Soren Kierkegaard

Discover the life and philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) — the Danish thinker often regarded as the father of existentialism. Explore his biography, major ideas (such as anxiety, faith, and subjectivity), and why he continues to matter.

Introduction

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard (born 5 May 1813 – died 11 November 1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, and cultural critic.

He is widely considered a precursor to existentialism, focusing on the lived experience, individual choice, subjectivity, and faith.

Kierkegaard’s work challenged prevailing systems of philosophy (especially Hegelianism) by insisting that truth is found in how one lives, not just in abstract systems.

Early Life & Background

• Kierkegaard was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 5 May 1813.

• He was the youngest (seventh) child of Michael Pedersen Kierkegaard (a prosperous wool merchant) and Ane Sørensdatter Lund (née Lund).

• His family was relatively well-off, and he inherited a significant portion of his father’s estate later in life.

• Kierkegaard’s upbringing was religious and stern; his father, who had a melancholic temperament himself, instilled in Søren a strong sense of guilt, duty, and existential dread.

He lost his mother in 1834 and his father in 1838—events which deeply affected him emotionally and psychologically.

Education & Early Writings

• Kierkegaard studied at the University of Copenhagen, focusing initially on theology before turning more to philosophy.

• His doctoral dissertation (1841) was On the Concept of Irony with Continual Reference to Socrates (in Danish: Om Begrebet Ironi med stadigt Hensyn til Socrates).

Even before public fame, he engaged in deep reflection, personal journals, and informal writing.

Philosophical Vision & Key Ideas

The Individual & Subjectivity

A central theme in Kierkegaard is the individual. He believed that truth must be appropriated by the individual and is not merely an objective system.

He argued for the importance of subjectivity, meaning that how one relates to one’s own existence, choices, and faith matters more than purely abstract reasoning.

Stages of Life: Aesthetic, Ethical, Religious

Kierkegaard proposed that human life can be understood through “stages” or “spheres” of existence:

• Aesthetic stage: life pursued for pleasure, novelty, immediate satisfaction.

• Ethical stage: life governed by duty, moral responsibility, social commitments.

• Religious stage: beyond ethics, a relationship with God, faith, paradox, and the leap of faith.

He contended that moving from aesthetic ? ethical ? religious involves existential struggle, uncertainty, and personal sacrifice.

Anxiety, Despair & the Self

Kierkegaard explored anxiety (Angst) or “dizziness of freedom” as intrinsic to human freedom and possibility. It is the awareness of possibilities and one’s own freedom, which can be terrifying.

Despair is central in The Sickness unto Death. Kierkegaard sees despair as a misrelation within the self—failure to align oneself with what one truly is, or denial of self in relation to God.

He sees selfhood as requiring relation: the self is a synthesis of finite (temporal) and infinite (spiritual), body and spirit, and must be properly related to God.

Faith, Paradox & the Leap

One of his best-known ideas is the “leap of faith”: belief in God (or commitment to religious truths) is not based on objective proof but a personal, existential leap beyond understanding.

He stressed the infinite qualitative distinction between God and human—that God is wholly “other,” and faith lies in recognizing the gap and making commitment.

Kierkegaard also used paradox, irony, pseudonyms, indirect communication, to provoke reflection and avoid dogmatic system-building.

Major Works

Some of Kierkegaard’s key works include:

• Either/Or (1843)

• Fear and Trembling (1843)

• Philosophical Fragments / Concluding Unscientific Postscript

• Stages on Life’s Way

• The Concept of Anxiety

• The Sickness unto Death

• Works of Love

• Attack upon Christendom (a series of pamphlets)

He often published using pseudonyms (e.g. Johannes Climacus), each representing different viewpoints, to allow indirect communication and dialectical interplay.

Critique of Christendom & Institutional Religion

Kierkegaard was highly critical of the state church (the Danish Lutheran Church, which was established in his day). He argued that Christian faith had been diluted into social conformity, formalism, and inauthentic mass religion.

He insisted that true faith must be personal and inward, not merely an outward membership in a religious institution.

Late in life, he published The Moment (pamphlets) and Attack upon Christendom, openly challenging the Church’s compromises and institutional failures.

Later Years & Death

In his later years, Kierkegaard withdrew more from public life. He remained prolific but less socially engaged than before.

On 11 November 1855, he died in Copenhagen, after a period of illness following a fall (or complications thereof).

He was buried in Assistens Cemetery (Assistens Kirkegård) in Copenhagen.

Legacy & Influence

• Kierkegaard is often called the father of existentialism, influencing thinkers such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Martin Heidegger, Karl Jaspers, and many others.

• In theology, his emphasis on individual faith, paradox, and subjectivity impacted twentieth-century Christian thinkers (e.g. Karl Barth, Paul Tillich).

• His ideas about anxiety, despair, individuality, and authenticity permeate psychology, literature, theology, and modern existential thought.

• Contemporary existential philosophy and theology often engage with Kierkegaard as both a source and interlocutor.

Memorable Quotes

• “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

• “Subjectivity is truth.”

• “To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.”

• “Purity of heart is to will one thing.”

• “Once you label me you negate me.”

Lessons from Kierkegaard

1. Own your existence. Rather than passively follow convention, one must make individual choices and stand by them.

2. Embrace paradox. Faith and authentic life often require wrestling with contradictions rather than easy certainties.

3. Face anxiety & despair. These existential experiences are not mere pathology but can reveal dimensions of self and possibility.

4. Prioritize the inward life. True faith, selfhood, and authenticity are inward struggles, not public conformities.

5. Live deliberately. Kierkegaard challenges us to live intentionally rather than drift with social or philosophical systems.