TEHRAN – Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard’s school of thought will be discussed in a session at the Book City Institute in Tehran on Tuesday.

Kierkegaard scholar Kiarash Sheikholeslam is scheduled to deliver a speech at the meeting beginning at 3 pm.

The session will also be screened live on the Telegram channel @bookcitycc and www.instagram.com/ketabofarhang.

Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813–1855) was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher.

He wrote critical texts on organized religion, Christianity, morality, ethics, psychology and the philosophy of religion, displaying a fondness for metaphor, irony and parables. 

Much of his philosophical work deals with the issues of how one lives as a “single individual”, giving priority to concrete human reality over abstract thinking and highlighting the importance of personal choice and commitment.

He was against literary critics who defined idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time and thought that Swedenborg, Hegel, Fichte, Schelling, Schlegel and Hans Christian Andersen were all “understood” far too quickly by “scholars”.

Kierkegaard’s theological work focuses on Christian ethics, the institution of the Church, the differences between purely objective proofs of Christianity, the infinite qualitative distinction between man and God and the individual’s subjective relationship to the God-Man Jesus the Christ, which came through faith.

Much of his work deals with Christian love. He was extremely critical of the doctrine and practice of Christianity as a state-controlled religion like the Church of Denmark. 

His psychological work explored the emotions and feelings of individuals when faced with life choices.

Some of Kierkegaard’s key ideas include the concept of “subjective and objective truths”, the knight of faith, the recollection and repetition dichotomy, angst, the infinite qualitative distinction, faith as a passion and the three stages on life’s way. 

Kierkegaard wrote in Danish and the reception of his work was initially limited to Scandinavia, but by the turn of the 20th century, his writings were translated into French, German and other major European languages. 

By the mid-20th century, his thought exerted a substantial influence on philosophy, theology and Western culture in general.

Photo: A portrait of Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard.

MMS/YAW