Søren Kierkegaard

He was an influential Danish philosopher, theologian, and author, widely recognized as the "father of existentialism." His thought focused on individual experience, freedom of choice, and the personal relationship with the divine, moving away from the abstract philosophical systems of his time, such as Hegel's.

Kierkegaard argued that "truth is subjective," referring to the fact that the most important truths for a human being are those that he personally experiences and that define his existence. Anguish and Despair: He explored these emotions deeply, not as pathologies, but as conditions inherent to human freedom and the responsibility of choosing who we are. The "Stages" of Life: He proposed that human beings pass (or can pass) through three levels of existence:

1. Aesthetic: Seeking pleasure and escaping boredom.
2. Ethical: Commitment to duty, social norms and stability.
3. Religious: The highest level, where the individual faces God alone through a "leap of faith". Pseudonyms and style: He wrote many of his major works, such as Fear and Trembling or Either/Or, under various pseudonyms to represent different perspectives on life and avoid being seen as a dogmatic authority. Relationship with Regine Olsen: His broken engagement to her was a traumatic and foundational event that marked much of his literary output and his decision to dedicate himself fully to his "intellectual mission".

He was a profoundly contradictory figure: a man of fierce intellectual brilliance trapped in a melancholic and solitary personality. His character was shaped by a strict upbringing and his family's wealth, which allowed him to live as a keen observer of Danish society.

His Personality and Character

Inherited Melancholy: Kierkegaard often said that melancholy was his "most faithful lover." He inherited from his father a sense of guilt and a tragic view of Christianity that stayed with him throughout his life. Caustic and Social Wit: Despite his inner sadness, he was known in Copenhagen for his quick wit and biting humor. Before his years of seclusion, he used to take long walks through the city to chat with people in what he called "people's baths." The Street Dandy: In his youth, he projected the image of a well-to-do and somewhat frivolous intellectual, frequenting the theater and cafes to conceal his intense secret literary activity. Isolation and Controversy: After being publicly ridiculed by a satirical magazine called The Corsair, he became reclusive and withdrew almost entirely from social life, focusing obsessively on his writing.

Physical Appearance

Fragile and peculiar: He was a man of thin and somewhat lanky build. He had a slight curve in his back, which he himself described in a derogatory way. Distinctive style: He used to dress in an old-fashioned or unconventional way for the time, which, added to his way of walking, made him an easy target for the mockery of his critics.

He died at the age of 42 after collapsing in the street from physical and mental exhaustion.

The relationship with Regine Olsen was not just a failed romance, but the driving force behind Kierkegaard's entire philosophy. They met in 1837, when she was 15 and he was 24. They fell deeply in love and became formally engaged in 1840, but just days later, Kierkegaard began to have doubts.

The Rupture and the "Atrocious Game"

In 1841, Kierkegaard decided to break off the engagement, convinced that his inherited melancholy and his destiny as a solitary thinker would make Regine unhappy. However, he did so in a brutal way:

The villain's mask: To spare her the suffering of thinking she had lost a "good" man, he pretended to be a cynical and irresponsible seducer, trying to make her hate him so it would be easier for her to forget him. Regine's reaction: She did not accept the breakup easily. Desperate, she begged him not to leave her and even threatened suicide. Her father also intervened, pleading with Kierkegaard to reconsider for his daughter's mental health. The final sacrifice: Kierkegaard stood firm, returning the ring and fleeing to Berlin shortly afterward. According to his diaries, he did so by a "divine mandate" and to protect her from his own tormented inner world. ## Consequences for his Work Regine became his eternal muse. Although she eventually married another man (Johan Frederik Schlegel), Kierkegaard never forgot her. Dedicated works: Books such as Diary of a Seducer and Fear and Trembling are constant attempts to explain to her (and the world) why he had to give up his love. His will: Upon his death, Kierkegaard left all his belongings and the royalties from his books to Regine, declaring that, although they were never legally married, he felt united to her in a spiritual marriage.

It is not an act of blind and calm trust, but a desperate and passionate decision that arises precisely from situations like his breakup with Regine. He used his renunciation of human love to explain man's relationship with God through these key points:

1. The conflict between Reason and Faith

Kierkegaard explained that, rationally, what he did with Regine made no sense: he loved her and she loved him, so marriage was the logical thing to do. However, he felt a "higher" calling that reason could not explain. For him, faith begins where reason ends; it is a leap into the void because there is no logical proof to support it, only your will to believe.

2. The Knight of Faith vs. The Knight of Resignation

In his work Fear and Trembling, he uses the figure of Abraham (whom God asks to sacrifice his son Isaac) to illustrate this:

Knight of Resignation: This is the one who renounces what they love (like Kierkegaard renouncing Regine) and accepts the pain. It is a noble act, but purely human. Knight of Faith: This is the one who renounces what they love but, absurdly, believes they will get it back. Abraham believed he would get Isaac back; Kierkegaard, deep down, hoped that God would return Regine to him in some miraculous way through faith.

3. The "Absurd"

The leap of faith is made by virtue of the absurd. It is believing that "for God all things are possible," even when reality tells you that all is lost. Kierkegaard suffered throughout his life because, although he made the intellectual leap, he felt that he often remained in "resignation" and did not achieve the peace of the "knight of faith."

4. The Loneliness of the Individual

Just as when he left Regine, the leap of faith is an act that the individual must perform entirely alone. No one can understand it from the outside (society saw him as a madman or a cruel man), and that solitude is, for him, the essence of true Christian existence.