text: A text by this philosopher asks whether a certain mental state is "a merit or a defect" then discusses how it is borne out of defiance of forgiveness or our fear of not being forgiven.
full_question: A text by this philosopher asks whether a certain mental state is "a merit or a defect" then discusses how it is borne out of defiance of forgiveness or our fear of not being forgiven. That book by this philosopher opens by claiming that the self is "a relation which relates itself to itself" before claiming that "despair is sin." Part of a book by this philosopher traces the courting of Cordelia, reflecting this philosopher's relationship with Regine Olsen. That text by an aesthete is paired with admonitory letters by "the Judge" and is called "The Seducer's Diary". For 10 points, name this Danish existentialist who wrote The Sickness unto Death and Either/Or.
first_sentence: A text by this philosopher asks whether a certain mental state is "a merit or a defect" then discusses how it is borne out of defiance of forgiveness or our fear of not being forgiven.
raw_answer: Soren Aabye Kierkegaard