Disillusionment and a Quest for Truth

Grab a quote from the existential abyss that is this pouch! DO NOW 1/8/15 Grab a quote from the existential abyss that is this pouch! Once you receive your quote, interpret it by Writing down what it means in your own words. What question does the quote prompt you to ask? For example: “You are free and that is why you are lost.” – Franz Kafka Your teacher believes: Extensive liberty is frightening and unsettling because the decision making process places a lot of pressure upon an individual. Having the power to make decisions has consequences, and the individual is responsible for such consequences; meaning, that if the individual makes the wrong decision, they have no one to blame but themselves. The power of liberty is therefore unnerving. Makes me ask: Why are individuals so afraid to take responsibility for making their own decisions and unwilling to face the consequences?

Complete handout questions. AIM: How can gaining an understanding of existentialism help us understand our world on a philosophical level? VOCABULARY: Disillusion- disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be. Alienation- isolation; separation Absurd-arousing amusement or derision; ridiculous Despair- hopelessness Absurdity- ridiculous, unreasonable Essence- nature; reality; actuality Complete handout questions.

MINI LESSON: Existentialism A philosophy concerned with: What is my purpose? Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of my existence? Where do I fit in the world? What is important to me in life? Freedom? Knowledge? Belongings? What characteristics of self are important to me? How do I view myself in relation to the rest of the world? AM I really the same person that people view me to be? Philosophy based on the idea that “existence precedes essence.” Our nature (who we are) is determined by the actions we choose to do. Argues that we are FREE no matter what, even when we are alienated, in despair, or suffering. This freedom is unavoidable and sometimes uncomfortable. Everything about is a product of our own choices, and we are responsible for each and every detail of our lives. FREEDOM = CHOICE The most important thing is what we do with our freedom. Life gets meaning and purpose because of what we do with it- EVEN IF WE FEEL IT IS ABSURD- it is what we do with the absurdity. AIM: How can gaining an understanding of existentialism help us understand our world on a philosophical level?

Then answer the following: Discussion Choose one of the following existential questions and discuss it a partner. What is my purpose? Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? What is the meaning of my existence? Where do I fit in the world? What is important to me in life? Freedom? Knowledge? Belongings? What characteristics of self are important to me? How do I view myself in relation to the rest of the world? AM I really the same person that people view me to be? Then answer the following: When have you stopped to ask yourself any of these questions before? AIM: How can gaining an understanding of existentialism help us understand our world on a philosophical level?

Historical Context of Existentialism MINI LESSON: Historical Context of Existentialism Existentialism as a “school of thought” can be said to have officially established itself in the world of pop culture post World War II in Paris. Through authors like Camus and Sartre, people were now accessing the troubled world of the existential mind. People scattered these authors’ works across their living room coffee tables, discussed the latest existential article found in Vogue magazine and everyone in the halls of academia found themselves high on the buzz of existential reflection. It was a short-lived craze that would eventually be chalked up as a post war emotional response and its popularity among to masses declined almost as quickly as it rolled in. AIM: How can gaining an understanding of existentialism help us understand our world on a philosophical level?

ACTIVITY: INDEPENDENT WORK Read the following excerpt from the film Waking Life and annotate it by highlighting claims and counterclaims regarding existentialism. Do you agree with the claims being made about existentialism? Why or why not? AIM: How can gaining an understanding of existentialism help us understand our world on a philosophical level?

ACTIVITY: Exploring Existentialist Thought In pairs, work on answering the following questions. They are also on your handout. Hypothesize what led to this instant popularity and what caused its ultimate decline. Is tragedy the trigger to provoke deep self-examination? Why would this post war world generate a perfect moment in history for existential thinking to manifest in the realm of pop culture? Why would this way of thinking and this way of being be unsustainable by the masses? Could this really be the first time that humanity entered the realm of existential thought? What other points in history do you that existential thought may have found its way into literature and philosophical thinking? Why do you suppose this is? AIM: How can gaining an understanding of existentialism help us explore our world on a philosophical level?

SUMMARY Reflection: Fill in the reflection for this activity sheet. AIM: How can gaining an understanding of existentialism help us explore our world on a philosophical level?