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Existentialism is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the issue of human existence. Existentialist philosophers explore questions related to the meaning, purpose, and value of human existence.
May 8, 2024 · Existentialism is a philosophy that stresses the concreteness and problematic character of human existence in the world. It draws from various sources, such as Augustine, Nietzsche, and Dostoyevsky, and takes diverse forms, such as theism, atheism, and humanism.
Jan 6, 2023 · In their conceptions of “the public” (Kierkegaard), “the herd” (Nietzsche), and “the They” (Heidegger), existentialists offer powerful critiques of the leveled down and routinized ways of being that characterize mass society.
- a. Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) as an Existentialist Philosopher. Kierkegaard was many things: philosopher, religious writer, satirist, psychologist, journalist, literary critic and generally considered the ‘father’ of existentialism.
- b. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) as an Existentialist Philosopher. “I know my lot. Some day my name will be linked to the memory of something monstrous, of a crisis as yet unprecedented on earth…” (Nietzsche 2007:88).
- c. Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) as an Existentialist Philosopher. Heidegger exercised an unparalleled influence on modern thought. Without knowledge of his work recent developments in modern European philosophy (Sartre, Gadamer, Arendt, Marcuse, Derrida, Foucault et al.)
- d. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) as an Existentialist Philosopher. In the public consciousness, at least, Sartre must surely be the central figure of existentialism.
- Phenomenology. Phenomenology is a philosophical movement developed by Edmund Husserl in the early 20th century and later adapted by Heidegger, Karl Jaspers, and others.
- Freedom. If the principle of phenomenology gave existentialism its basic shape — i.e. a technique for getting at how things really are, for going behind the stale categorizations of common sense and natural science to describe human existence for what it really is — then the principle of freedom gave existentialism its founding value.
- Authenticity. Finally, once we’ve acknowledged the importance of the first-person perspective, and recognized the ultimate freedom we have in our lived existence moment-to-moment, we come to another core principle of existentialist philosophy: adopting a stance of authenticity.
Existentialism is a philosophical movement that analyzes human existence and the centrality of human choice. Learn about its origins, key thinkers, and main themes from Britannica's article, which covers Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Jaspers, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Martin Heidegger.
May 4, 2023 · Existentialism is a philosophy of human nature that identifies people as having free will to determine the course of their lives. It also focuses on individual responsibility to create meaning rather than depending on a higher power or religion. Existential therapy is a treatment approach that helps clients confront anxiety about their existence and find their own meaning.
