Description Who Is Kierkegaard? Søren Kierkegaard (May 5, 1813 – November 11, 1855) was a thinker who shifted the subject of philosophy from logos to pathos. As reflected in his famous phrase "the single individual standing before God," he transformed philosophy from an objectivity centered on reason and the collective into a philosophy of subjectivity that emphasizes faith and individual personhood. Above all, he was a fighter who sought to awaken the essence of Christianity in an era when Christendom possessed the doctrine of truth but had lost the passion and reverence for it. Although Kierkegaard lived a short life of only 42 years, he left behind a body of work that is both vast in quantity and rich and profound in quality. In the preface to his book Socrates Meets Kierkegaard, philosopher Peter Kreeft even claims that in 2,000 years of the history of philosophy, no thinker besides Kierkegaard rivals Plato in uniting intellect and imagination, truth and beauty, philosophy and poetry, and objectivity and subjectivity. A Clear Overview of Kierkegaard's Thought Given that the ultimate purpose of Kierkegaard's philosophical achievements was to clarify what it means to become a true Christian and how this is possible, one cannot fully understand Kierkegaard without clearly grasping what faith means to him. From this perspective, this book—which addresses Kierkegaard's definition of faith—engages with the most essential question in his thought. The five books discussed here are undoubtedly among the most widely read and most discussed of Kierkegaard's texts. However, he published these works not under his own name but under three pseudonymous authors. The author of this book uses the works of these three pseudonyms as a foundation for providing a clear overview of Kierkegaard's entire body of original writing. The book begins with Fear and Trembling by "Johannes de Silentio," one of Kierkegaard's earliest and best-known pseudonymous works. It then moves to important middle-period works by the second pseudonymous author, "Johannes Climacus"—Philosophical Fragments and Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments. Finally, it closely examines the later, explicitly Christian works of the third pseudonymous author, "Anti-Climacus"—The Sickness Unto Death and Practice in Christianity—before arriving at a conclusion about what faith truly means. Given the profound depth of Kierkegaard's writings, systematically and objectively elucidating his thought is an extremely demanding task. The author demonstrates a firm grasp of the nuanced intentions behind Kierkegaard's complex and varied pseudonymous authors, while faithfully citing secondary literature to help readers clearly understand his ideas. Writing of this caliber would be impossible without a lifetime devoted to studying Kierkegaard. Becoming a True Christian This book is also strongly oriented toward practical, real-world application, making it valuable not only for scholars seriously seeking to understand Kierkegaard but also for everyday believers. From the standpoint of phenomenology and existentialism—and further, from the view that philosophy is not a speculative exercise but a practical discipline capable of transforming human life—the author illuminates Kierkegaard's thought through a variety of life anecdotes. Written with an emphasis on the concept of "edifying," which stresses the unity of knowledge and action, this book frees readers from the narrow notion that philosophy is merely a conceptual exercise in establishing theories. Instead, through its practical guidance, it helps Kierkegaard's Christian thought take deep root in our hearts and lives. In this sense, this is an essential book for anyone striving to become a truly faithful Christian. ◆ Kierkegaard as a Christian Thinker Kierkegaard was a genuine Christian who, in his own time, criticized a Christendom that possessed doctrine but had lost the passion and reverence for truth, seeking instead to awaken the true essence of Christianity. However, since the mid-20th century, Kierkegaard's ideas have been appropriated by various philosophers, and he has become widely known primarily as a forerunner of existentialism. To introduce his true character, this book re-examines Kierkegaard as a Christian thinker by reviewing his work through the lens of faith.