ABSTRACT
Life. Soren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) was born in Copenhagen during the depression that followed the Napoleonic Wars. His father's family was from the poverty-stricken region of West Jutland, although his father had established himself as a businessman in the capital and managed quite well during the economic crises. Soren never suffered from financial hardship; he lived off f f his inheritance during his short life. His childhood home, however, was marked by spiritual crises. His father was melancholic. Deaths and accidents befell the family. At a young age, Soren learned what spiritual suffering means. Externally, his life was simple: he studied theology and philosophy, obtaining a degree for a thesis On the Concept of Irony. He was a diligent writer, partly ironically withdrawn, partly polemically challenging. He made two trips to Berlin, where Hegel's speculative spirit permeated the atmosphere. He himself was responsible for the dramatic events in his life. This was true of his relationship with Regine Olsen, to whom he became engaged. He soon discovered that he could not live with her — a scandal in the Copenhagen of his day. This was also true of his polemical writings, especially the attack on Bishop Mynster in 1854. Mynster had been a close friend of Kierkegaard's family, but Kierkegaard felt that he had to react to what he saw as a counterfeiting of Christianity. Soren Kierkegaard died during this conflict.
