Existentialism is a system of beliefs made popular by existentialist philosopher Jean Paul Sartre in the 1940s. It says the world has no meaning and each person is alone and completely responsible for their own actions by which their own character is shaped
Existentialism was begun with the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855). Most of
its main thinkers and writers of this movement were in Europe. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) spent
most of the Second World War in a German prison
camp, reading the philosophy of Heidegger. When he came out, he gave a lecture called Existentialism
and Humanism.
Existentialists think that the choices that a person makes are important. Every person has to decide for themselves what is good and bad. People who believe in existentialism ask questions like "what is it like to be a human in the world?" and "how can we understand human freedom?" Existentialism is often connected with negative emotions, such as anxiety, dread, and mortality. Below are the alarming themes which can be found in contemporary Existentialism:
1.
The
first Existentialist theme is man is aware of his life rather than to be
predicted or manipulated. He does not work in accordance with any definition. Existentialism
says I am nothing, but my own existence.
2.
The
second Existentialist theme is there is a fright of the nothingness of human
existence. Existentialists reject ideas such as happiness, optimism,
well-being, and serenity. These reflect an unreal or naive understanding of
life.
3.
The
third Existentialist theme is that of absurdity. Each of us is thrown into this
time and place, but why now? Why here?
4.
The
fourth Existentialist theme is that of nothingness. If I reject all of the
philosophies, sciences, political theories, and religions which fail to reflect
my existence, and attempt to impose a specific Essentialist structure upon me
and my world, then there is nothing that structures my world.
5.
The
fifth Existentialist theme is death being as absurd as birth. It is not an
ultimate, authentic moment of my life. It is nothing but the wiping out of my
existence as conscious being. Death is only another witness to the absurdity of
human existence.
6.
The
sixth Existentialist theme is alienation. I am alienated from myself, from the product
of my labor, from the money-worshipping society, from all those social
institutions (family, morality, government), which keep me from realizing my
human creative potentiality.
“Do you think
that I count the days? There is only one day left always starting over: it is
given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk.” (Jean-Paul Sartre)[i]
HAPPY LABOR DAY 2018
[i] Sources used:
·
“Existentialism Facts” by Kiddle
·
“Existentialism” by
Cambridge Dictionary
·
“Six Basic Themes of Existentialism” by T. Z. Lavine
This post is
dedicated to my daughter, Allena. I hope this helps.
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