Kierkegaard Publishes Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard published Either/Or, laying the foundations of existentialism by insisting that truth is found through individual choice, not abstract systems.
In 1843, Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard published Either/Or (Enten – Eller) under a pseudonym, presenting two contrasting ways of living: the aesthetic (pleasure-seeking) and the ethical (duty-bound). Rather than resolving the tension philosophically, Kierkegaard insisted that each individual must choose — and that this choice, made in anxiety and without guarantees, is the essence of authentic existence. This emphasis on subjectivity, freedom, anxiety, and the "leap of faith" made Kierkegaard the father of existentialism, influencing Heidegger, Sartre, Camus, and theologians like Karl Barth and Paul Tillich.
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