Editing Angst (section)

== Existentialism ==
{{See also|Philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard#Dread or anxiety}}
In [[Existentialism|existentialist]] [[philosophy]], the term ''angst'' carries a specific conceptual meaning. The use of the term was first attributed to [[Denmark|Danish]] [[philosopher]] [[Søren Kierkegaard]] (1813&ndash;1855). In ''[[The Concept of Anxiety]]'' (originally translated as ''The Concept of Dread''), Kierkegaard used the word ''Angest'' (in common Danish, ''angst'', meaning "dread" or "anxiety") to describe a profound and deep-seated condition. Where non-human animals are guided solely by [[instinct]], said Kierkegaard, human beings enjoy a [[freedom of choice]] that we find both appealing and terrifying.<ref name=Collins /><ref name=nyt1>{{cite news|first=Gordon|last=Marino|title=The Danish Doctor of Dread|url=http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/the-danish-doctor-of-dread/|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|location=New York City|date=March 17, 2012|access-date=May 18, 2013}}</ref> It is the anxiety of understanding of being free when considering undefined possibilities of one's life and the immense responsibility of having the power of choice over them.<ref name=nyt1/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Backhouse|first1=Stephen|title=Kierkegaard: A Single Life|date=2016|publisher=HarperCollins Christian Publishing|isbn=9780310520894|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MLTxCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT176|access-date=17 July 2017|language=en}}</ref> Kierkegaard's concept of angst reappeared in the works of existentialist philosophers who followed, such as [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], [[Jean-Paul Sartre]], and [[Martin Heidegger]], each of whom developed the idea further in individual ways. While Kierkegaard's angst referred mainly to ambiguous feelings about moral freedom within a [[religion|religious personal belief system]], later existentialists discussed conflicts of personal principles, cultural norms, and [[existential despair]].