Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard | |
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Unfinished sketch of Kierkegaard by his cousin Niels Christian Kierkegaard, Royal Library, Copenhagen, c. 1840 | |
| Born | Søren Aabye Kierkegaard 5 May 1813 Copenhagen, Denmark, Denmark–Norway |
| Died | 11 November 1855 (aged 42) Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Partner | Regine Olsen (1840–1841) |
| Education | |
| Education | University of Copenhagen (M.A., 1841) |
| Thesis | Om Begrebet Ironi med stadigt Hensyn til Socrates (On the Concept of Irony with Continual Reference to Socrates) (1841) |
| Philosophical work | |
| Era | 19th-century philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
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Søren Aabye Kierkegaard (/ˈsɒrən ˈkɪərkəɡɑːrd/ SORR-ən KEER-kə-gard, US also /-ɡɔːr/ -gor; Danish: [ˈsɶːɐn ˈɔˀˌpyˀ ˈkʰiɐ̯kəˌkɒˀ] ⓘ;[1] 5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855[2]) was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher.[3] He wrote critical texts on organized religion, Christianity, morality, ethics, psychology, love, and the philosophy of religion, displaying a fondness for metaphor, irony, and parables. Much of his philosophical work deals with the issues of how one lives as a "single individual,”[4] highlighting the importance of authenticity, personal choice and commitment, and the duty to love. Kierkegaard prioritized concrete human reality over abstract thinking.
Kierkegaard's theological work focuses on Socratic Christian ethics, the institution of the Church, the differences among purely objective proofs of Christianity, the infinite qualitative distinction between man and God, and the individual's subjective relationship to the God-Man Jesus Christ,[5] which came through faith.[6][7] Much of his work deals with Christian love. He was extremely critical of the doctrine and practice of Christianity as a state-controlled religion (Caesaropapism) like the Church of Denmark. His psychological work explored the emotions and feelings of individuals when faced with life choices.[8] Unlike Jean-Paul Sartre and the atheistic existentialism paradigm, Kierkegaard focused on Christian existentialism.
Kierkegaard's early work was written using pseudonyms to present distinctive viewpoints interacting in complex dialogue.[9] He explored particularly complex problems from different viewpoints, each under a different pseudonym. He wrote Upbuilding Discourses under his own name and dedicated them to the "single individual" who might want to discover the meaning of his works. He wrote: "Science and scholarship want to teach that becoming objective is the way. Christianity teaches that the way is to become subjective, to become a subject."[10][11] While scientists learn about the world by observation, Kierkegaard emphatically denied that observation alone could reveal the inner workings of the world of the spirit.[12]
Some of Kierkegaard's key ideas include the concept of "subjective and objective truths", the knight of faith, the recollection and repetition dichotomy, angst, the infinite qualitative distinction, faith as a passion, and the three stages on life's way. Kierkegaard wrote in Danish and the reception of his work was initially limited to Scandinavia, but by the turn of the 20th century his writings were translated into French, German, and other major European languages. By the middle of the 20th century, his thought exerted a substantial influence on philosophy,[13] theology,[14] and Western culture in general.[15]
- ^ Brink et al. 1991.
- ^ Søren Kierkegaard at the Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ Rose 1983, p. xv.
- ^ Gardiner 1969, p. 289.
- ^ Point of View by Lowrie, p. 41; Kierkegaard 1991, pp. 233ff; Søren Kierkegaard 1847 Upbuilding Discourses in Various Spirits, Hong pp. 225–226; Works of Love IIIA, pp. 91ff.
- ^ Duncan 1976.
- ^ Kierkegaard 1992, pp. 15–17, 555–610; Either/Or Vol II, pp. 14, 58, 216–217, 250.
- ^ Ostenfeld & McKinnon 1972.
- ^ Howland 2006.
- ^ Soren Kierkegaard, Works of Love, 1847 Hong 1995 p. 283.
- ^ Kierkegaard 1992, p. 131.
- ^ Philosophical Fragments and Concluding Postscript both deal with the impossibility of an objectively demonstrated Christianity, also Repetition, Lowrie 1941 pp. 114–115, Hong pp. 207–211.
- ^ Stewart, Jon (ed.) Kierkegaard's Influence on Philosophy, Volume 11, Tomes I–III. Ashgate, 2012.
- ^ Stewart, Jon (ed.) Kierkegaard's Influence on Theology, Volume 10, Tomes I–III. Ashgate, 2012.
- ^ Stewart, Jon (ed.) Kierkegaard's Influence on Literature and Criticism, Social Science, and Social-Political Thought, Volumes 12–14. Ashgate, 2012.