4 Must-Read Works by Søren Kierkegaard (Father of Existentialism)

Søren Kierkegaard is largely considered to be the father of existentialism. He wrote extensively about subjects such as the human condition, despair, anxiety about existence, and how to achieve an authentic and actualized Self. Kierkegaard never shied away from the messy parts of being human—melancholy, love, faith, irony, and absurdity—his breadth of work is truly something to be admired. So, what were some of his most notable works for someone first diving into his philosophy?

Søren Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher, theologian, and writer of the 19th century who contributed greatly to existentialist thought. He was born in Copenhagen on May 5, 1813. His early years were shaped by his father’s strong religious beliefs and his mother’s tragic death.

Kierkegard’s education began at the University of Copenhagen, where he first studied theology but later changed to philosophy. The German idealist tradition profoundly impacted his intellectual development, especially the works of Hegel, which Kierkegaard both engaged with and vehemently criticized.

In 1841, Kierkegaard completed his doctoral dissertation on irony as a concept, thus marking the start of an extensive writing career that lasted over four decades. During that time, he authored numerous books under different pseudonyms, including “Either/Or,” “Fear and Trembling,” and “The Sickness Unto Death.”

His works revolved around issues such as faith, man’s relationship with God, what it means to exist authentically, and living through periods marked by doubt or despair. He challenged traditional philosophical and theological assumptions, hence laying foundation stones upon which many other philosophers would build their theories later on. Among them were those belonging to the Existential school of thought.

Quite a few personal difficulties occurred throughout his lifetime—including a tragic love affair between himself and another Danish philosopher named Regine Olsen, recurring bouts of melancholy, and existential angst just may have contributed to shaping some of the most original ideas ever produced.

1. Fear and Trembling

Soren Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling is a book that delves into faith, ethics, and the individual’s relationship with God. Published in 1843 under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio, it examines the story of Abraham and Isaac from the Old Testament, examining what Abraham’s faith was like and the ethical implications of his willingness to sacrifice his son.

According to Fear and Trembling, the main theme centers around the teleological suspension of ethicality. Kierkegaard illustrates this through Abraham being ready to kill Isaac. According to Kierkegaardian philosophy, this goes against normal ethics since it directly contradicts “thou shalt not kill.” However, it can be argued that if we are obedient even when things seem wrong or irrational, our faith might reach higher levels than moral reasoning could comprehend.

For instance, he called a person who has absolute trust in God a “knight of faith,” unlike the “knight of resignation,” who accepts that the world is finite and some things are impossible. Knights of faith accept absurdities as part of reality and hence make irrational leaps about existence. Faith does not depend on reason but involves a passionate commitment to an absolute being—God!

Kierkegaard makes another important point in this work by illustrating that deep-seated loneliness often accompanies belief systems. The crowd that always follows established norms and values cannot understand why someone would want to be different or lonely. The individual should be prepared for isolation regarding his relationship with God because faith is personal and cannot be delegated through social institutions or collective belief systems.

Even though the word “existentialism” might bring to mind thinkers such as Jean-Paul Sartre or Simone de Beauvoir, existentialism’s seminal text was actually written by Søren Kierkegaard. This book is divided into two parts: “Either/Or” represents different life philosophies and was published under a pseudonym, Victor Eremita, in 1843.

The book’s first part is called “The Seducer’s Diary.” It introduces us to Johannes’ hedonistic worldview, where he sees life as an aesthetic event or a series of fleeting pleasures. For Johannes, everything should be done passionately without considering morals; this means that one should live only for immediate satisfaction and indulgence of the senses. He says love is nothing but a game that ends after winning, without any deeper commitment.

However, A.A.A., who represents another character, asserts different values based upon tradition and righteousness, i.e., the ethical side. He emphasizes duty, responsibility, good citizenship, etc., which he believes are important virtues necessary for leading an upright social life. In his opinion, such would provide people with well-grounded principles for making rational decisions about what they ought to do or not do, hence living together harmoniously as members of any community while abiding by shared rules that promote fairness among all its members equally treated before law courts irrespective their socio-economic status or physical appearance.

The author uses Johannes (aesthetic) and A.A.A (ethical) to examine human existence from various angles. The former views freedom about personal desires, whereas the latter sees it within context duties towards others within society at large; each criticizes the other’s position as being narrow-mindedly selfish or unrealistically idealistic, respectively, thereby pointing out weaknesses inherent in both sides’ arguments concerning such matters as right wrong good bad happy sad etcetera for example.

Kierkegaard does not only stop here but also goes deeper down into things than just contrasting aesthetics against ethics. He indicates that there is something more authentic and higher than these superficial levels, which demand individuals’ confrontation with themselves as regards the issues of choice, commitment, and self-awareness. According to him, such steps are necessary to achieve fullness in life, thus calling upon people to go beyond either the ethical sphere or aesthetic stage since they still do not fully address the existential angst inherent in human existence.

The central idea in Kierkegaard’s philosophy is expressed by the term “either/or,” which denotes fundamental choices made during their lifetime while determining what kind of lives would be worth living or should have been lived. According to him, life consists of a series of critical moments where an individual comes face-to-face with very different alternatives from which he or she has to select one option over another; these decisions are not merely intellectual exercises but deeply personal ones having far-reaching consequences for a person’s whole being.

“Either/Or” also possesses artistic value besides its philosophical content. In this regard, it is a perfect example of Kierkegaard’s creative skills in storytelling and conversational writing. With the help of Johannes & A.A.A voices, we can see how complex our psychology may become at times due to desire conflicting with need on top searching for meaning beneath the surface through narrative inquiry blended along with philosophical inquiry wrapped inside each other so that readers can respond emotionally while thinking logically about those questions raised within mind throughout text created by Danish writer Soren Kierkegaard under pen name Victor Eremita.

Sickness Unto Death is among the most important philosophical works of Søren Kierkegaard. It explores the existential and psychological dimensions of despair. The book was published in 1849 under the pseudonym Anti-Climacus; it discusses the nature of despair as a fundamental condition of the human soul.

Kierkegaard begins by defining despair not simply as a state but rather as an existence rooted within the spirit’s relation to itself and God. The idea that stands out in his analysis is that unawareness or wrong self-relation causes people to feel despondent. He states that true selfhood can only be realized at the point where finite meets infinite; here, one realizes they are dependent on something beyond this world for their meaning and purpose.

According to Kierkegaard, there are two types of despair: not willing to be oneself-despair and willing to be oneself-despair. The former happens when individuals refuse to be who they truly are by seeking satisfaction from outside activities or roles that don’t fulfill them. On the other hand, if someone embraces their genuine identity but fails to acknowledge its ultimate grounding upon God, there will always be hollowness around it, causing existential angst.

Kierkegaard’s journey towards authenticity involves confronting our limitations with the knowledge of God’s divine power; thus, it demands that we make an unfounded move based on belief since genuine release from hopelessness comes through trusting, even if we know our finitude alongside the infinite relationship.

Sickness Unto Death deeply reflects humanity while shedding light on desolation, personality, and purpose search. This interpretation forces readers to deal with truths about life itself and strive towards authentically realizing one’s own self against the backdrop created by the all-pervasive influence of hopelessness, according to Kierkegaard.

The Concept of Anxiety, published in 1844 by Søren Kierkegaard under the pen name Vigilius Haufniensis, examines what anxiety means to humans and why it matters. This book explores existentialism, psychology, and theology in the context of fear. It challenges our understanding of these areas of life while giving some very deep reflections on their place in human existence.

According to Kierkegaard’s distinction at the beginning of this work, fear has an object or cause, while anxiety does not. Fear is concerned with something particular that can be identified, whereas anxiety is much deeper than that because it arises from pondering our own existence.

Kierkegaard believed we have free will, but this freedom can lead us into despair when faced with limitless potentialities. He believed there was such a thing as “dizziness of freedom,” where people feel overwhelmed by the almost infinite options available before them, coupled with the worries of making the right decision.

In light of this, Kierkegaard suggests that anxiety arises when one realizes one’s infinite nature in contrast with physical embodiment. In other words, individuals become anxious as they acknowledge their boundless capabilities in contrast to restricted earthly conditions.

When someone commits a sin, there is often an awareness about oneself that does not previously exist. Kierkegaard claims that, unfortunately, most people refuse to look at themselves deeply, thereby living shallow lives full of egoism and self-deception.

Additionally, Kierkegaard shows how anxiety can drive a person into more profound reflection about his actions, thus making him change for the better. This means that one must pass through this stage in order to experience true repentance; otherwise, there will be no real transformation at all.