Prepare to have your perception shattered! Many revere Jean-Paul Sartre, associating him with profound concepts like "Being and Nothingness." Yet, the intellectual giant who laid the groundwork for much of this thought was Søren Kierkegaard, a man whose life was a testament to suffering. Born into an intensely religious household, Kierkegaard’s father was constantly haunted by a sense of divine punishment, casting a perpetual shadow of gloom over their home. For two decades, Kierkegaard grappled with this oppressive environment, eventually rejecting what he called "Christendom" – the institutional, superficial version of his faith – in favor of what he saw as "real Christianity." He argued vehemently that the popular, public expression of religion was a sham, a distortion of genuine spiritual truth.
Kierkegaard’s profound insights, though deeply rooted in his personal Christian journey, became the unlikely foundation for later existentialist thinkers. However, they stripped away the "God" aspect, secularizing his radical idea of "responsibility." Kierkegaard believed in a "radical responsibility towards God," emphasizing an intensely personal and direct relationship, unmediated by crowds or institutions. He had witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of "folk religion" when it permeated his home, causing profound misery. This personal experience fueled his conviction that true existence was about individual accountability and a solitary, unyielding commitment to one's convictions, standing alone against the weight of societal and religious norms. So, the next time you hear about existentialism, remember the forgotten pioneer, Søren Kierkegaard, whose personal torment birthed a philosophy that continues to challenge our understanding of freedom and responsibility.
