Episode Details

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and mind of Søren Kierkegaard, the 19th-century Danish theologian and author widely considered to be the father of existentialism,. We examine his upbringing in Copenhagen under a wealthy but stern father, and how his broken engagement to Regine Olsen became a defining influence on his prolific authorship,.

Listeners will learn about Kierkegaard’s unique literary method of "indirect communication," in which he utilized various pseudonyms—such as Johannes Climacus and Victor Eremita—to present conflicting aesthetic and ethical viewpoints in works like Either/Or and Fear and Trembling,,. We unpack his most profound philosophical contributions, including the concept of "angst" (anxiety), the idea that "subjectivity is truth," and the necessity of a "leap of faith" in the absence of objective certainty,,. Finally, the episode details his "Corsair affair" battle with the press and his dying attack upon the Danish State Church, tracing a legacy that would later influence thinkers from Jean-Paul Sartre to Karl Barth,,.