Kierkegaard, Soren Aabye(also Soeren Aabye Kierkegaard)

Danish philosopher and Christian theologian

learned of father's cursing of God (the "Great Earthquake") 1835, helping lead to development of complex attitude of guilt and anxiety in relation to God

wrote "Either/Or: A Fragment of Life" 1843 (also "Enten-Eller: et-livs fragment"

under pseudonym Victor Eremita), "Fear and Trembling" 1843 (also "Frygt og baeven"

under pseudonym Johannes de Silentio), "Repetition" 1843 (under pseudonym Constantin Constantius), "Philosophical Fragments" 1844 (under pseudonym Johannes Climacus), "The Concept of Dread" 1844 (also "Begrebet angst"

under pseudonym Virgilius Haufniensis), "Stages on Life's Way" 1845 (under pseudonym Hilarius Bogbinder), "Concluding Unscientific Postscript to the Philosophical Fragments" 1846 (under pseudonym Johannes Climacus), "The Sickness Unto Death" 1849 (also "Sygdommen til doeden"

under pseudonym Anti-Climacus)

criticized systematic rationalism, especially Hegelianism, as incomplete for describing actual life and as unable to account for faith

emphasized free will, possible psychologically but not logically, as basis for Christianity

discussed dread, as fear without tangible objective cause, as prelude to sin, permitting adoption of Christianity

for emphasizing subjective nature of existence over objective nature, considered founder of existentialism