EXISTENTIALISM Jackson Pollack, Untitled (Green-Silver), 1949

Existentialism: Concerned with the existential (living, concrete): Who am I? What does my life mean? Why do I feel guilty? Why am I afraid? What am I to do? philosophy that says that meaning and choice as they affect individuals is what is most important. Concerns: the meaning of the individual, freedom, living an authentic life, alienation, and mortality. Inevitable in modern age? Postindustrial, highly specialized, technical, “sophisticated” society creates loss of individuality, pressure to conform, threat to human freedom: the massing of society.

Existentialism (cont.): Most fashionable philosophy in Europe immediately following WWII. Flourished in universities, journalism, among intellectuals, in poems, novels, plays, films. Major figures in 19th century: Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche. Major figures in 20th century: Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre.

Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Generally thought to be founder of existentialism. Kierkegaard thought that the individual, the personal, the subjective aspects of human life are the most important.

Kierkegaard (cont.): Most important human activity is decision-making: through our choices, we create our lives and become ourselves. Scientific objectivity is dangerous: reveals facts and truths but not the truth. Felt people were too dependent on experts to point out way to salvation or personal growth. Authenticity results when an individual lives honestly and courageously in the moment without refuge in excuses, and without reliance on groups or institutions for meaning or purpose. In-authenticity results when the nature and needs of the individual are ignored, denied or made less important than institutions, abstractions, or groups.

Existence Precedes Essence Existentialism is the title of the set of philosophical ideals that emphasize the existence of the human being, the lack of meaning and purpose in life, and the solitude of human existence… “Existence precedes essence” implies that the human being has no essence (no essential self).

Dread and Anxiety Dread is a feeling of general apprehension. Kierkegaard interpreted it as God’s way of calling each individual to make a commitment to a personally valid way of life. Anxiety stems from our understanding and recognition of the total freedom of choice that confronts us every moment, and the individual’s confrontation with nothingness.

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) “God is dead.” Believed life is meaningless, full of suffering and striving; the universe is indifferent to human suffering; still, he believed life is all there is and that we should live life to the fullest and get all we can out of it. Question for Nietzsche: How do we live a full life in a godless, meaningless world? Because there is no God, the morals and values that we attribute to God are instead human creations; therefore, we are free to choose whatever values it is in our interests to have. -Nietzsche didn’t believe in God or that we have immortal souls. -Freedom - no God, no rules we must live by.

Nietzsche (cont.): For Nietzsche what we should value is the “will to power” or the drive to reach our full potential. The human being who reaches his full potential is a super-human-being or “superman.” Accepting this value will lead to great human achievement and allow the gifted self-fulfillment and personal happiness. Although it may lead to conflicts, these should be welcomed as should the destruction of the weak. -Ancient morals and values come from societies unlike our own and from religions many no longer believe in. -Values such as those proposed by figures like Socrates and Jesus were wrong: protecting the weak from the strong or that justice should reign over strength. -

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980): Born in Paris; internationally known philosopher, novelist, playwright. Awarded Nobel Prize in literature in 1964; turned it down. Existence precedes essence: We have no “given nature;” we become who we are through freedom of choice and moral responsibility. We are born into existence that has no divine purpose; life is often absurd or horrible and the only true values are the ones we create for ourselves. “Bad faith”: when people are too terrified to face the freedom and responsibility of choice and revert to old existing norms and rules (religious). “Commitment”: Choosing and living in accord with the choice.

Jean-Paul Sartre (cont.): WWII: Joined the French army in 1939. Captured and imprisoned by Germans for nine months. Released for poor health; contributed to Sartre’s belief that evil is not an abstraction; it is real and concrete. Any attempt to rationalize or deny evil fails: an ordered universe governed by a loving, powerful God is not possible; the universe is indifferent to us. Science is not a certainty given that concentration camps were both “scientific” and “rationally ordered.” Even the order of Nature is a delusion; nature does not care about us. Belief in these ideas are attempts to evade the awesomeness of choice.

Albert Camus (1913-1960) Author of “existential” or “absurdist” novels: The Stranger (1942), The Plague(1947), The Fall(1956). Coined description “absurd”: the situation in which human beings demand that their lives should have significance in an indifferent universe which is itself totally without meaning or purpose. Believed we must respond to the absurd by refusing to give into the despair caused by the realization of life’s meaninglessness; instead, we must rebel against our cosmic circumstances by choosing to live life to the fullest.

The Myth of Sisyphus Camus’ 1942 essay which introduces the idea of the absurd. The myth: As punishment from the gods for trickery, Sisyphus was forced to roll a huge boulder up a steep hill, but just before he reached the top, the rock would roll back down the hill, forcing him to begin again. The punishment is both frustrating and pointless; to Camus, life is similarly absurd in that it, too, is pointless. In the essay, he offers his solution to this situation.

Nihilism Existential nihilism is the belief that life has no intrinsic meaning or value. With respect to the universe, existential nihilism posits that a single human or even the entire human species is insignificant, without purpose and unlikely to change in the totality of existence. The meaninglessness of life is largely explored in the philosophical school of existentialism

Nihilism According to… Kierkegaard posited an early form of nihilism, to which he referred as leveling. He saw leveling as the process of suppressing individuality to a point where the individual's uniqueness becomes non-existent and nothing meaningful in his existence can be affirmed.

Nihilism According to… Nietzsche characterized nihilism as emptying the world and especially human existence of meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value. Perspectivism: his notion that "knowledge" is always by someone of some thing: it is always bound by perspective, and it is never mere fact

Angst Angst - Pronounced ˈäŋ(k)st, ˈ It is used in English to describe an intense feeling of apprehension, anxiety, or inner turmoil. Kierkegaard used the word to describe a profound and deep-seated condition. Where animals are guided solely by instinct, said Kierkegaard, human beings enjoy a freedom of choice that we find both appealing and terrifying

Angst cont’d Angst began to be discussed in reference to popular music in the mid- to late 1950s amid widespread concerns over international tensions and nuclear proliferation. Jeff Nuttall's book Bomb Culture (1968) traced angst in popular culture to Hiroshima. Dread was expressed in works of folk rock such as Bob Dylan's Masters of War (1963) and A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall. The term often makes an appearance in reference to punk rock, grunge, nu metal, and works of emo where expressions of melancholy, existential despair or nihilism predominate.

“I will be what I choose to be.” It is impossible to transcend human subjectivity. “There are no true connections between people.” My emotions are yet another choice I make. I am responsible for them.

All existentialists are concerned with the study of being or ontology. TO REVIEW: An existentialist believes that a person’s life is nothing but the sum of the life he has shaped for himself. At every moment it is always his own free will choosing how to act. He is responsible for his actions, which limit future actions. Thus, he must create a morality in the absence of any known predetermined absolute values. God does not figure into the equation, because even if God does exist, He does not reveal to men the meaning of their lives. Honesty with oneself is the most important value. Every decision must be weighed in light of all the consequences of that action. Life is absurd, but we engage it!

Existential Movies No Country for Old Men Blade Runner (1982) The Thin Red line Fight Club Easy Rider Apocalypse Now The Big Lebowski The Truman Show Groundhog Day