The Concept of Dread

The concept of fear (or anxiety) is of enormous importance in existential philosophy. Existentialists give fear a positive meaning: it is necessary for pulling a person out of mindless living. Fear is like fire—it burns away everything unessential and temporary; only in it does true existence open. Soren Kierkegaard was the first to write about this (1813–1855)—a Danish philosopher and psychologist, the founder of existentialism. Then the theme was continued by other representatives of this movement, in particular Rollo May (1909–1994), an American philosopher and psychologist, theorist of existential psychology. He examines the main problems of human existence: anxiety and fear, freedom, responsibility, and fate; in addition, he provides a historical overview of how these ideas developed in scientific thought.