Soren Kierkegaard Popular Books

Soren Kierkegaard Biography & Facts

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard ( SORR-ən KEER-kə-gard, US also -⁠gor, Danish: [ˈsɶːɐn ˈɔˀˌpyˀ ˈkʰiɐ̯kəˌkɒˀ] ; 5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855) was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He wrote critical texts on organized religion, Christianity, morality, ethics, psychology, and the philosophy of religion, displaying a fondness for metaphor, irony, and parables. Much of his philosophical work deals with the issues of how one lives as a "single individual", giving priority to concrete human reality over abstract thinking and highlighting the importance of personal choice and commitment. He was against literary critics who defined idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, and thought that Swedenborg, Hegel, Fichte, Schelling, Schlegel, and Hans Christian Andersen were all "understood" far too quickly by "scholars."Kierkegaard's theological work focuses on Christian ethics, the institution of the Church, the differences between purely objective proofs of Christianity, the infinite qualitative distinction between man and God, and the individual's subjective relationship to the God-Man Jesus the Christ, which came through faith. Much of his work deals with Christian love. He was extremely critical of the doctrine and practice of Christianity as a state-controlled religion (Caesaropapism) like the Church of Denmark. His psychological work explored the emotions and feelings of individuals when faced with life choices. Opposite Jean-Paul Sartre and the atheistic existentialism paradigm, Kierkegaard focused on Christian existentialism. Kierkegaard's early work was written using pseudonyms to present distinctive viewpoints interacting in complex dialogue. He explored particularly complex problems from different viewpoints, each under a different pseudonym. He wrote Upbuilding Discourses under his own name and dedicated them to the "single individual" who might want to discover the meaning of his works. He wrote: "Science and scholarship want to teach that becoming objective is the way. Christianity teaches that the way is to become subjective, to become a subject." While scientists learn about the world by observation, Kierkegaard emphatically denied that observation alone could reveal the inner workings of the world of the spirit.Some of Kierkegaard's key ideas include the concept of "subjective and objective truths", the knight of faith, the recollection and repetition dichotomy, angst, the infinite qualitative distinction, faith as a passion, and the three stages on life's way. Kierkegaard wrote in Danish and the reception of his work was initially limited to Scandinavia, but by the turn of the 20th century his writings were translated into French, German, and other major European languages. By the mid-20th century, his thought exerted a substantial influence on philosophy, theology, and Western culture in general. Early years (1813–1836) Kierkegaard was born to an affluent family in Copenhagen. His mother, Ane Sørensdatter Lund Kierkegaard (1768–1834), had served as a maid in the household before marrying his father, Michael Pedersen Kierkegaard (1756–1838). She was an unassuming figure: quiet, and not formally educated. They had seven children. Her granddaughter, Henriette Lund, wrote that she "wielded the sceptre with joy and protected [Søren and Peter] like a hen protecting her chicks". She also wielded influence on her children so that later Peter said that his brother preserved many of their mother's words in his writings. His father, on the other hand, was a well-to-do wool merchant from Jutland. He was a "very stern man, to all appearances dry and prosaic, but under his 'rustic cloak' demeanor he concealed an active imagination which not even his great age could blunt". He was also interested in philosophy and often hosted intellectuals at his home. He was devoted to the rationalist philosophy of Christian Wolff, and he eventually retired partly to pursue more of Wolff's writings. Kierkegaard, who followed his father's beliefs as a child, was heavily influenced by Michael's devotion to Wolffian rationalism. He also enjoyed the comedies of Ludvig Holberg, the writings of Johann Georg Hamann, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Edward Young, and Plato. The figure of Socrates, whom Kierkegaard encountered in Plato's dialogues, would prove to be a phenomenal influence on the philosopher's later interest in irony, as well as his frequent deployment of indirect communication. Kierkegaard loved to walk along the crooked streets of 19th century Copenhagen, where carriages rarely went. In 1848, Kierkegaard wrote, "I had real Christian satisfaction in the thought that, if there were no other, there was definitely one man in Copenhagen whom every poor person could freely accost and converse with on the street; that, if there were no other, there was one man who, whatever the society he most commonly frequented, did not shun contact with the poor, but greeted every maidservant he was acquainted with, every manservant, every common laborer." Our Lady's Church was at one end of the city, where Bishop Mynster preached the Gospel. At the other end was the Royal Theatre where Fru Heiberg performed. Based on a speculative interpretation of anecdotes in Kierkegaard's unpublished journals, especially a rough draft of a story called "The Great Earthquake", some early Kierkegaard scholars argued that Michael believed he had earned God's wrath and that none of his children would outlive him. He is said to have believed that his personal sins, perhaps indiscretions such as cursing the name of God in his youth or impregnating Ane out of wedlock, necessitated this punishment. Though five of his seven children died before he did, both Søren and his brother Peter Christian Kierkegaard outlived him. Peter, who was seven years older, later became bishop in Aalborg. Julia Watkin thought Michael's early interest in the Moravian Church could have led him to a deep sense of the devastating effects of sin.Søren Kierkegaard came to hope that no one would retain their sins once they had been forgiven. And by the same token that no one who truly believed in the forgiveness of sin would live their own life as an objection against the existence of forgiveness. He made the point that Cato committed suicide before Caesar had a chance to forgive him. This fear of not finding forgiveness is devastating. Edna H. Hong quoted Kierkegaard in her 1984 book, Forgiveness is a Work As Well As a Grace and Kierkegaard wrote about forgiveness in 1847. In 1954, Samuel Barber set to music Kierkegaard's prayer, "Father in Heaven! Hold not our sins up against us but hold us up against our sins so that the thought of You when it wakens in our soul, and each time it wakens, should not remind us of what we have committed but of what You did forgive, not of how we went astray but of how You did save us!" From 1821 to 1830, Ki.... Discover the Soren Kierkegaard popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Soren Kierkegaard books.

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    Mein Schulbuch der Philosophie Karl Marx - Soren Kierkegaard

    Heinz Duthel

    Wie würde die Welt heute aussehen, wenn Karl Marx seinen ursprünglichen Lebensplan ausgeführt hätte? Der junge Marx hält sich nämlich für einen geborenen Dichter und das sind auc...

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    Why Jews Do That

    Avram Mlotek, Faby Rodriguez & Jenny Young

    A Fun Take on "Judaism for Dummies" that Will Answer All Questions Wondered by the Goyim and Jewish People Alike! When the subject of religion comes up, people often get very shy a...

  • On the Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo synopsis, comments

    On the Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo

    Friedrich Nietzsche & Walter Kaufmann

    Masterful translations of the great philosopher’s major work on ethics, along with his own remarkable review of his life and works.  On the Genealogy of Morals (1887) shows&#...

  • Fear and Trembling synopsis, comments

    Fear and Trembling

    Søren Kierkegaard

    The perfect books for the true book lover, Penguin's Great Ideas series features twelve more groundbreaking works by some of history's most prodigious thinkers. Each volume is beau...

  • Collected works of Soren Kierkegaard. Illustrated synopsis, comments

    Collected works of Soren Kierkegaard. Illustrated

    Søren Kierkegaard

    Søren Kierkegaard's witty sayings and deep observations never cease to astound and challenge us.In addition to being the founder of religious existentialism, Kierkegaard was a Dani...

  • The Classic Collection of Soren Kierkegaard synopsis, comments

    The Classic Collection of Soren Kierkegaard

    Søren Kierkegaard

    Soren Kierkegaard was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He wrote cri...

  • Soren Kierkegaard and I synopsis, comments

    Soren Kierkegaard and I

    Murphy MacDonald

    This Book is about the nature of the Philosophy of Existentialism and its originator, Kierkegaard. Today people love to throw this word around without knowing squat about what it m...

  • Beyond Good and Evil synopsis, comments

    Beyond Good and Evil

    Friedrich Nietzsche & R. J. Hollingdale

    'One of the greatest books of a very great thinker' Michael TannerBeyond Good and Evil confirmed Nietzsche's position as the towering European philosopher of his age. The work dram...

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    Soren Kierkegaard

    Óscar Parcero Oubiña

    Poucos filósofos como Kierkegaard supoñen un reto tan importante cando se trata de escribir unha obriña que sirva de introdución ao seu pensamento. Con Kierkegaard existen condicio...

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    Jewish Wisdom for Daily Life

    Miriam Chaikin & Gabriel Lisowski

    Rabbi Menahem Mendl was a Hassidic master renowned for his wisdom throughout Europe. The spiritual leader of the Jews in a small stetl called Kotzk in a corner of Poland, he was ne...

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    Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life

    Yiyun Li

    In her first memoir, awardwinning novelist Yiyun Li offers a journey of recovery through literature: a letter from a writer to likeminded readers. “A meditation on the fact that li...

  • Philosopher of the Heart synopsis, comments

    Philosopher of the Heart

    Clare Carlisle

    Philosopher of the Heart is the groundbreaking biography of renowned existentialist Søren Kierkegaard’s life and creativity, and a searching exploration of how to be a human being ...

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    Ethics

    Gordon Marino

    In Ethics: The Essential Writings, philosopher Gordon Marino skillfully presents an accessible, provocative anthology of both ancient and modern classics on matters moral. The phil...

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    On Balance

    Adam Phillips

    "Balancing acts," writes Adam Phillips, "are entertaining because they are risky, but there are situations in which it is more dangerous to keep your balance than to lose it." In t...

  • Kierkegaard synopsis, comments

    Kierkegaard

    Stephen Backhouse

    An accessible, expert introduction to one of the greatest minds of nineteenth century. Whether you're completely new to him, or if you're already familiar with his work, Kierkegaar...