Philosophy of Life Essay

Existentialism has always been criticized because it is viewed as only a pessimistic approach. To those critics, existentialism is nothing more than not believing in a higher power, but what it truly means is that “man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself,” (Sartre, 3) which, in turn, makes it optimistic. By that definition, there would be no human nature because that would imply that there is a predetermined plan for humans. Sartre counters the claim of human nature by proving that

In the poem Identity, Julio Polanco uses imagery to develop the theme that you should follow your own dreams instead of getting caught up in what other people are doing. An individual living by this philosophy is described as “[having] broken through the surface of stone, [living], [feeling] exposed to the madness” (Polanco 3). This supports the idea that someone who follows their own path regardless of others is completely free, they’re “exposed” to the wonders of human existence by making their

In the Journal of Philosophy, a captivating article called, “The absurd,” by Thomas Nagel (1971), challenges the notion of how life is viewed among diverse interpretation. He starts off by brilliantly asking why people sometimes denote life as absurd. Here Nagel begins to start the cycle of doubt, and attempts to make the readers question their assertions. This can be seen in part I of the article, where Thomas tackles on assertion. The assertion that “that nothing we do will matter in a million

a star…Behold, I show you the last man” What does Nietzsche mean by this quote? To me, Nietzche means that to truly transcend being an average person and to prevent oneself from leading just an average life, one has to do something great with their life. And to do something great with your life, a person has to become self-aware of themselves. They have to find themselves and the only way they can do that is through struggle. Nietzche believed in the power of struggle and felt that it was the only

idea of existentialism. Existentialism is the idea of, “life is what we make it.” Sartre believed, “life is not what happens, but what we do.”(Detrick) I have lost friends because of this theory. I can only take so much complaining before I finally ask them, “so what are you going to do about the situation?” When they look at me confused I follow up with, “you are the only one who can change your situation.” In my twenty eight years of life I have found people do not like that question or statement

aspect of life must be able to be explained with logic. However, rationalism and faith often come in conflict with each other, creating an exceptional strife in the minds of those unable to accept that which cannot be viewed. In such divergence, the concept of nihilism is often planted into the mind of those who are incapable of acknowledging human nature and the spiritual and natural laws of life. Nihilism, the rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless

article’s central argument. I will also explain how the article relates to the film Being John Malkovich, and finally the school of philosophy, which we call “existentialism” and three of its central tenets. In the article “Absurd Self-Fulfillment,” Feinberg offers his readers a close up examination of absurdity, self-fulfillment, and tries to show that every human life may contain some degree of each. He discusses how Richard Taylor, Albert Camus, and Thomas Nagel, each portray that there is indeed

Existentialism is a literary movement concerned with the existence and purpose of oneself in the world. Existentialists have questioned our existence in this world and purpose of finding the meaning of life. They believe that there is no predestination, and that man is free to be the master of his own fate. They also believe that man's existence depends on suffering, because it not only can provide a person with a profound source for meaning, but it also provides the necessary comparison by which

long before they were fully developed in the philosophical and literary terms of the 20th century. Existentialism is a man-centered philosophy. Defined briefly as regarding the precedence of human existence to essence, thus humans are entirely free and must be held culpable for their actions, as they create their own values and determine their own meaning to their life. It typically displays a dismal of abstract theories that seek to disguise the untidiness of actual human lives. It emphasizes the

In the poem called “Curiosity” by Alastair Reid, he delves into a philosophy of life that is whether a person can either exist and survive or live. Everyone perceives what the definition of living is differently and defined by the experiences that one goes through; environment, culture, and personality. Some people are naturally more relaxed while others are anxious in nature. Some had very painful experiences while others grew in such a controlled environment that they cannot even fathom the thought