Søren Kierkegaard
05-26-2026
Who is Søren Kierkegaard?
Often dubbed as the "father of existentialsm", Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was one of the most prolific writers in the 19th century. Publishing most of his work in the 1840s, Kierkegaard dabbled in all sorts of different types of writing, publishing influential texts in domains like philosophy, theology, religion, literary criticism, and psychology.
Much of his work focused on a focal point of existentialism: What does it mean to be an existing, finite human being? To his question he devoted many of his works, often publishing under fictional personas that each represented a distinct philosophical voice. A common thread regardless of persona, however, was the denial of Hegel's grand systematic philosophy. This was, to Kierkegaard, a trap for that misled students into abstract historical forces.The individual cannot be systematized
Kierkegaard's Philosophy
Kierkegaard's main contribution was the idea that there are three distinct stages of existence: aesthetic, ethical, and religious. The latter may come as a surprise given the moniker of "father of existentialism", but it turns out that he was a deeply religious Lutheran.
The aesthetic stage is the natural default. When an individual organizes their life around pleasure, sensation, immediate experience, the pursuit of something interesting, or even just the avoidance of boredom, Kierkegaard believes they are appealing to their aesthetic nature. This is not to be confused with hedonism, in fact, Kierkegaard would say that these individuals are treating life like art to be curated. The problem with this, however, is that by living this way, the aesthetic individual refuses to bind themselves to anything permanent and will eventually the pleasure will fade and they will face despair.
The ethical stage occurs when an individual responds to this despair by choosing themselves. In doing so, they commit to universal duties, moral obligations, and stable relationshipsMarriage is a clear example of this. Here, one is no longer at the will of moods or circumstance as they have vowed to become better. This stage is defined by consistency, responsibility, and self-mastery. Yet there are certainly drawbacks to the pursuit of moral obligations. As one becomes more and more in-tune with right versus wrong, one steadily reveals to themselves just how much they fail to live up to these standards. This guilt and realization of a fundamental inadequacy is the ceiling on ethics and requires an answer that simple morality does not have the tools to answer.
To Kierkegaard, this guilt is subsided in the religious stage. This is not simply about being devout or following rules, as this would just be a spin-off of the ethical stage. Instead, the religious stage involves a direct, personal, and absolute relationship with God. Once achieved, Kierkegaard believes that the other phases are suspended entirely, leaving the individual with true selfhood and fulfillment.
The rest of Kierkegaard's work, which spans complex ideas like subjectivity and truth as well as anxiety and despair all stem from the fundamental beliefs of these stages.