Danish philosopher and theologian who developed the existentialist account of authentic selfhood through the three stages of existence (aesthetic, ethical, religious) and attacked the systematic philosophy of Hegel as irrelevant to the individual's infinite passion.
Three stages: aesthetic (pleasure, immediacy), ethical (duty, social norms), religious (leap of faith, individual before God). The leap of faith: the transition to the religious stage cannot be rationally justified — it requires a passionate, subjective commitment that exceeds reason. Indirect communication: existential truth cannot be conveyed directly but only by inciting the reader's own subjective appropriation.
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