This program explores the worldview, writings, and anguished life of the 19th-century existential philosopher and critic Søren Kierkegaard. Rejected by his contemporaries and society—a society that he himself repudiated in his writing—Kierkegaard spurned Hegelian philosophy in favor of a belief in the supremacy of personal authenticity and self-determination. This and his "leap of faith" had an undeniable influence on literature, psychoanalysis, and theology in the 20th century. The program, presented as a lecture by a noted Kierkegaard scholar, portrays both the man and his work within a historical context. With English narration and subtitles. (60 minutes)