Kierkegaard’s Authorship, Critique Of Rationalism, And The Individual

Abstract

This research examines Søren Kierkegaard’s authorship, his critique of rationalism, and his perspective on the individual within Christianity. It explores how Kierkegaard regarded his life and writings as a response to an era overshadowed by rationalism, speculative philosophy, and a decline in authentic religious experience. The study emphasises the evolution of his writings from aesthetics and speculation to Christian faith, highlighting his pseudonymous works, indirect communication, and the Socratic or maieutic method. Johannes Climacus and Anti-Climacus are presented as contrasting yet complementary expressions of his ideas. It also shows how he adapted the Socratic method through Christian revelation, focusing on faith and God as central to genuine or authentic communication and existence. The paper further discusses his views on the individual and humanity, stressing sin, responsibility, freedom, solidarity, and the individual’s relationship with God and others. Ultimately, this paper analyses Kierkegaard’s self-understanding as a corrective to his era through his existential and religious perspective on human life...