Existentialist Philosophy
Søren Kierkegaard
The Philosopher of the Leap
Where to Start Reading
Either/Or (abridged, trans. Alastair Hannay)
Kierkegaard's most famous work — two competing philosophies of life presented as manuscripts found in a desk. The Penguin abridged edition is the way in. 'The Seducer's Diary' in Part One and Judge Wilhelm's letters in Part Two are the essential sections.
The Concept of Anxiety
Short, dense, and the source of existentialism's central idea: anxiety as the experience of freedom. Not easy, but the payoff — understanding why possibility itself can be terrifying — is immense.
Fear and Trembling
Kierkegaard retells Abraham and Isaac to explore what it means to make a commitment beyond reason. The 'leap of faith' originates here. Short and electrifying — his most accessible philosophical work.
“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.”