Existentialism Essays

Essay about The Philosophy of Existentialism
'The most dangerous follower is he whose defection would destroy the whole party: that is to say,
the best follower.' – Friedrich Nietzsche
Being recognizable and distinctive nowadays is something most individuals seek after. To become
important or standing out in any community is not something today's individuals have created or
whatsoever! Ever since the twentieth century and even before, that belief and eagerness to prove
your existence has been noticeably present. Not only between common people has this been there,
also philosophers had sincerely thought about that humanly keenness to prove that one is different
and essential, and tried to philosophically explain it.
The term used for that theory is existentialism; as explained by...show more content...
Another observation is that most of these philosophers were either religious moralists (a
philosopher who specializes in moral issues related to religion), agnostic relativists (who are
people that believe the existence of a higher power can't be proven or disproven, as well as
believe that some elements of experience are relative in terms of what they depend on, for
example), or the last and most common type are amoral atheists (who are people that don't believe
in the existence of a higher god, however don't have their own sets of morals and ethics that they
follow).
This, we can most clearly regard in the two most famous philosophers of the 19th century that have
been one of the first; SГёren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. Later on during the 20th century,
Martin Heidegger (a German philosopher) influenced other existentialist philosophers like Albert
Camus, Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir. Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher, was a religious
philosopher that believed in god however was interested in the individual silent struggle of humans
with their so seeming meaningless life, and the way they used diversion to escape this world's
boredom.
Nietzsche on the other hand, the German philosopher, was a pure anti–Christian that argued that
"God is dead" (according to the change that has happened in the European churches at that
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Essay about Existentialism
"The world is, of course, nothing but our conception of it."
This quote, by Anton Chekhov, seems obvious and easy to relate to. However, it perfectly describes
the concept of existentialism, which is neither obvious nor relatable. Existentialism is "a modern
philosophical movement stressing the importance of personal experience and responsibility and the
demands that they make on the individual, who is seen as a free agent in a deterministic and
seemingly meaningless universe" ("Existentialism"). Existentialism is a difficult philosophy to
grasp, but by exploring examples in literature and art, one can come to a better understanding of its
basic tenets.
The first tenet of existentialism is individualism and alienation, which is revealed...show more
content...
Before his metamorphosis, his days were mindless, and since all he did was work, he was alienated
from his family, who did not appreciate him; also due to his obsession with work, he did not partake
in society, either. After his metamorphosis, no one understood Gregor, making him entirely alone.
Just as The Metamorphosis demonstrates the alienation tenet of existentialism, "A Hunger Artist,"
also by Franz Kafka, describes the theme of individualism. The hunger artist is a man who
"performs" for his audiences by locking and displaying himself in a cage where he then proceeds
to starve himself. His fasts last for long periods, stretching for forty days at some points. He is
obviously alone and isolated in the cage, but he is also alienated from society. This is because he
rejects the practice of eating, which he does because he just does not like food. The hunger artist
represents famous musicians, writers, painters, and other artists, who are alone because they are
misunderstood and essentially isolated from the realm of society. This perfectly describes the
existential tenet of individualism and alienation. "The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Gilman also
shows this tenet. "The Yellow Wallpaper" is about Jane, a woman suffering from what one might
interpret as postpartum depression. Her husband, John, who is a doctor, prescribes

Existentialism Essay
Jean–Paul Sartre says "man is nothing else but what he makes of himself" (762). This
existentialist view depicts the idea that one is not based on the essence of a soul, but rather, based
on decisions made throughout life. Sartre also believes that every man is responsible for all men.
One may choose his marriage partner, however, inchoosing to marry, one chooses monogamy.
Decisions that individuals make will collectively create a set of principles and beliefs for all of man.
Many people believe that a person's decisions are a reflection of his soul and personality. However,
it is more likely that the conclusion a person reaches is due to the influence of different ideas, as well
as the circumstances surrounding the choices....show more content...
There is no longer the sense of "God judging man" so one must make his own decisions
and based on them he is "condemned to be free" (765–766). Sartre believes that man is
condemned because he did not choose to exist, but is also free because he is completely responsible
for his actions.
Existentialism does not allow room for mistake. A person has no one to blame for bad decisions or
misunderstandings. One cannot say, "I have had bad luck" because existentialism does
not believe in fortune or misfortune, but only in personal decisions. This enhances the true reality
of life. Situations create the future and therefore hopes and dreams are a mere loss of reality. The
future is produced by a person's decisions and so one should not dream but rather, make decisions
that will lead to a beneficial life in the future.
Sartre also says "a man who lies and makes excuses for himself by saying 'not everybody
does that,' is someone with an uneasy conscience, because the act of lying implies that a universal
value is conferred upon the lie" (764). This further illustrates the concept that there is an
unwritten law for man, and creates the idea of good and bad. There are choices that are universally
made when a person is placed in the same situation, with the same circumstances. Sartre believes that
man should base his decisions on the thought that all of mankind is watching and will guide

existentialism Essay
Existentialism provides a moving account of the agony of being in the world. The spirit of existen–
tialism has a long history in philosophy. But it be– came a major movement in the second half of the
20th century. Existentialism is not a systematic body of thought like Marxism or psychoanalysis.
Instead, it is more like an umbrella under which a very wide range of thinkers struggled with ques–
tions about the meaning of life.
Much of the appeal and popularity of Existential– ism is due to the sense of confusion, the crisis, and
the feeling of rejection and rootlessness that Euro– peans felt during World War II and its aftermath.
Existentialism's focus on each person's role in cre– ating meaning in their life was a major influence
...show more content...
His being does not emerge from necessity. If a human being rejects the false pretensions, the
illusions of his existence hav– ing a meaning, he encounters the absurdity, the fu– tility of life. The
human being's role in the world is not predetermined or fixed; every person is com– pelled to make
a choice. Choice is one thing the human being must make. The trouble is that most often the human
being refuses to choose. Hence, he cannot realize his freedom and the futility of his existence.
Basically existence is of two types: authentic and inauthentic forms of existence. Authentic existence
is contrasted with dynamic and is the being–for– itself, rising from the human being's bad faith, by
which the human being moves away from the bur– den of responsibility, through this beliefs in
dogma and by regarding himself as subject to outside in– fluences and his actions to be
predetermined.
There is a striking contrast between the authentic and the inauthentic forms of being; the authentic
being is the being of the human being and the inau– thentic being is the being for things. Yet,
authentic being is only rarely attained by the human being; still it is what the human being must
strive to gain. The inauthentic being–in–itself is characteristically distinctive of things; it is what the
human being is diseased with for his failure to see himself as and act according as a free agent and
his impotency to

Essay Existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism refers to the philosophical movement or tendency of the nineteenth and twentyth
centuries. Because of the diversity of positions associated with existentialism, a precise definition is
impossible; however, it suggests one major theme: a stress on individual existence and, consequently,
on subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice {3}. Existentialism also refers to a family of
philosophies devoted to an interpretation of human existence in the world that stresses its
concreteness and its problematic character. Existentialism is often seen as an irrationlist revolt
against tradiational phylosphy. Although this may be true to a certain point, existentialism has
played a key role in the way...show more content...
Nineteenth–century Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard
{4, 333} reacted against this tradition, insisting that the individual's highest good is to find his or her
own unique vocation. In terms of moral choice, existentialists have argued that there is no objective,
rational basis for decisions; they stress the importance of individualism in deciding questions of
morality and truth. Most existentialists have held that rational clarity is desirable wherever possible
but that life's most important questions are not accessible to reason or science. The first to anticipate
existentialism's major concerns was seventeenth–century
French philosopher Blaise Pascal, who denounced a systematic philosophy that presumes to explain
God and humanity. He saw life in terms of paradoxes: The human self, combining mind and body, is
itself a contradiction. Later, Kierkegaard rejected a total rational understanding of humanity and
history, stressing the ambiguity and absurdity of the human situation. Nineteenth–century German
philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche espoused tragic pessimism and life–affirming individual will.
Heidegger argued that human beings can never hope to understand why they are here; instead, each
individual must choose a goal and follow it with passionate conviction, aware of the certainty of
death and the ultimate meaninglessness of one's life. Twentieth–century French philosopher Jean

Existentialism
Existentialism and its facets
There are many philosophies that people use in their lives. Some of the ways of thinking are linked
to some prominent people. There is idealism, naturalism, experimentalism, and existentialism among
others. This essay explores existentialism, which has been postulated by Sartre among others. The
other proponents of existentialism include Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, martin Buber, Martin Heidegger
and Martin Buber. The weakness and strengths of existentialism are going to be discussed in this
essay. The main facets of existentialism that are going to be discussed include the following:
authenticity, existence precedes essence, being and nothingness, being–in–itself, being–for–itself
and man being condemned to be...show more content...
We are free to determine how we live. We should not be tied to the views and dictates of the
society in which we live. We make who we are by the choices we make on a day to day basis. We
are responsible for coming up with our own values. There is no a predetermined value system, a
value system created by the society or religion. What we do is what we value. We are not like
equipment that is made for a particular or special reason. A knife is made to cut; but we are not
made for any particular purpose. We determine the purpose for our lives. Another aspect is that of
facticity. This means that, we, as individuals have not chosen to be borne and live the way we do.
We have been made to live on this earth not through our own choices. The other aspect is that of
anxiety. This facet says that we do not have an established reason for existence, what we do
depends on our individual choices. So we choose our values as well as how we want to live our
lives. The issue of despair means that we live in a world which we have no control over. What
happens in the world we live we have no control on. One example could be that of climate change.
We no longer have control over it. Some natural disasters that happen cannot be controlled by us.
The concept of authenticity means that we must live according to the choices that we make not the
choices other people force us to make. We must be completely free to do what we want. However,
for these choices we must

Example Of Existentialism
Existentialism is a movement in philosophy and literature that began in the mid to late 19th and
reach its peak in mid–20th century, and was largely spread through the works of French
existentialist like Jean Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and Simone de Beauvoir (Mastin L, 2008). There
is no agreed definition of existentialism, as those who are considered as "existentialist" do not share
the same exact thought on the subject though the starting point may be fairly linked. Jean Paul
Sartre, defines existentialism as a school of thought where one's existence comes before his essence.
Being an atheist existentialist, he argues that there is no God and that man existed first and defines
himself afterwards. Thus "there is no human nature, because there is no God to have a conception of
it. Man simply is" (Jean Paul Sartre,...show more content...
Eliza Binte Elahi (2014), explains that metaphysics deals with questions that can't be answered by
Science, like the existence of God or the difference between reality and perception thus
questioning the pure existence of human beings on earth. TS Eliot is considered to be a fine
example of a metaphysical poet as "he wrestles with noumenal experiences using extended
metaphor, as the 'Things of God's cannot be known in any other way'" (Dr Niamh C, 2012).
According to his biography, one of his famous poem "The Waste Land", was written when he was
facing some hardships in his life; his marriage was falling and he was suffering of nervous
disorder. The physical and mental distress of the poet may provide an indication about the state of
mind in which "The Waste Land" was written, which seems to have greatly influenced the choice
of the title of the poem itself. The sub title "The Burial of the Dead" is equally troubling providing
an obscure and dark atmosphere about the poem. It seems like the titles chosen act as a foretaste of
what is to come

Existentialism : What Is It? Essay
Salena LeDonne
23 December 2016
Period 6
Mr. Reidinger
Existence: What Is It? One of the most persistent, haunting dilemmas is the uncertainty of the
meaning of life. Although there is no single answer to this enigma, there are countless theories
concerning it. For example, one philosophical approach is known as Existentialism. Jean Paul Sartre,
a well–known existentialist, introduced his 3–word ideology, existence precedes essence in his
lecture titled Existentialism is a Humanism which was presented during 1940's Europe, a time when
people needed a new foundation of thinking. From then, the theory gained popularity and became the
backbone of future pieces. For example, even Charles M. Shultz's cheery cartoon series Peanuts has
camouflaged existential crises through it's characters, particularly Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
According to The Atlantic journalist Sarah Boxer, Peanuts offers more philosophical insight than
one might expect, "the strip's cozy suburban conviviality, its warm fuzziness, actually conveyed
some uncomfortable truths about the loneliness of social existence" (1). Both Charlie and Snoopy
are much like the characters found in existential literature, as they are alienated by their peers and,
"like the existential human in a world of silent or absent deities, Schulz's characters exist in a world
of silent or absent adult authority" (Radke).
Additionally, Sartre writes a short story titled The Wall, which reinforces the same principles of
Existentialism.

Existentialism Essay example
In his 1946 essay Existentialism, Jean–Paul Sartre undertakes the task of defending existentialism
against what he defines as "charges" (341) brought against it. Sartre begins to outline the "charges"
brought against existentialism and further, existentialists. Following the medieval quaestio–form,
Sartre begins with the statement of the objection, a short discussion, and then his reply to each. The
first of the charges is that of quietism. "First, it has been charged with inviting people to remain in a
kind of desperate quietism because, since no solutions are possible, we should have to consider
action in this world as quite impossible" (341). Historically, quietism was a Christian philosophy that
advocated withdrawal from worldly...show more content...
Before I begin to discuss the replies Sartre provides for each objection raised, it is important to
establish what Sartre believes existentialism to be. That is, it is important to understand exactly what
Sartre is defending. Sartre begins his definition by defining the two groups of existentialists:
Christian existentialists and atheistic existentialists. Sartre aligns himself with the atheistic
existentialists for the remainder of the essay. What the existentialist philosophers have in
common, and where Sartre begins his definition, is the idea that existence precedes essence. The
reader is provided the example of a paper cutter. A designer has a plan for a paper cutter in his/her
mind and sets about creating it with the preconceived notion of its function. This preconceived
notion is the essence of the object and thus for the object (a paper cutter) essence precedes
existence. That is to say the paper cutters being is predetermined. It would follow that for essence
to precede the existence in a person, there must be an individual to conceive of the beings essence
and thus bring about its existence. However, Sartre declares that there is no God and

Existentialism Essay
Existentialism, which spread rapidly over continental Europe after the First World War, is
essentially the analysis of the condition of man, of the particular state of being free, and of man's
having constantly to use his freedom in order top answer the ever– changing and unexpected
challenges of the day. According to the Existentialists, the starting point of every philosophical
investigation is concrete human existence. That means that human personality in itself should point
the way to the absolute value of reality. A single definition of existentialism is impossible.
Definitions, provided by dictionaries are only part of what existentialism is about. ...central to each
definition is the assertion that existentialism is a theory or...show more content...
When men acknowledges that there are others that makeup the society in which he exists, the man
discovers that he has identity. People know who he is and what he does, then he discovers that he is
"a being in the world of others"(4) If man can acknowledge his facticity situation, that is
accept that he is a being with biological and social past, that means that he is according to Sartre
acting clear headed, and in good faith. This means that man manifests his freedom authentically
and therefore his freedom is real. I think that Sartre's tenets are applicable to life. I can think of
many occasions in which we face realizations we are not prepare for and act without a clear head,
and this not allows us to achieve peace of our minds. Once a clear head is put to use, Sartre says,
the reconciliation and peace of mind will come (5) As atheist, Sartre states that no one can escape
from his/her freedom, and that the human being is absolute free, and as he believes there is no Got,
that means that our freedom is unrestricted. We and only we are responsible for

Strengths Of Existentialism
This assignment is about "the main features of the existentialist view" (UoPeople, 2017), or
existentialism, as well as the major strengths and weaknesses, and what is appealing or discouraging
about Sartre's Theory. First and foremost, existentialism is a philosophical theory or "approach that
emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their
own development through acts of the will" (Prezi, 2017). In other ways is a philosophy that focuses
on human existence and the important of their personal freedom, decision, and commitment. It
"originated with the 19th century philosophers" (Philosophybasics, 2017) Kierkegaard, who was
religious, and Nietzsche, an anti–Christian, though "they never used...show more content...
This is shown in magician when they perform their magic, and in prophets and religious leaders,
who believe and have faith in these deities, can heal people because of powers given from these
deities. So, if they don't exist, then why is there a practical proof of them in these people? Another
weakness of the existentialist view is the fact that when treating patients with psychological
problems, they may not fit in any of the four different themes discussed above. As a result, they
cannot be treated

Essay about Existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a philosophical movement that stresses individual existence. Human beings are
totally free and responsible for their own acts. Another main idea of existentialism is the limitation
of reason and the irreducibility of experience to any system. Man is not a detached observer of the
world; rather, he "exists" in a special sense – he is "in the world." Stones, trees, and other objects do
not share this existence, and man is open to the world and the objects in it. There is no set limit to
how many choices man must make, and no particular set of rules or values one must follow.
Rather, there is simply a framework in which action and choice are to be viewed, implying that there
are right and wrong ways of...show more content...
From the Christian standpoint, existentialists are charged with denying the reality and seriousness of
human undertakings, since, if they reject God's commandments and the eternal verities, there no
longer remains anything but pure caprice, with everyone permitted to do as he pleases and
incapable, from his own point of view, of condemning the points of view and acts of others.
In any case, what can be said from the very beginning is that by existentialism we mean a doctrine
which makes human life possible and, in addition, declares that every truth and every action implies
a human setting and a human subjectivity.
As is generally known, the basic charge against existentialists is that they put the emphasis on the
dark side of human life. Consequently, existentialism is regarded as something ugly; that is why
existentialists are said to be naturalists; and if they are, it is rather surprising that in this day and
age we cause so much more alarm and scandal than does naturalism, properly so called. The kind
of person who can take in his stride such a novel as Zola's The Earth is disgusted as soon as he
starts reading an existentialist novel; the kind of person who is resigned to the wisdom of the
ages–which is pretty sad–finds us even sadder. Yet, what can be more disillusioning than saying "true
charity begins

Existentialism Essays

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