Søren Kierkegaard

1813 - 1855 | Danish Philosopher, Theologian & Father of Existentialism

Early Life & Background

Born in Copenhagen to a wealthy wool merchant, Kierkegaard grew up in a deeply religious but melancholic household. His father, Michael, was haunted by guilt over cursing God as a child and believing his family was doomed to divine punishment. This atmosphere of religious anxiety and psychological complexity profoundly shaped Søren's worldview. Despite the family's wealth, tragedy struck repeatedly - five of his six siblings died before he reached thirty.

Education & Early Crisis

Kierkegaard studied theology at the University of Copenhagen but was more drawn to literature, philosophy, and social life. A profound spiritual crisis in his mid-twenties led him to break off his engagement to Regine Olsen, the love of his life, believing that his melancholy and religious calling made him unsuitable for marriage. This painful decision became a central theme in his later philosophical works about choice, commitment, and the individual's relationship to existence.

Literary & Philosophical Career

Using his inheritance, Kierkegaard devoted himself to writing, producing an extraordinary body of work in just over a decade. He often wrote under pseudonyms, creating different "authors" to explore various philosophical and religious positions. This indirect method allowed him to present ideas dramatically rather than systematically, forcing readers to engage personally with existential questions rather than simply accept abstract propositions.

Major Works

• "Either/Or" (1843) - Aesthetic vs. ethical modes of existence
• "Fear and Trembling" (1843) - Faith, Abraham, and the absurd
• "The Concept of Anxiety" (1844) - Freedom, sin, and psychological analysis
• "Concluding Unscientific Postscript" (1846) - Critique of objective philosophy
• "The Sickness Unto Death" (1849) - Despair and the self

Three Stages of Existence

Kierkegaard outlined three fundamental modes of human existence: the aesthetic (living for pleasure and immediate experience), the ethical (living according to moral duty and universal principles), and the religious (living in passionate relationship with God through faith). He argued that the highest form of existence requires a "leap of faith" beyond rational understanding into authentic spiritual commitment.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."

Attack on Christendom

In his final years, Kierkegaard launched a fierce attack on the Danish Lutheran Church, which he saw as having betrayed authentic Christianity by becoming a comfortable social institution. He argued that true Christianity requires individual passion, suffering, and commitment - not mere social conformity. This campaign isolated him from Danish society but clarified his vision of authentic religious existence.

Personal Struggles & Death

Kierkegaard lived as a melancholic outsider, never marrying and often walking alone through Copenhagen's streets. His philosophical work was deeply personal, emerging from his own struggles with anxiety, depression, and spiritual crisis. He collapsed on a Copenhagen street in 1855 and died at age 42, possibly from a spinal disease, leaving behind a complex legacy as both a Christian thinker and a critic of institutional Christianity.

Lasting Legacy

Though largely ignored during his lifetime, Kierkegaard profoundly influenced 20th-century thought. Existentialists like Sartre, Camus, and Heidegger drew on his emphasis on individual existence, choice, and authenticity. His psychological insights anticipated modern psychoanalysis, while his critique of systematic philosophy challenged the entire rationalist tradition. His exploration of anxiety, despair, and the leap of faith continues to resonate with anyone grappling with questions of meaning, commitment, and authentic existence in an uncertain world.