1. Existentialism: a group of attitudes (current in philosophical, religious, and artistic thought during and after World War II) that emphasizes existence rather than essence and sees the inadequacy of human reason to explain the enigma of the universe as a basic philosophical question.

2. The existentialist believes that the significant fact is that we and things in general exist, but that these things have no meaning for us except as we can create meaning through acting upon them. Famous existential quote: “I think; therefore, I exist.” (Descartes) Began with 19 th century Danish theologian, Soren Kierkegaard

3. Existentialism has found art and literature to be unusually effective methods of expression. It is mostly found in the novels of: Jean-Paul Sartre (most famous for it), Franz Kafka, Fyodor Dostoyevski, Albert Camus, and Simone de Beauvoir …and the plays of: Sartre, Samuel Beckett and Eugene Ionesco.

4. Key belief: Human beings are totally free but also wholly responsible for what they make of themselves. This freedom and responsibility are the sources of their most intense anxiety. This philosophy can lead to nihilism (an extreme form of skepticism that all values are baseless), and hopelessness.

5. 1913 Born in Algeria. 1935-1938 Ran the Theatre de l'Equipe. 1939 Volunteered for service in WWII, but rejected due to illness. 1941 Joined the French Resistance against the Nazis and became an editor of Combat an underground newspaper. 1941 Writes the novel L'etranger (The Stranger) and meets Jean Paul Sartre. 1942 Writes the play Caligula, and Le Mythe de Sisyphe (The Myth of Sisyphus). 1946 Writes the novel La Peste (The Plague). 1947 Writes the play Les Justes (The Just Assassins). 1951 Writes L’Homme Revolte (The Rebel) and the short stories L’Exile et le Royaume (Exile and the Kingdom). 1956 Writes the novel La Chute (The Fall). 1957 Wins the Nobel Prize in Literature. 1960 Jan. 4 dies in an auto accident on the road to Paris.