Why Does Kierkegaard Matter? | The Poet of Existence: Ep. 1

Søren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher and religious thinker, created one of the most consequential bodies of writing in human history.  One of the greatest literary writers, he is also widely regarded as the most important philosophers and theologians to create much of the 20th century: movements like existentialism, modern theology, and even forms of modern nihilism can be traced back to the work of Kierkegaard.  Kierkegaard is known as a delightful and difficult figure; like Socrates, he is ironic and hard to understand. He is also my first great teacher, so to honor his personal and historical influence, I am doing an 8 episode series on Soren Kierkegaard: The Poet of Existence.  Welcome to Episode One: Why Does Kierkegaard Matter?, where I ask why Kierkegaard matters, and explain his historical, philosophical, and spiritual importance today.