Throughout retrospective analyses Kierkegaard has been viewed as an apolitical philosopher.[296][297][298] Despite this Kierkegaard did publish works of a political nature such as his first published essay, criticizing the movement for "women's liberation".[296] Although Kierkegaard's earlier works include some misogynist statements, a negative view of women is not found in his later works.[299] In these later works, he expressed that men and women are equal before God, showed great respect for certain women, and believed that women are also capable of being faithful.[299]
He attacked Hegelianism via elaborate parody throughout his works from Either/Or to Concluding Unscientific Postscript.[296] Despite his objections to Hegelianism, he expressed an admiration for Hegel personally and would even regard his system favourably if it was proposed as a thought experiment.[296]
Kierkegaard leaned towards conservatism,[298][300] being a personal friend of Danish king Christian VIII, whom he viewed as the moral superior of every Danish man, woman, and child. He argued against democracy, calling it "the most tyrannical form of government," arguing in favour of monarchy saying "Is it tyranny when one person wants to rule leaving the rest of us others out? No, but it is tyranny when all want to rule."[301] Kierkegaard held strong contempt for the media, describing it as "the most wretched, the most contemptible of all tyrannies".[302][303] He was critical of the Danish public at the time, labeling them as "the most dangerous of all powers and the most meaningless,"[302] writing further in Two Ages: A Literary Review that:
If I were to imagine this public as a person ... I most likely would think of one of the Roman emperors, an imposing, well-fed figure suffering from boredom and therefore craving only the sensate titillation of laughter, for the divine gift of wit is not worldly enough. So this person, more sluggish than he is evil, but negatively domineering, saunters around looking for variety.[304]
Some interpret Kierkegaard's thought as implying that in regards to serving God, sexuality is irrelevant "before God not only for men and women, but also for homosexuals and heterosexuals".[305][b]
Kierkegaard's political philosophy has been likened to neoconservatism, despite its major influence on radical and anti-traditional thinkers, religious and secular, such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Jean Paul Sartre.[307] It has also been likened to anti-establishment thought and has been described as "a starting point for contemporary political theories".[297]
