So what is Existentialism?

It’s a belief system… anarchism, liberalism, vegetarianism, buddhism, atheism, polytheism, pessimism, conservatism, optimism, cynicism, monogamism, paganism, marxism, feminism, communism, existentialism

Existentialism is a term that was first coined in Europe after WWI, and became more widely used after WWII. The feeling of imminent doom and pervasive negativity lead philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre to question the purpose of life, and ultimately to conceptualize existentialism. One reason that existentialism is so hard to define is that it was and is used as a blanket term to describe serveral different philosophies. Not everyone who labels him/herself an existentialist shares the same ideas. There are, however, common threads.

Existentialism: A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts. a 20th-century philosophical movement; assumes that people are entirely free and thus responsible for what they make of themselves

Here are some of the main ideas: Existence before essence: Humans exist first, their essence is created through choice. There is no predetermined nature, fate, or divine plan that governs lives.

Alienation Everything apart from an individual’s existence is otherness. This creates a disconnect or isolation from dominate social systems of thought.

Anguish Because the idea that individuals are each ultimately responsible for their actions and their lives is so overwhelming and frightening, individuals experience anguish, anxiety and nausea.

Despair In seeing the contrast between the world we are thrown into that we cannot control and the absolute freedom we have to create ourselves, we must despair of any hope of external value of determination and restrict ourselves to what is under our own control.

The Absurd There is no stable meaning in this life. Therefore existence is absurd – it has no meaning except that which each individual chooses to give it.

Freedom Existentialism is not dark. It is not depressing. It is about life and about the ultimate freedom all individuals have to define themselves.

Why? The developing ideas about modernity- esp. 19th century, individualist philosophies like that of Nietzsche. The end of historical progression WWI, Depression, WWII, Holocaust, Atomic Bomb, and the modern experience-

Here are some famous Existentialists:

Jean-Paul Sartre

Nietzsche Really a precursor

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced”

Albert Camus Camus was born in Algeria in 1913. He wrote both fiction and non- fiction, and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1957. When he died suddenly in 1960 he was considered “one of the most important literary figures of the Western World.”

The Stranger The Stranger is a short, Existentialist novel. You don’t have to like it, but you should try to engage intellectually with the ideas. It was written originally in French and translated into English.

RAP Essential Existential Questions   Who am I? Why am I here? What gives meaning to my life? What is love? How should I conduct myself in relation to others? What should I be doing? What is my true nature?