Not unlike Marx, much of Kierkegaard's philosophy is born in Hegel and yet is marked by a decisive departure. Whereas Marx believes that Hegel downplays the role of our material circumstances, Kierkegaard believes that the individual human subject gets lost within Hegel's grand idea. This, for many, makes Kierkegaard the father of existentialism as each of us must wrestle with our own existence and all which that existence implies. Questions of mortality, dread, embodied existence, and faith are therefore inseparable from philosophical inquiry. Rather than marginalizing these topics, Kierkegaard meets them head-on.
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I really like Kierkegaard's idea of living authentically. Although Kierkegaard talks about Chrisitanity in relation to this idea, he is not attempting to convert anyone. He states that no matter what way you choose to live, you must first CHOOSE the way you live and live that life authentically. Kierkegaard gives insight into the idea of the human being as individual, urging us to live authentically, all the while creating an "authentic" life specific to our individual choices and ideas. Kierkegaard's title as the "father of existentialism" suits him in that he asks us to wrestle with our own individual existence and questions of mortality, dread and faith. He asks us to look inward in order to live authentically outward. I dig him.
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