He was one of the greatest Christian philosophers of all time. But, in a particular way, he was one of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth-century “Age of Romanticism.” His full name was Søren Aabye Kierkegaard, and he was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He may be the most notable philosopher ever to write in the Danish language, since relatively few come from this small country. But his works have since been translated into many other languages (including English), and they continue to be read in certain circles today.
But, in his lifetime, Søren Kierkegaard initially wrote anonymously under a variety of pseudonyms. His aim was to explore diverging ideas from a variety of different perspectives. Only later in his brief life did he claim all of these prior works as his own, and start to write some works under his own name – although he continued to write under some of his previously-chosen pseudonyms, this time acknowledging his use of them. This audiobook starts by giving a brief introduction to his life, with a very illuminating biography. For example, they start by examining his tragic courtship – where he proposed to a girl, only to back out of the courtship himself later on. She would later on marry someone else. They also talk about how his father felt religious guilt for some of his actions, and believed that his son would be cursed for the sins of the father. This must have affected the young Kierkegaard. Regardless, he was a prolific writer, having written works on a variety of subjects by the time that he died at age 42.
Søren Kierkegaard
Kierkegaard wrote on aesthetics and ethics, and is considered to be the father of existentialism. He also had some notable ideas about psychology as well. But he was most famous for his works on religion. He had training in theology, and spent most of his life as a Christian. Many of his works were partly literary, and his approach to philosophy was thus notably literary. Some of his characters give fairly convincing versions of arguments with which Kierkegaard disagreed. That is, he had a fair representation of opposing arguments – a testament to his literary skill. He had the temperament of a poet, and was a passionate believer in Christian love. However, he was very critical of the Danish Lutheran Church, and made many enemies when he attacked it later in life. He had a battle with a newspaper called the Corsair, which is described briefly in this audiobook. He was also very critical of Hegel and his followers, criticizing Hegel in his works. He was a friend of the writer Hans Christian Andersen, but also criticized Andersen in some of his works.
Statue of Søren Kierkegaard
I certainly have my disagreements with Kierkegaard. But, overall, I now have a rather positive impression of him. In part, this is because I’m a Christian, and thus admire the Christian aspects of Kierkegaard’s philosophy. I had somewhat more mixed feelings about Kierkegaard when I first listened to this audiobook. But, after listening to this audiobook for a second time, my feelings have become somewhat more positive. People with romantic temperaments have long gravitated towards a variety of religious viewpoints. Many of them like to explore a totally new belief system, and many would be inclined to abandon the faith of their own childhood. By contrast, Kierkegaard was a passionate (if somewhat unorthodox) defender of faith, who enthusiastically supported Christianity. I had a harder time understanding his attacks on churchmen in his own country. But, as someone who’s grown up in an age of anti-theism, I still found Kierkegaard’s approach to be rather refreshing. He seems to come from a viewpoint that is somewhat close to Protestantism, although it’s hard to know the specifics of his viewpoints here.
Søren Kierkegaard’s grave
Regardless, this was an enlightening introduction to a great philosophical mind, and to his enthusiastic approach to religion. I recommend it to anyone interested in the history of philosophy, particularly the philosophy of religion.
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Part of an audiobook series
The Giants of Philosophy
Søren Kierkegaard
Others to be covered later
Others to be covered later
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