Abstract

Starting from two interviews conducted personally with Ágnes Heller, I will try to open a dialogue between the Hungarian philosopher and Søren Kierkegaard.The first aim is to show the influences that the Danish thinker had on Heller. Two texts will be mainly examined: General Ethics and A Philosophy of Morals. Then we will compare Heller’s thoughts with some issues of existentialism: responsibility, nothingness, freedom, individual, doubt and finally, the concept of the abyss. A particular attention will be given to the concept of shame, retracing not only the conception of modesty present in Kierkegaard, but also highlighting other concepts related to it. The goal will be to place emphasis on the positive side of shame in order to reassess the role that the sentiment of shame plays in today's society.