Oliverson 1
Kailee Oliverson
Philosophy
Essay 3
Analysis of Soren Kierkegaard Existentialism
As a fierce critic of Christian religious dogma, Soren Kierkegaard (1813–1855), a Danish
Christian philosopher, theologian, and social critic, is widely considered as founding figure in
existentialism. He was convinced that the Christian faith during what is referred to as “Golden
age” as it was practiced at that time, had lost its focus and way. Kierkegaard believed that a
human being’s relationship with God must not be easy but hard-won, a matter of devotion and
suffering. He was opposed to Mill and Marx theories that human actions are governed by pain
and pleasure. According to Kierkegaard, a person becomes a committed, responsible human
being by making difficult decisions and sacrifices. The force of Kierkegaard’s philosophy is
centered in the notion that human life is paradoxical and absurd and that in order to confront this
absurdity one needs to become truly human. His work was intended to analyze and give new
energy to Christianity within Christendom. This paper analyses Soren Kierkegaard theory of
existentialism.
Utilitarianism, by John Stuart Mill, provide support for the value of utilitarianism as a
moral theory. Mill defines utilitarianism as a theory based on the principle that “actions are right
in proportion as they tend to promote happiness and wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of
happiness. He defines happiness as pleasure and the absence of pain. Mill argues that pleasure
can differ in quality and quantity, and that pleasures that are rooted in one’s higher faculties
Oliverson 2
should be weighted more heavily than baser pleasures. Furthermore, Mill argues that people’s
achievement of goals and ends, such as virtuous living, should be counted as part of their
happiness. He argues that utilitarianism coincides with “natural” sentiments that originate from
humans’ social nature. Therefore, if society were to embrace utilitarianism as an ethic, people
would naturally internalize these standards as morally binding. Mill argues that happiness is the
sole basis of morality, and that people never desire anything but happiness. He supports this
claim by showing that all the other objects of people’s desire are either means to happiness, or
included in the definition of happiness (SparkNotes 2020). Mill explains at length that the
sentiment of justice is actually based on utility, and that rights exist only because they are
necessary for human happiness.
Critics hold that it does not provide adequate protection for individual rights, that not
