Søren Kierkegaard

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic, and religious author widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. Born in Copenhagen, he wrote critical texts on organized religion, Christendom, morality, ethics, psychology, and the philosophy of religion, displaying a fondness for metaphor, irony, and parables. Kierkegaard's philosophical work is characterized by a focus on the individual human experience, emphasizing personal choice, commitment, and subjective truth. He held that the individual is solely responsible for giving their own life meaning and living that life passionately and sincerely, in spite of many existential obstacles and distractions including despair, angst, absurdity, and boredom. Kierkegaard's theological work focuses on Christian ethics, the institution of the Church, the differences between purely objective proofs of Christianity and the individual's subjective relationship to Jesus Christ, and the emphasis on the individual's subjective experience of the divine at the core of their faith. He was critical of both Hegelianism and what he considered to be the empty formalities of the Danish church of his time. Although Kierkegaard wrote under various pseudonymous characters through which he explored different philosophical viewpoints, he also authored works directly under his own name. Some of Kierkegaard's most significant works include "Either/Or," "Fear and Trembling," "The Concept of Anxiety," "The Sickness Unto Death," and "Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments." His works were written in Danish and were initially only influential in Denmark, but later they became widely known internationally, especially in the 20th century among existentialist and postmodernist thinkers. Philosophers and writers influenced by Kierkegaard include Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Martin Buber, and Karl Barth. Today, his work is considered foundational in modern thought, crossing the boundaries of philosophy, theology, literature, and psychology.