Søren Kierkegaard Books
Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian, and writer, often regarded as the first existentialist. His works delve into the individual's relationship with faith, ethics, and existence, and he frequently employed pseudonyms to express different perspectives.
Known for: Either/Or: A Fragment of Life, Fear and Trembling, The Sickness Unto Death
Books by Søren Kierkegaard
Either/Or: A Fragment of Life
Either/Or is Søren Kierkegaard’s first major work, originally published in 1843. The book is divided into two volumes: the first represents the aesthetic view of life, while the second embodies the et...
Fear and Trembling
In Fear and Trembling, Søren Kierkegaard, writing under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio, explores the nature of faith through the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac. The work examines the tension ...
The Sickness Unto Death
The Sickness Unto Death is a philosophical work by Søren Kierkegaard, written under the pseudonym Anti-Climacus. It explores the concept of despair as a sickness of the spirit and analyzes the human r...
Key Insights from Søren Kierkegaard
Part I – The Aesthetic Papers: Introduction to 'A'
Allow me now to introduce ‘A’, the aesthete. He is not a moralizer nor a cynic, but a connoisseur of life’s possibilities. For him, existence is an art form, a series of moments to be savored, each unique and shimmering before vanishing. When I constructed A’s world, I wished to show how alluring th...
From Either/Or: A Fragment of Life
The Rotation Method – Escaping Boredom
In A’s essay on the rotation method, he outlines a philosophy of constant transformation. To him, boredom is the root of all evil; it reveals the emptiness of existence when novelty disappears. The rotation method serves to keep life perpetually interesting—changing friends, environments, habits—to ...
From Either/Or: A Fragment of Life
Preface and Exordium: Abraham and the Paradox of Faith
In the preface, I draw a sharp line between philosophy’s curiosity and the soul’s struggle for faith. Philosophical inquiry may analyze existence, but faith requires submission to what no thought can compass. I begin by acknowledging my inadequacy—I, Johannes de Silentio, cannot perform Abraham’s le...
From Fear and Trembling
Eulogy on Abraham: The Father of Faith
How marvelous, how horrifying, that Abraham could act as he did. If he were a tragic hero, his sacrifice would have meaning within the ethical framework—a surrender for the good of all. But Abraham did not act for the universal. His act had no social justification, no moral defense. He acted for God...
From Fear and Trembling
Concept of the Self
In defining the self, I turn to a structure that both transcends and includes the finite creature called man. The self, I say, is a relation that relates itself to itself—and in doing so, it stands before the power that established it. This power, ultimately, is God. It is not a mere psychological c...
From The Sickness Unto Death
Despair as Misrelation
Once we grasp that the self is a relation, despair can be understood as misrelation—a failure in this very act of relating. Despair is not something accidental like sadness; it is the sickness of the relation itself. To despair is to flee from or distort the truth that the self is grounded in God. I...
From The Sickness Unto Death
About Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian, and writer, often regarded as the first existentialist. His works delve into the individual's relationship with faith, ethics, and existence, and he frequently employed pseudonyms to express different perspectives. Kierkegaard's inf...
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Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian, and writer, often regarded as the first existentialist. His works delve into the individual's relationship with faith, ethics, and existence, and he frequently employed pseudonyms to express different perspectives. Kierkegaard's inf...
Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian, and writer, often regarded as the first existentialist. His works delve into the individual's relationship with faith, ethics, and existence, and he frequently employed pseudonyms to express different perspectives. Kierkegaard's influence extends beyond philosophy into theology, literature, and psychology.
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Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian, and writer, often regarded as the first existentialist. His works delve into the individual's relationship with faith, ethics, and existence, and he frequently employed pseudonyms to express different perspectives.
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