Comparison of Kant to Sancho Panza a Critique of the Law of Autonomy?” Soren
Kierkegaard Society, American Philosophical Association. Pacific Conference. Vancouver April
2009.
“Grounding a Transcendent Ethic of Love: Kierkegaard and Taoism.” Building Bridges Conference.
Southern Illinois University, Conbondale, IL, November 2009.
“Was Kierkegaard a Christian Inclusivist?” Society of Christian Philosophers: Conference in Honor of
Keith Yandell. Madison, WI, September 2005.
“Paul’s Aereopagus Speech: Socrates, God, and the Limits of Rationality.” Society of Christian
Philosophers, Western Division Conference. Boulder, CO, September 2000.
“Plato and Aristotle on the Predication of Appearances.” Scottish Post-Graduate Philosophy Conference
on Perception. Glasgow, UK, March 1996.
Courses Taught
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
PHIL 1000
Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 1120
Critical Thinking
PHIL 3100
World Religions
PHIL 3200
Politics and the Law
Purdue University
PHI 110
PHI 330
Ethics
Religions of the East
Indiana University Kokomo
PHI 100
Introduction to Philosophy
PHI 140
Ethics
Colorado Christian University
Introduction to Philosophy
Critical Thinking
History of World Religions
Colorado Community College System
PHI 111
PHI 112
HUM 121
HUM 122
Introduction to Philosophy
Ethics
Humanities I (Ancient Greece –1450)
Humanities II (1450 –1750 )
Ivy Tech Community College
PHI 110
Introduction to Philosophy
Purdue University, Teaching Assistant
PHI 330
Religions of the East (Prof. Donald Mitchell)
PHI 331
Religions of the West (Prof. Jacqueline Mariña)
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Online Course Instruction and Design
Buena Vista University
PHIL 3360
Professional Ethics
Colorado Community Colleges Online (CCCOnline)
PHI 111
Introduction to Philosophy
PHI 112
Ethics
PHI 113
Logic
PHI 115
World Religions West
PHI 116
World Religions East
PHI 214
Philosophy of Religion
Colorado Mountain College
PHI 116
World Religions East
PHI 115
World Religions West
Awards, Grants, and Fellowships
Faculty Gold for Teaching
Purdue Research Fellowship
Summer Dissertation Research Fellow
Online Course Development Grant
Colorado Community Colleges (Online)
Purdue University
Hong Kierkegaard Library
Regis University/CCCOnline
2009
2008 – 2009
2008
2003
Certifications
Purdue University, Graduate Teaching Training Certification
Trinity College London, Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)
2009
1996
Professional Service
Committee Service
Colorado Commission on Higher Education: gtPathways Conference: Humanities
Colorado Commission on Higher Education: Fac2Fac Humanities Sub-Committee
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs: Second Year Humanities Sub-Committee
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs: Philosophy Department Web Design Team
Purdue Graduate Student Senate: Academic Development Committee
Colorado Community Colleges System: Discipline Chair, Philosophy
2014
2014
2012
2010 – present
2007
2003 – 2004
Conference Sessions Chaired
Approaches to The Concept of Anxiety, Seventh International Kierkegaard Conference, Saint Olaf College,
Northfied, MN, June, 2013.
Indirect Communication, Ambiguity and Existential Distinction in Kierkegaard’s Postscript, Vinod
Acharya. The Second Annual Southwest Seminar in Continental Philosophy, University of
Denver, Denver, CO. May 2011.
Kierkegaard and the Body, Sixth International Kierkegaard Conference, Saint Olaf College, Northfield, MN,
June 2010.
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Conference Response Papers
“Comments on Douglass Drabkin: ‘Good Religion and Bad Religion’,” Mountain Plains Conference, Air
Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, October 2013.
“Comments on Jakub Marek: ‘Sovereign and Subjected Subjects in Kierkegaard’,” Seventh International
Kierkegaard Conference, Saint Olaf College, Northfield, MN, June, 2013.
“Remarks on Vinod Acharya, ‘Indirect Communication, Ambiguity and Existential Distinction in
Kierkegaard’s Postscript’.” The Second Annual Southwest Seminar in Continental Philosophy.
University of Denver, Denver, CO. May 2011.
“Remarks on John Poling: ‘Closing the Gap’,” International Kierkegaard Conference. Saint Olaf College.
Northfield, MN, June 2010.
“Response to Nikolaj Zunic: The Dialectic of Sin and Faith in Being-Able-to-be-Oneself,” Kierkegaard and
Religion: 11th Annual Lewis University Conference. Chicago, IL, February 2006.
Outreach/Professional/Community Service
Host, “Repair Across Generations: 70 Years After Auschwitz,” a talk by Martin Matuštik
UCCS, September 24, 2015
Educational Consultant: Journey Films, “Chaplains”
Greenberg Center for Learning and Tolerance, Colorado Springs
Debate Judge, STOA USA
2015
2015
2014 – 2016
2012
Memberships / Affiliations
American Philosophical Association
American Academy of Religion
Society of Christian Philosophers
International Kierkegaard Society
Languages
Greek
Latin, German, Danish
Intermediate Reading Knowledge (Attic/Koine)
Basic Reading Knowledge
References
Prof. Mary Ann Cutter
Email: mcutter@uccs.edu
Phone: 719-255-4088
Prof. Jacqueline Mariña
Email: marinaj@purdue.edu
Phone: 765-494-3979
Prof. Martin Matuštik
Email: Martin.Matustik@asu.edu
Phone: 765-494-4285
Prof. William McBride
Email: wmcbride@purdue.edu
Phone: 602-543-3314
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PhD Dissertation Synopsis: “Kant and Kierkegaard: Radical Evil and the Ethics of Love”
My dissertation takes up the existential challenge of radical evil, beginning with the assumptions held
by Immanuel Kant, and subsequently shared by Friedrich Schelling and Søren Kierkegaard. Kant held that
human beings have a transcendental moral agency and are able to choose between genuine moral alternatives;
evil, for Kant, is a propensity. Yet for his successor, Schelling, Kant faced a problem of motivation and was
unable to account for why an agent would wish to choose it. Kierkegaard, I argue, provides the basis for an
ethic of transcendence in which evil is a form of existential defiance and an unwillingness to live authentically
within the created world. The good may be viewed as the deliberate choice to live authentically, actualized
through obedience to the command to love the neighbor.
Immanuel Kant’s account of radical evil in his Religion within the Bounds of Mere Reason (1794) is
notable for bringing the topic of human evil from theology into the realm of philosophical discussion by
placing it within a “natural religion” of pure reason. In Chapter One, I defend an interpretation of Kant’s
treatment of the propensity to evil as a condition that is not only an innate, but a universal condition
demonstrable in virtue of an a priori proof that draws upon his account of the moral law in the Critique of
Practical Reason (1788). The moral law exposes the inconsistent egoism that drives the natural inclination to
self-conceit, the malignant form of self-love that is present in every person. My interpretation of Kant then,
stands in contrast to a more popular interpretation that treats the universal basis for this propensity as
“unsociable sociability,” which, I maintain, is a consequence of its being innate. Humans acquire a radically
evil disposition, then, by choosing self-love as a maxim to guide their choice of maxims.
Yet, as I show in Chapter Two, Kant’s account of the nature of evil faces one substantial difficulty. As
Schelling observes in his Philosophical Investigation into the Nature of Human Freedom (1809), a Kantian
commitment to transcendental freedom is the only way an agent can choose between genuine moral
alternatives. I argue that for Schelling, an attempt to account for evil as a propensity to subvert the moral law
lacks sufficient explanatory motivation. Its motivation rests not in a propensity to subvert the moral law, but to
reverse the otherwise natural subordination of self-will to the divine, universal will governing the world.
Schelling offers an account of transcendental human freedom within a “positive religion” that recognizes God
as personality operating within nature. He thereby provides the foundation for Kierkegaard’s existential ethic
with genuine moral alternatives, sans Kant’s limitations.
I present the basis for Kierkegaard’s existential ethic in Chapter Three, the foundations of which
Kierkegaard formulates in The Sickness Unto Death (1849). While human beings are transcendentally free and
capable of choosing their selfhood through fulfilling roles and tasks within community, authentic selfhood is
realized only by willing their eternal purpose, or telos, in a “transparent God-relation.” It is an account that is
consistent with Schelling’s observation that God is personality. Authentic selfhood provides the basis for selfactualization, fulfilled through obedience to the command to love God and the neighbor. Despair, or evil,
rather than being an innate condition, is a deliberate position of defiance, a failure to will a transparent Godrelation. In doing so, an agent thereby fails to attain authentic selfhood. While Kierkegaard’s account of
selfhood might appear to be at the expense of our relationship with others, it actually offers a basis through
which we can understand our relationships and our duties through the practice of commanded neighbor-love.
In Chapter Four, I develop the normative element of this existential ethic more fully by drawing upon
Kierkegaard’s Works of Love (1848). The divine command to love one’s neighbor as one’s self, for
Kierkegaard, is clearly a natural necessity and revealed within the “structure of the world.” Yet it is also a
moral necessity, for humans possess an “infinite debt” to their creator that can only be repaid through fulfilling
the divine command to love one’s neighbor. His existential ethic, then, remains faithful to Kant’s intuition that
human beings have infinite value. However, it is advanced by offering an ethic that acknowledges its
fulfillment through self-actualization, or a telos that is not understood by human reason alone and presupposes
the possibility of revelation.
Kant’s ethic of autonomy, then, rightly maintains that in order to be meaningful, a normative ethic
requires an account of human freedom that allows for genuine moral alternatives. Yet what Schelling’s
alternative account of evil provides that Kant’s cannot is a motivation for moral evil as a kind of defiance
against the natural order. My Kierkegaardian alternative remains faithful to a transcendental account of
freedom that allows for the choice between good and evil, yet does so without the difficulties Kant faced in
attempting to preserve an ethics of autonomy.
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