The critique of modernism and the question of existence in Søren Kierkegaard

According to Søren Kierkegaard, the realization of human existence and the attainment of selfhood inevitably involve confronting a number of obstacles. On the path toward discovering their authentic identity, individuals must overcome these barriers and persist in the effort to uncover their true selves. At times, these obstacles may consist of elements that a person is unwilling to face or make sacrifices for. However, one must act with resolute will, choose to become oneself, and struggle against all difficulties encountered along the way. Kierkegaard identified Modernism as one of the primary obstacles to authentic existence. In his view, Modernism and what he referred to as the "public"—the anonymous crowd—alienate the individual from their true self. Immersed in a passive and will-less mass, the individual becomes unable to realize selfhood and loses their sense of identity. What can rescue the individual from this condition—and what makes one truly human—is existence itself. In this context, the primary aim of this study is to understand and evaluate Kierkegaard's thoughts and contributions on the matter. For Kierkegaard, existence is the lived, concrete reality of the individual. Accordingly, he focuses on the human being and insists that the individual must express their essence through free choices. Yet this is not something that can be achieved immediately; rather, it is the result of a process involving three stages: the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious.