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Søren Aabye Kierkegaard

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Søren Aabye Kierkegaard

b. 1813
1813 to 1855, aged 42

Kierkegaard explored themes of anxiety, freedom, and the burden of choice. Living before psychology was a formal discipline, he wrote about angst, an existential anxiety arising from human freedom. His concept of the leap of faith emphasized making decisions authentically, even when faced with uncertainty. For Kierkegaard, anxiety wasn’t to be feared but embraced, as it guides us toward intentional living. While his leap of faith was toward his Christian God, I interpret it as a response to anxiety—requiring a leap of faith toward any decision.

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Subject: First Christian Existentialist.
For Kierkegaard, meaning is forged inwardly through personal commitment. Truth is something you live, not just understand. Friedrich Nietzsche, by contrast, looks outward and forward, urging self-creation through strength, values, and becoming. Kierkegaard asks you to stand behind a choice despite uncertainty; Nietzsche asks you to overcome inherited meanings and create new ones. One emphasizes inward responsibility, the other outward transformation.

Flashcard.

Who is considered the father of existentialism?.
Answer. Søren Kierkegaard.


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