Sören Kierkegaard

Great Philosophers Datebook: May 5

 

Brief biography and philosophies of Danish Philosopher Sören Kierkegaard, father of Existentialism, known for the “leap of faith” and the book, Either/Or.

"To be a teacher in the right sense is to be a learner. Instruction begins when you, the teacher, learn from the learner, put yourself in his place so that you may understand what he understands and the way he understands it." - Søren Kierkegaard

Sören Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a Danish philosopher considered the father of Christian existentialism and a great influence to Sartre.  His writings fall into three periods – the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious. As founder of Christian existentialism, he believed that God is known only by a “leap of faith,” which is a leap into the eternal and irrational.

 

Born on May 5, 1813, in Copenhagen where he spent all his life, Sören Kierkegaard was the seventh and last child. His father was a wool merchant who at first cursed God, but later in life, had a pietistic faith as he contemplated Christ’s sufferings. It was his father’s faith that had a deep effect on Sören and how he viewed the world.      

In 1830, he entered the University of Copenhagen, where he studied philosophy, theology and literature. On his mother’s death four years later, he decided to move away from home, he thought the only way he’ll know what to do with his life was to know himself.  He worked as a Latin teacher, and when his father died in 1838, the money he inherited was enough to keep him independent all his life.

Kierkegaard’s Philosophies on Aesthetics, Ethics and Religion  
    

Kierkegaard was engaged to Regine Olsen, but broke the relationship, devoting himself to writing instead.  Fearing the ethical commitment of the institution of marriage, he remained a scholarly bachelor. He considered marriage and domestic responsibility incompatible with philosophical tasks.

His earliest and first significant work, On the Concept of Irony, (his 1841 dissertation), proved a masterful criticism of the philosophy of George W. Hegel, in which he attacked philosophical system building.  Instead, he formulated the thesis that subjectivity is truth. He argued that each individual has the freedom to choose his own truth on the subjective basis of faith.  His main point was the belief in a person’s immortality. This was in conflict with Hegel who created the “Absolute Spirit” that denies the personality of God.      

On religious belief, Kierkegaard held this to be a matter of passion not reason, that even when a person might indulge in proof of God’s existence, the way of Aquinas or Anselm, it has nothing to do with belief in God as an intellectual exercise, but rather a choice to believe in God passionately. 
    

Kierkegaard’s Final Years

In later years, his personality became a target of attack, both in satirical magazines and in public ridicule. In 1848, he had spiritual crisis and started to ponder on death. He also held a sermon at the cathedral. In his last few years he published a series of articles, some under a pseudonym, and compiled them as Attack Upon Christendom. 

Kierkegaard was stricken with a spinal disease and died on November 11, 1855. He was 42.  He deeply affected theologians and Existential philosophy in the second quarter of the 20th century. Like Nietzsche, Kierkegaard was lonely and neurotic. He opposed all strict philosophical constructions, and hid his thoughts under pseudonyms. A prolific writer, he published some thirty books.

Books by Sören Kierkegaard

Either/Or, 1843

Repetition, 1843

Fear and Trembling, 1843

Stages on Life’s Way, 1845

The Concept of Dread, 1844

Concluding Unscientific Postscript, 1846   


Photo Credit:

S. Kierkegaard. In Public Domain.
Sketch of Søren Kierkegaard. Based on a sketch by Niels Christian Kierkegaard (1806-1882).
Copyright expired as artist died more than 70 years ago. (Accessed:  May 5, 2017)

 
Resources:
 

Clark, John, Ed. Illustrated Biographical Dictionary.  London: Chancellor Press, 1994

McGovern, Una, Ed. Biographical Dictionary, Edinburgh: Chambers, 2002
Soren Kierkegaard. en.wikipedia.org 

Stokes, Philip.  Philosophy: The Great Thinkers. Capella, 2007  

Note: This abridged piece was originally written for Suite101.com (now close) August 9, 2010.

(c) May 2010. Updated May 5, 2017. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.