Abstract
This chapter describes Hägerström´s family- and cultural background, his childhood and relationship to religion. His arrival in the intellectually fervid milieu of Uppsala in 1887 sets the frame for discussing his early work, including the studies on Aristotle and Kant. Whereas the prevailing reading of his youth has entailed a series of problems, here four difficulties are presented as well as an alternative approach to Der junge Hägerström.