Existentialism And Its Impact On Society

“I took a test in Existentialism. I left all the answers blank and got 100”. This quote was said by Woody Allen, a comedian and actor. This quote explains existentialism well because through this philosophy people have their own free will to make any decision they want. The idea that the individual, not society or religion, is responsible for giving meaning to life is true as well as logical. Existentialism is the approach to understanding human existence, based on the assumption that individuals are free and responsible for their own choices and actions. It supports this statement because its saying that humans can think and choose whatever they want to be and it allows humans to understand that they have unlimited potential.

Existentialism is a Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre, was published in 1945 at the height of Existentialism's cultural resurgence. As Sartre states in his opening line, his purpose is to “offer a defence of existentialism against some charges that have been brought against it.” (Sartre, 1945) At a time where Existentialism was heavily associated with wearing black and smoking (Fahlenbrach, 2012) Sartre felt the need to draw attention to its philosophical and more meaningful aspects, beyond it simply being a passing trend. Sartre outlines, “Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself. That is the first principle of existentialism” (Sartre, 1945) This is rooted in what Sartre believes to be the basis of all Existential

The world is a simple place, but often at times, it seems more complicated than it really is. People exist in a world where others do not know about them because the world is so big. Existentialism is the belief that a person creates one’s self with the influence of external factors. However, more importantly, it is how a person is able to cope with these factors that allow a person to live their life. Existentialism is a key factor that is prominent throughout the story. The main characters in the book Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, are all influenced by outside factors that include a pregnancy substitute to make babies and pre-plan their futures, living in a controlled environment and by making the citizens live in a constant hallucination of “happiness”.

The progress of humanity has been a movement from socially dependent units of a general collective to individuals - each with rights to protect their independence and ensure their privacy in our world. Today, “Existentialism” can be defined as a philosophical theory that holds further sets of categories other than physics, biology, force, function,; and it is governed by authenticity. It is an alternate way to understand human existence and identity. The key to existentialism is that notions such as alienation and authenticity must be understood. Existentialism is in a very suitable philosophical position in 21st

Existentialism is a philosophical theory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will. In other words existentialism is saying your  a free individual  and your actions define what you are. Many people see the the philosopher Jean Paul Sartre as "the father"of existentialism , but existentialism was founded in the 1800s by Friedrich Nietzsche, soren kierkegaard. The ideas accredited to Sartre are in many ways the ideas of Nietzsche and kierkegaard presented in a different way. Those that parctice existentialism to its strictest interpretation being you should live your how ever you want, live a life without much regrad to others

In Existentialism is a humanism, French philosopher and existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre defends existentialism from 20th century critics who believed that its overly subjective nature promotes anguish, abandonment, and despair. Sartre explains these common misconceptions about existentialism and argues that it is not a pessimist point of view, but the complete opposite. In what follows, I will explain how Sartre not only invalidates the surging misconceptions, but how he also turns his explanation into an optimistic and humanitarian work.

“Existentialism is a 20th century philosophy concerned with human existence, finding self, and the meaning of

Perhaps the most telling symptom of existentialist philosophers is their ever-divergent theories on the fundamental characteristics of human life and their steadfast refusal to assign an explicit meaning or reason to our existence at all. Contrary to criticism which therefore labels the movement cynically nihilistic, existentialism justifies life with reasoning similar to that of Zen Buddhism. Specifically, the notions of hopelessness and absurdity can be gleaned from Buddhism in a manner helpful to the understanding of existentialist viewpoints on the same.

The existentialist is one who is concerned only with that intense moment of awareness with only his senses at his disposal, never looking to the future – the most living awareness. McCandles, the protagonist, in Into the Wild has come to the realization that existence is already being dead and accepting the fact that life is absurd and marvelous. He embraced the sublime absurdity of existence by renouncing the language games society plays. What is so enticing about the existentialist is that he is not concerned with the pressure of appearances and small talk which society employs to lie about what they think and feel. Existentialism is accepting the inevitability of death and living life for the moment without entertaining hope or falsities that distract one from living and accepting truth. The existentialist sees the simplicity in life and the absurdity of complicating it with pretences and lies, the existentialist is a naked man, he is one who becomes one with the rest of creation in accepting his fate on this earth and not hoping for anything more – he simply exists.

Existential follows anxiety stemming from living, which is unique to humans, comparing to the other mammals, due to our ability to perceive time, mainly distant past and future. Contrary to popular belief that existentialism is dark and fatalistic compared to humanism, which believes humans are inherently good, it perceives life and living as a personal working space. Its main themes are freedom and its subsequent responsibility, death, isolation, and meaninglessness. It strives for a bearable balance of death awareness and living with it.

Existentialism could be defined as a philosophical theory that focuses on the individual person being a free and responsible person who determines his or her own development through acts of will. Existentialism is a thesis that has been discussed by some of the greatest philosophical minds ever to live. Minds such as Kierkegaard and Nietzsche all had their own view on what existentialism was and major impact on the development of this thesis. Each of these philosophies played a huge influence on a great mind that would come later on in history. That was the mind of Jean-Paul Sartre. Sartre, who is considered one of the great philosophical minds, based many of his ideas around the idea of existentialism and phenomenology.

Existentialism is a philosophical idea within ethics that was developed in the 19th century and progressed heavily into the 20th century. Some basic foundational ideas of existentialism are found in early Buddhist and Christian writings, which may have been the starting point for the movement. Also, like existentialism’s previous philosophical ideas that came before it, it rebels against traditional Western thought that believes rationality and consciousness are the key points to understanding the human condition. According to Jean-Paul Sartre, a famous existentialist, “existence precedes and rules essence” (Andrea 665). A clearer way

Existentialism comes through from a time of the Romantic Period in Europe. Focus had been put on a return to nature, feelings and an attack on rationalism. Most thinkers in this tradition like Kierkergard, Hiedegger and Nietzche focus on the issue and feeling of anxiety in the human condition. Treated well this anxiety goes on to breed authenticity in the human being. Anxiety comes about as an ontological question. One constantly asks themselves the question of “being”, “who am I?” Kiekergaard talks of this anxiety this way, “All existence make me anxious, from the smallest fly to the mysteries of the Incarnation; the whole thing is inexplicable to me, I myself most of all; to me all existence is infected, I myself most of all.” (Journals, II A 420).

Existentialism is a movement in philosophy and literature that began in the mid to late 19th and reach its peak in mid-20th century, and was largely spread through the works of French existentialist like Jean Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and Simone de Beauvoir (Mastin L, 2008). There is no agreed definition of existentialism, as those who are considered as “existentialist” do not share the same exact thought on the subject though the starting point may be fairly linked. Jean Paul Sartre, defines existentialism as a school of thought where one’s existence comes before his essence. Being an atheist existentialist, he argues that there is no God and that man existed first and defines himself afterwards. Thus “there is no human nature, because there is no God to have a conception of it. Man simply is” (Jean Paul Sartre,

Existentialism is the philosophical thinking that humans do not know who they are or what they are doing in life and that life’s journey is about finding who they are and what their purpose is on this earth. Humans have physically developed in appearance and in cultural understanding due to their roles filled in society to fit in, however their independent development and growth happens in a different way. Existentialism revolves around the independent growth that takes place in a person and how we become aware of that growth, it also states that life is a “free path” so to speak and our lives are completely underdetermined until our last moments on earth. The other side of this argument can be argued by the view of the modern Christian point of view which states that we have free will to live our lives however the path of our life is not only predetermined but is known by our creators before we are even breathed into existence. So, viewing existence, our purpose and the trials we go through to find who we are and what we are doing let us view an analogy of a seat. What must a seat consist of to be considered a seat? Some would imagine a seat to have legs for it to be able to stand, maybe a back for support. However, that description doesn’t fit all seats such as a floor can be considered a seat, but they have a common function. A seat has the common purpose of resting, but how they achieve this common function seats can have a different purpose. Well with the concept of a