Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian, and social critic who is widely considered the father of existentialism. Writing often under various pseudonyms, his work explores the nature of religious anxiety, the concept of the “leap of faith,” and the challenges of individual choice and commitment within Christian life.
Kierkegaard and the Birth of Existentialist Thought
“What I really need is to get clear about what I must do, not what I must know, except insofar as knowledge must precede every act. What matters is to find a purpose, to see what it really is that God wills that I shall do; the crucial thing is to find a truth which is truth for me, to find the idea for which I am willing to live and die.”
— Søren Kierkegaard, Journal, 1 August 1835
RhysTranter.com 