Soren Kierkegaard: biography of the father of existentialism

They say that Soren Kierkegaard loved Regina Olsen until the last day of his life.. However, his purpose was to dedicate himself, body and soul, to the study of philosophy and the Christian faith. This Danish theologian and philosopher always dealt with the weight of that anguish, with the suffering of not being able to free himself from his affections. However, thanks to this he was able to shape his theoretical legacy.

Kierkegard’s work is based on the sense of faith. Only through this dimension was it possible to achieve salvation and balance in moments of despair. This perspective was, in turn, a reaction to Hegel’s idealism. Even more, an aspect that defined the famous Danish philosopher was also his critical voice towards those religious institutions that acted, according to him, with hypocrisy.

in his books Fear and Trembling, Philosophical Crumbs or The Diary of a Seducer We understand that dualism that sifted through his entire life. Love, suffering and impossible passion in the face of the need to dedicate oneself to theology marked the tumultuous daily life of one of the most relevant and interesting figures in philosophy.

Thus, while the Danish church proposed a rational God who rewarded good works, Kierkegaard’s God did not understand devotion, he only responded to fear. His philosophy laid the foundations of 20th century existentialism. He defined human subjectivity and the individual like no one else to differentiate him from the masses, and It also served as an inspiration to thinkers such as Jean-Peal Sartre, Friedrich Nietszche and Albert Camus.

Biography of Soren Kierkegaard

Soren Kierkegaard was born into a wealthy Copenhagen family in 1813. He was the son of Michael Pedersen Kierkegaard, a staunchly religious Jutland pastor. and with a very puritanical sense of existence. Her mother was Anne Sorensdatter Lund Kierkegaard, a young servant whom her father impregnated and as a result of which he always felt the weight of sin on her person.

Young Soren went to the School of Civic Virtue, and then continued with his father’s plans: studying theology at the University of Copenhagen. Now, it should be noted that he was always more interested in philosophy and literature. In addition, A notable event from his early youth was meeting Regina Olsen at the age of 15.with whom he gets engaged when he finishes his studies.

However, His father died in 1838, but not before making Soren promise him something very specific: that he would become a pastor, that he would dedicate his life to God and study.. The weight of that promise then became that anchor that irremediably stopped his emotional life. He broke off her engagement to Regine, made her return the ring, and later left for Berlin.

The next 10 years would be the most productive in the life of this young theologian. The creation that he originated in that period was undoubtedly one of the most notable in the history of literature.

Love, guilt and suffering

In 1943 he published 6 works. One of them is undoubtedly Fear and Trembling where he delves into a theme that will be recurring in most of his works: his love for Regine. In this work he navigates guilt, pain, and his devout sense of obedience to his religion. Just in that same year, He discovers upon returning to Copenhagen that the young woman has just married Fritz Schegel.

That fact completely erases any second chance. Something that he himself had prevented now loomed as an even harsher and unfathomable reality. The months that came after that were also very fruitful, from a literary and philosophical point of view..

For example, his works focused on the criticism of the theories of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel stand out.. Books like Philosophical crumbs, The concept of anxiety and Stages of the path of life They tell us about those thoughts and emotional realities that the person who faces adversity experiences. Something in which he was a specialist.

Soren Kierkegaard and his brother Peter were, little by little, the only survivors of a family characterized by tragedy. The father always reminded them that they were cursed, that the shadow of sin weighed on them and that, for this reason, they would all leave the world early. Ironically that “prophecy” was fulfilled. Because he himself would also end up dying early at the age of 42.

It was never very clear what the cause of his death was. It is known that he had some type of disability, that his health was never good. However, this did not prevent him from leaving us a rich and exceptional literary and philosophical legacy. At the same time, it is interesting to highlight a detail: Soren Kierkegaard included Regina in his will.

The legacy of Soren Kierkegaard

William James liked to quote very often one of Soren Kierkegaard’s best-known phrases. “lived“We move forward, but we understand backwards.” He was the Danish philosopher and theologian of subjectivity. Thus, and although at first it may seem to us that everything he left us was permeated by a certain negativity and despair, it must be said that this was not the case.

He taught us that living is knowing how to choose. It made us see that in each election our existence is shaped to define who we are and what we are leaving behind.. Likewise, he also wanted to strive for people to understand the meaning of anguish and suffering. All of this is part of life and the only way to alleviate pain is, according to Kierkegaard, through faith.

The writer of pseudonyms and existentialism

Soren Kierkegaard carried out much of his work under various pseudonyms. as Victor Eremita, Johannes de Silentio, Anti-Climacus, Hilarante Bookbinder or Vigilius Haufniensis. Doing it this way actually served a very specific purpose: to represent different forms of thought.

This strategy defined what he called “indirect communication.” In this way, he could explore points of view different from his own and thus reach the reader in a richer and deeper way. In turn, one of Kierkegaard’s purposes was also to teach how a person could lead life, thus establishing three types of existence:

The first sphere is the aesthetic sphere. This defined a mode of existence focused on pleasure, hedonism or nihilism.The ethical sphere shapes an existence where the individual is capable of taking responsibility for himself. Here one can differentiate “good and evil” and be consistent with those principles.The religious sphere was the highest for Kierkegaard. In it, the human being achieves a personal relationship with God from which to achieve nobler purposes.

The philosopher of anguish, the philosopher of self-irony

Figures like Albert Camus did not hesitate to define Soren Kierkegaard as the philosopher of self-irony. He was that theologian who defended the faith above all things, but who never hesitated to attack the Danish church. He was that young man who rejected the love of his life, but he did not stop loving the girl who served as his absolute muse in much of his works.

In addition, He always exalted the need to cultivate a religious spirit, however he himself lived immersed in an aesthetic-ethical sphere..

Another aspect that defined him was that concept that would mark the work of great later writers such as Kafka, Unamuno or the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. We are referring to anguish. That feeling that according to Fernando Savater will never go out of style. Because that state (in Danish: b egrebet angest) also defines an experience where, suddenly, we become aware that there are more options. That we are free to jump into the void or take a step back and look for other paths.

There are always alternatives to suffering, but Suffering itself also helps us grow. The teachings of Soren Kierkegaard as we see, will always be present.

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