Guest Author - Lisa Shea

Søren Kierkegaard lived from 1813 to 1855. In that time he became well known for his philosophies of existentialism.

Kierkegaard was the child of a wealthy family in Denmark and immersed himself in writing and philosophical explorations. He loved the social life, spending freely and drinking and partying. Even while he lived the high life, he also suffered severe doubts about himself privately. He felt guilty about the many bills that his father had to pay for him.

Many of Kierkegaard's published works talked about this dichotomy of inner turmoil and outer freedom.

Kierkegaard became a role model for many other philosophers of his time, inspiring them to explore further how much mankind had become a society of item-gatherers that became more unhappy even as they became more prosperous. In particular, Marxists felt that Kierkegaard explained the problems of the modern world quite well.

Kierkegaard was once engaged for a year, but in the end he could not give up his freedom or solitude. He broke off the engagement and chose the life of a bachelor.

In 1854, Kierkegaard launched an attack on the church and their wealthy ways - how they claimed to respect poverty and yet surrounded themselves in gold taken from the poor. Kierkegaard's efforts did not last long - he collapsed in 1855 and died shortly thereafter.