Søren Kierkegaard: the father of existentialism, the eternal moody Dane, the guy who made doubt an art form. If there’s one thing everyone agrees on, it’s that he was complicated. A philosopher, a theologian, a pseudonymous author who barely went a day without writing or overthinking. His work is dense, his love life was a mess, and his battles with the Church of Denmark were legendary.
Kierkegaard was born in Copenhagen, and he never really left—physically, yes, but mentally, he was always pacing the streets, drowning in thought. And yet, for all his brooding, he changed the course of philosophy and theology forever.
Early Life
Born in 1813, the youngest of seven children, Kierkegaard took his sweet time figuring out what he wanted. His father, Michael Pedersen Kierkegaard, was loaded but depressive, convinced his family was cursed. Søren Aabye Kierkegaard inherited both the money and the angst, spending his days lost in philosophy and religion.
He studied at the University of Copenhagen, but not in any straightforward way. His degree took him years to finish because he was too busy pondering the temporal and the eternal.
Regine Olsen was a prominent figure in his life too. The infamous broken engagement. Kierkegaard wanted her, then didn’t, then convinced himself she was better off without him. While he called it a sacrifice, most normal people would call it self-sabotage.
That emotional wreckage fueled much of his work as an author, layering his texts with the existential dread of individuals when faced with life choices.
The Writing: A Maze of Pseudonyms and Deliberation
Kierkegaard didn’t just write. He created out of nothing. Early work was written under pseudonyms, allowing him to argue with himself in ways that would drive anyone else mad. He published Either/Or, Fear and Trembling, The Concept of Anxiety, Sickness Unto Death… all existentialist classics, all dripping with ethical and religious truth. Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments cemented his attack on the Church and his rejection of Hegelian system-building.
Kierkegaard and Hegel were like oil and water. He found Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’s grand theories suffocating and preferred the suspension of the ethical—the idea that faith in God sometimes means overriding conventional morality.
Kierkegaard’s Interest in Philosophy and Theology
Much of his work deals with the emotions and feelings of individuals when faced with life’s absurdities. His Knight of Faith concept? A man who leaps beyond logic into pure faith in Christ. Christian Kierkegaard was not a real person, but Søren’s lifelong struggle. Religious faith was his obsession, and he saw philosophy and theology as inseparable.
Kierkegaard dedicated himself to picking apart what it meant to become a Christian, not just in name but in the deepest, most agonizing way possible. Prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays, he wrote. He wanted people to take faith seriously, not just mumble through church services and call it a day.
Last Moment and Late Writings
Kierkegaard strongly criticized the Church of Denmark, launching a relentless attack in his late writings. He mocked its comfort, its stagnation, its failure to produce true faith. That didn’t make him many friends. In 1855, Kierkegaard collapsed on the street, exhausted and sick.
Reading Kierkegaard isn’t easy, but his influence on philosophy is undeniable. August Strindberg admired him, and the existentialists who came after—Heidegger, Sartre, Camus—borrowed liberally. Kierkegaard left behind a mountain of work, much of it still being dissected.
Kierkegaard studies remain an active field. Institutions like Søren Kierkegaard Forskningscenteret have been leading research on his works. Translating Kierkegaard into English hasn’t been a picnic but scholars like Stephen Evans and Sylvia Walsh have done the hard work of making his labyrinthine sentences readable.
Conclusion and FAQs About Søren Kierkegaard
So what do we do with Kierkegaard? He was far the most profound thinker of his time, but also one of the most frustrating. He thought which they seldom use, pushing philosophy into deeply personal, often uncomfortable territory. His meaning of works isn’t always clear, but his influence runs deep. He was an existentialist before the word existed, a theological agitator who couldn’t stop poking the system.
If nothing else, he proved that speech as a compensation for the freedom he felt lacking could change the course of intellectual history. Whether you love or hate him, Kierkegaard stands as a singular force in philosophy and religion.
Summary
- Early life: Born in 1813 in Copenhagen, Kierkegaard was molded by his melancholic father, religious upbringing, and philosophical obsessions.
- University years: He studied at the University of Copenhagen but took years to graduate, distracted by theological and existential questions.
- Regine Olsen: His broken engagement to Regine fueled much of his emotional and philosophical writing.
- Writing style: He published under multiple pseudonyms, using them to explore contradictory viewpoints. Major works include Either/Or, Fear and Trembling, and The Concept of Anxiety.
- Philosophical focus: He rejected Hegelian systems, emphasizing personal faith, individual responsibility, and the absurd leap toward belief.
- Religious critique: A devout Christian, Kierkegaard fiercely criticized institutional religion, especially the complacency of the Danish Church.
- Later years: In his final writings, he doubled down on his attacks on Christianity-as-custom. He collapsed in 1855 and died shortly after.
- Legacy: Kierkegaard’s works are foundational in existentialism, theology, and modern philosophy. He pushed readers to wrestle with faith, freedom, and despair on their own terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Was Kierkegaard’s degree equivalent to a modern doctorate?
Not exactly. Kierkegaard earned a Magister Artium (Master of Arts) degree from the University of Copenhagen. While this was a significant academic achievement, it is not directly equivalent to a contemporary doctorate. The degree did allow him to engage in scholarly work, but his disdain for academic institutions kept him at arm’s length from traditional academia.
2. What’s the real focus of Sickness Unto Death?
While Sickness Unto Death does emphasize despair, it isn’t just about failing to understand oneself in relation to God. Kierkegaard explores multiple forms of despair, including unconscious despair, the despair of not willing to be oneself, and the despair of willing to be oneself apart from God. The book is less about diagnosing one singular “sickness” and more about mapping out the human condition’s struggle with identity, faith, and existence.
3. Did Kierkegaard’s pseudonyms represent his own views?
Not necessarily. Kierkegaard often used pseudonyms to explore different perspectives in a dialectical way—meaning he set up conflicting ideas rather than presenting his own beliefs directly. This method forced readers to engage with complex issues rather than passively accepting a single viewpoint. It’s a challenge: if you want to understand him, you have to wrestle with the text yourself.
4. Did Kierkegaard refuse last rites on his deathbed?
Kierkegaard collapsed on the street in Copenhagen and was taken to the hospital, where he remained for over a month before dying. While he was highly critical of the Danish church, the claim that he explicitly refused last rites is not definitively documented. What is certain is that his final writings were some of his harshest critiques of institutionalized Christianity.
5. What does det mean in Kierkegaard’s writings?
In Danish, det simply means “it” or “that.” While Kierkegaard’s philosophical writing is dense and often abstract, interpreting det as specifically referring to God, despair, or existence requires close contextual analysis. Unlike some philosophical terms that take on a life of their own, det remains a standard Danish word.
6. What is Af Søren Kierkegaards Efterladte Papirer?
This is a collection of Kierkegaard’s unpublished writings—his posthumous papers. These texts provide valuable insight into his thought process and ideas that didn’t make it into his formally published works. Scholars continue to mine this material to understand Kierkegaard’s unfinished thoughts.
7. Is there a volume on Kierkegaard in Blackwell Companions to Philosophy?
The Blackwell Companions to Philosophy series covers a broad range of philosophical topics, and while Kierkegaard is discussed within various volumes, there is no single Blackwell Companion dedicated solely to him. For in-depth studies on Kierkegaard, there are other specialized academic sources.
8. What was The Moment about?
Kierkegaard’s periodical The Moment (Øjeblikket) was his most direct and aggressive critique of the Danish church. However, the phrase “Late Writings” isn’t a specific collection; it simply refers to his final works, particularly those published in the last years of his life, where his attacks on institutional Christianity intensified.
9. What happened to the Søren Kierkegaard Research Center?
The Søren Kierkegaard Forskningscenteret (Søren Kierkegaard Research Center) was originally an independent research institute based in Copenhagen, but it has since been integrated into the University of Copenhagen’s Faculty of Theology. It remains a major hub for Kierkegaard studies, publishing critical research and editions of his work.
10. What do we know about Kierkegaard’s brothers, Peter Christian and Niels Christian Kierkegaard?
Peter Christian Kierkegaard was a theologian and bishop, taking a more conventional religious path compared to his rebellious younger brother. Niels Christian Kierkegaard, on the other hand, is less documented, and detailed information about his life remains scarce. Kierkegaard’s family background, shaped by their deeply religious father, played a significant role in his philosophical and theological concerns.
