Søren Aabye Kierkegaard

Kierkegaard, Søren Aabye (1813–55), Danish religious philosopher, precursor of existentialism. Opposing G.W.F. Hegel, he emphasized that one has a free will and can pass from the aesthetic (or material) to the ethical point of view and finally, through “a leap of faith,” to the religious. Ignored in the 19th century, he has influenced 20th-century Protestant theology and modern literature and psychology. His main works are Either/Or (1843), Fear and Trembling (1843), and Philosophical Fragments (1844).

See also: Existentialism.