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Published byLilian Owens Modified over 8 years ago
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Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) Sartre was atheistic. Man is abandoned; God does not exist. Implications of abandonment: There is no common human nature or essence; Existence precedes essence; You are what you make of yourself. There is no ultimate reason why things are the way they are and not some other way. Because there is no divine plan there is no determinism: Human beings are free. There is no objective standard of values.
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Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) We are responsible for what we are and must choose our own values. And in doing so we choose for all. We experience our responsibility in anguish or hide from it in bad faith. Only through acceptance of our responsibility and in choosing a fundamental life project may we live in authenticity.
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Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) Sartre and Kant on Ethics. Sartre believed that, when a person determines something to be right for himself or herself, that person is also determining it to be good for all. This is reminiscent of Immanuel Kant’s famous categorical imperative But, unlike Kant, Sartre maintained there was no a priori moral law.
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Albert Camus (1913-1960) Camus was agnostic. We mask despair in an absurd world with false optimism and self-deception. We are strangers to ourselves.— alienated from self. The world defeats our most fundamental needs. Is there any reason not to commit suicide? Yet suicide is an unacceptable acquiescence.
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Albert Camus (1913-1960) Only by struggling against the absurdity of life is it possible to give life meaning and value. The fate of Sisyphus illustrates life. Camus increasingly focused his concern on the inhumanity and cruelty of the world. The individual must spend life fighting the plague of injustice and violence through measured and nonfanatical revolt.
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Viktor Frankl – Existential Psychology Holocaust survivor Observations of those who survived and those who did not survive led to theories of existential psychology Even people in unthinkable circumstances still have free will and responsibility of choices Ones who survived had a purpose in their minds that gave life meaning. Basic tenet of existential psychology— instead of seeking happiness, people should seek a meaningful purpose for their lives.
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Other Existential Philosophers Kierkegaard, Sartre and Camus are three of the most important existential philosophers, but there were many others. A few of the best known of the others include the following Gabriel Marcel, Jose Ortega y Gassett, Walker Percy, Franz Kafka, Simone de Beauvoir, Karl Jaspers, Martin Heidegger, Martin Buber
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Existentialism in Art and Literature Most of the existential philosophers expressed their philosophy through literature and through nonfiction writing. Existentialism has become a popular theme in twentieth century literature. It is also expressed in a great deal of twentieth century art.
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Representative Literature Soren Kierkegaard Published much of his work under pseudonyms. Most of his work was published as philosophical treatises or essays, but he illustrated many of his points with fictional stories. Philosophical Treatises or Essays On the Concept of Irony, “The Moment,” The Concept of Dread, Either/Or, Stages on Life’s Way, Fear and Trembling Many more than presented here
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Representative Literature Jean-Paul Sartre Philosophical Treatises Being and Nothingness, The Critique of Dialectical Reason Novels Nausea, Roads to Freedom (a trilogy) Short Fiction “The Wall” “The Childhood of a Leader” Plays No Exit, The Flies, The Victors, The Devil and the Good Lord, The Condemned of Altona Many more than presented here
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