Soren Kierkegaard (1813-55)

Major works

•          Philosophical Fragments

•          Training in Christianity

Importance

•          Danish lay theologian and unintentional founder of existentialism

•          Said no philosophical system could explain the human condition

•          Held to the subjectivity of truth

•          Taught the “leap of faith”—a passionate commitment to God in the face of uncertainty and objective reasoning

•          Argued that free choice of faith alone brings authentic human existence

•          His broken engagement with Regine Olsen deeply affected him the rest of his life