Kierkegaard was born in Copenhagen in 1813 and is now regarded as the father of
modern Existentialism. He was a disciple of Socrates. He studied Hegel's philosophy in Germany where he had learned his dialectical skills only to use it against Heger and his
philosophy later. Kierkegaard underwent a traumatic childhood and suffered through bad health, melancholia, and depression in his life. Kierkegaard rejected becoming a minister at the University of Copenhagen and he also broke his engagement with the girl he loved just for the sole reason that he did not consider himself worthy. Enten-Eller (Either- or) is one of the widely known works outside Denmark which he published in 1842. His dialectic ability has been considered equal to that of Plato.
Kierkegaard introduced the concept of three types of man in his famous book Enten-
Eller (Either--or), introduced three ways to view life: 'the aesthetic, the ethical and the
religious'. He did not present it as an idea but with a concrete living figure which was Don Juan, the seducer. The aesthetic type looks at life from a distance as separate from reality, where he observes and contemplates life. He is a rationalist, who is a positivist in his mind (thinking) but in his action, he looks from his satisfaction…an egoist. Thus his heart is cold
Coming to the ethical type is more representative of the Greek stoic. He states
“Aesthetic represents what man automatically is and ethics represents what he becomes".
Thus “Know thyself"; by Socrates is turned into “Choose for thyself". In this view, the man is not concerned with the world around but he rather contemplates himself to strive and overcome his guilt and look for ethical rules and values for his actions.
In the religious view, Kierkegaard states that for the individual to move to the supreme
(Religious) plane … the individual is required to destroy the ethical plane, thus it requires a "leap of faith" where one accepts the paradox of religion. Thus religion in its psychological peculiarity on one hand and moral as well as logic on the other hand. He who surrenders the ethics, lawfulness, and other attachments is the one who appears before God in his full freedom. As a result, Kierkegaard states that religious types are the only type that represents a true existential outlook.
Thus these three types are considered as possibilities of being. Kierkegaard also talks
about dread as a response to nothingness experienced by an individual. This nothingness
stems from innocence which is when a person doesn't know what is right what is wrong, what is evil what is good, what is punishment, and what is death... This gives rise to uncertainty also known as dread. Dread is, therefore, a possibility of freedom. It is essential to feel the dread and face it for us to attain potential. It is the connection to faith and absolutely creativity. Kierkegaard further explained a person shaped by dread is shaped by possibilities and only the one who is shaped by possibility is shaped into infinity...
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