Søren Kierkegaard and "ESSENCE of PHILOSOPHY"

The Whipping Woman by Pablo Picasso

When most of people think about Scandinavia they remember vikings, snow, bright nights, hardworking, tolerance, technology, education, social democracy and welfare state. To me, beside Olof Palme, Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) ,the Danish philosopher, is the first and most important thing I imagine about Scandinavia. He made my life easier when I was a very young person, having lots of doubts, living under theocratic government and rules. It was hard for an 18 year old boy in that atmosphere to overcome his fear of judgement day while having doubts about God and his religions. Kierkegaard was a philosopher sufferd all his life. After his conclusion which Hegel's philosophy has something missing without talking about self and individualism, he began to think about morality, ethics, psychology, existence and organized religion. He displayed the metaphor of Irony for the first time and after criticizing his society he was ridiculed by Scandinavian elite. It took several years for him to take his real place in school of thought when during pre-WWI years his essays and thoughts has been translated and published widely. Now he is known as the first existentialist and made a great influence on lots of people from Kafka to Heidegger and Hans Christian Anderson. Here's one of his favorite quotes.

Marry, and you will regret it; don’t marry, you will also regret it; marry or don’t marry, you will regret it either way. Laugh at the world’s foolishness, you will regret it; weep over it, you will regret that too; laugh at the world’s foolishness or weep over it, you will regret both. Believe a woman, you will regret it; believe her not, you will also regret it… Hang yourself, you will regret it; do not hang yourself, and you will regret that too; hang yourself or don’t hang yourself, you’ll regret it either way; whether you hang yourself or do not hang yourself, you will regret both. This, gentlemen, is the essence of all philosophy.”