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How did Kierkegaard and Nietzsche influence existentialism?

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Fragment of a Roman fresco showing Socrates seated and draped in a white robe, with Greek text above, on a red background with visible cracks. — Philosophical anthropology Socrates, Roman fresco, 1st century bce; in the Ephesus Museum, Selçuk, Turkey.

Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche are considered foundational figures of existentialism because they rejected the 19th-century optimism that sought to guarantee human destiny through abstract systems like Reason or the Absolute. Instead, they emphasized the instability, risk, and negative aspects of human reality.1

Søren Kierkegaard
Kierkegaard is often called the father of existentialism for his focus on the individual’s "inwardness" and the strenuous task of becoming a self. He criticized Hegelian philosophy for prioritizing abstract, lifeless systems over the concrete requirements of human existence. By interpreting existence in terms of possibility, he highlighted concepts like dread and despair as essential features of the human condition. His work emphasized that truth is found through subjective, personal appropriation rather than objective knowledge.231

Friedrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche influenced existentialism through his critique of traditional morality and his declaration that "God is dead," which signaled the collapse of metaphysical foundations for meaning. He argued that individuals must rise above "herd" morality to create their own values, embodied in his concept of the Übermensch (superman). His focus on self-affirmation and the "will to power" provided a framework for existentialists to explore authenticity in a world devoid of inherent, objective meaning.45