Søren Kierkegaard (1813 – 1855) was a Danish philosopher, theologian, literary critic, poet, whose works had a considerable impact on 20th-century philosophy, theology, literature and psychology. Kierkegaard is also known as the first existentialist philosopher, proposing that each individual (not religion or society) is solely responsible for giving meaning to life.
On faith:
Kierkegaard stressed that to have faith is at the same time to have doubt. In other words, to truly have faith in God, one should realize that one's beliefs about God are doubtful. A person who believes in God without doubt is not genuinely religious but rather credulous, since faith would have no real substance without personal commitment to justification of one's beliefs. In this regard, Kierkegaard emphasizes the importance of the self, grounded in self-reflection.
On angst:
Kierkegaard was first to use the term angst to describe an intense feeling of apprehension and unfocused fear. Meaning "anxiety" in Danish, this concept was later reappeared in existentialist works of Heidegger, Nietzsche and Sartre. In particular, anxiety carries a conceptual meaning of freedom of choice which is two-sided. On one hand, anxiety is a presupposition for sin. Kierkegaard gives an example of anxiety that comes from a choice of Adam who should decide whether eat a forbidden fruit or not. He was free to choose, but ate the fruit committing a sin. On the other hand, anxiety informs us of our choices and personal responsibility. So, an experience of anxiety brings us to reflective consciousness of our identity and potential.
