Soren Kierkegaard

1 9.5

A Danish philosopher who wrote about faith, ethics, and personal choice and helped start existentialism

proper noun
/ˈsɔrən ˈkɪrkəˌɡɔrd/

: Søren Kierkegaard

Many consider Soren Kierkegaard the father of existentialism.

Examples

Many scholars credit Soren Kierkegaard as a pioneer of existentialist thought in Western philosophy.
The works of Soren Kierkegaard continue to influence theology and philosophy today.
In his writings, Soren Kierkegaard emphasized the importance of personal choice and responsibility.
Did Soren Kierkegaard really believe in subjective truth?
In his writings, Soren Kierkegaard emphasized the importance of personal choice and responsibility.
Many scholars credit Soren Kierkegaard as a pioneer of existentialist thought in Western philosophy.
The works of Soren Kierkegaard continue to influence theology and philosophy today.

Surface Forms

Soren Kierkegaard main

Morphology

Soren + Kierkegaard

This is a personal name composed of two proper nouns with no lexical meanings that indicate profession or biography; knowing the components 'Soren' and 'Kierkegaard' does not allow a B1 learner to infer 'Danish philosopher' or existentialist significance. Proper names are arbitrary referents rather than compositional phrases, so the meaning cannot be derived from the constituents.

Etymology

Soren Kierkegaard was a Danish thinker in the 1800s who wrote about faith and how each person must make choices for themselves. Picture a serious man alone thinking about life; that's why his name now stands for ideas about 'making your own choices' and being responsible for your life.