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Søren Kierkegaard

Life

  • 1813: Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, into a wealthy but melancholic family.
  • 1830: Enrolls at the University of Copenhagen to study theology, but pursues philosophy and literature.
  • 1841: Breaks his engagement with Regine Olsen, a pivotal event that deeply influenced his life and work.
  • 1843: Publishes Either/Or, his first major work, and begins an extraordinarily prolific period of writing.
  • 1844-1846: Publishes key philosophical works including Philosophical Fragments, The Concept of Anxiety, and Concluding Unscientific Postscript.
  • 1854-1855: Engages in a public polemic against the Danish State Church.
  • 1855: Dies in Copenhagen at the age of 42.

People Who Influenced Their Thought

  • Socrates: Deeply influenced by his maieutic method and emphasis on individual ethical existence over abstract systems.
  • Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: Reacted strongly against Hegel's systematic philosophy, championing subjectivity and the existing individual instead.
  • Immanuel Kant: Engaged with Kant's ethical theories, though he moved beyond them with his "teleological suspension of the ethical."
  • Friedrich Schleiermacher: Influenced by his focus on religious feeling, though Kierkegaard emphasized a more personal, passionate faith.

Main Ideas and Publications

  • Enten-Eller (Either/Or, 1843): Presents the aesthetic and ethical stages of existence.
  • Frygt og Bæven (Fear and Trembling, 1843): Explores the "teleological suspension of the ethical" through the story of Abraham and Isaac.
  • Philosophiske Smuler (Philosophical Fragments, 1844): Introduces his concept of truth as subjectivity.
  • Begrebet Angest (The Concept of Anxiety, 1844): Analyzes anxiety as the dizziness of freedom.
  • Afsluttende uvidenskabelig Efterskrift (Concluding Unscientific Postscript, 1846): Develops his critique of objective truth and Hegelian system-building.
  • Stages on Life's Way: The aesthetic, ethical, and religious spheres of existence.
  • The Single Individual: Emphasis on the particular human being over the crowd or system.
  • Leap of Faith: The passionate, non-rational commitment required for religious belief.

Controversies around his main work or thought

  • Attack on Hegelianism: His radical critique of Hegel's system was controversial in an era dominated by Hegelian philosophy.
  • Critique of Christendom: His late polemics against the institutional church were seen as scandalous and earned him widespread criticism.
  • Existentialist Interpretation: Later existentialist readings of his work have been controversial, particularly regarding whether he would have endorsed atheistic existentialism.
  • Psychological Theories: His concepts of anxiety and despair were initially ignored by psychology but later recognized as prescient.

Key People Influenced by Their Thought

  • Friedrich Nietzsche: Shared his critique of systematic philosophy and Christendom, though from different philosophical positions.
  • Martin Heidegger: Drew heavily on Kierkegaard's analyses of anxiety, temporality, and human existence in Being and Time.
  • Jean-Paul Sartre: Adapted his concepts of freedom, choice, and bad faith in developing existentialism.
  • Karl Barth: Influenced by his critique of Christendom and emphasis on the infinite qualitative distinction between God and humanity.
  • Ludwig Wittgenstein: Appreciated his emphasis on the personal and the limitations of philosophical language.

Legacy

He is considered the father of existentialism whose profound explorations of faith, anxiety, and individual subjectivity revolutionized philosophy and theology.