EXISTENTIALISM Serhiy Kvit Existentialism is a philosophy concerned

EXISTENTIALISM © Serhiy Kvit

Existentialism is a philosophy concerned with finding self and the meaning of life through free will, choice, and personal responsibility. The belief that people are searching to find out who they are during life as they make choice based on their experiences, beliefs, and outlook. Personal choice becomes unique without the necessity of an objective form of truth. An existentialist believes that a person should be forced to choose and be responsible without the help of laws, ethics rules, or traditions. So, people can build themselves as own projects.

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (121 -180) meditations: guiding particle

Marcus Aurelius The guiding particle is the one that excites itself, changes itself and makes itself as it wants; and it does everything in such way that everything, which it has a deal with would look like how it wants. The guiding particle becomes insurmountable when it directs to itself; it’s just enough that it doesn’t do what it doesn’t want to do.

St. Augustine (354 -430) confession

St. Augustine Ø Grondin: "St. Augustine is the father of existentialism” Ø "Confession" is not subject to irony because of the author's persuasion Ø The personal overcoming of the text of the Holy Scriptures: from immersion in metaphor to existential reading Ø After St. Augustine, the modern man feels himself on the background of eternity

Blaise Pascal (1623 -1662) thoughts

Blaise Pascal When I think about the short term of my life, which is absorbed by eternity before and after, as the memory of a one-day guest, about the tiny space that I occupy, and even about what I see at the opposite to my face, lost in the infinity of space, which I do not know and that doesn't know about me, I feel fear and wonder why I'm here and not there; after all, there is no reason why I should be here rather than there, why sooner now than then. Who put me here? By whose will and power is assigned to me this place and this time?

Blaise Pascal Everyone is everything for himself because with death everything is dying for him. Therefore, everyone considers himself as everything for all. Man is not worthy of God, but one can not say that he is not able to become worthy of Him.

Seren Kierkegaard (1813 - 1855) knight of faith

Seren Kierkegaard Ø Existence separates thinking from being Ø Truth is carried out at the level of existence, and not "objective" thinking (metaphysics) Ø Existence is characterized by time, thus it is opposed to timeless "eternal” Ø Three stages of spiritual advancement (existence): aesthetic, ethical, religious Ø Tragic optimists" and "knight of faith"

Gabriel Marcel (1889 - 1973) Christian Socratism

Gabriel Marcel Ø confession stylistics (intimate disclosure of the true existence of thought) Ø the existence of God is derived from the existence of man Ø to be and to have Ø philosophy of dignity (to be yourself) Ø denial of rationalism and ideology

Jean Paul Sartre (1905 - 1980) atheistic existentialism

Jean Paul Sartre Ø eclecticism Ø ideological orientation Ø creative status of consciousness: the ability to design Ø ontological constitutionality of a person: perception of the world as a phenomenon, the ability to implement its own project Ø freedom as a denial of accident

Albert Camus (1913 - 1960) philosophy of absurd

Albert Camus Ø ethical experience as an existential problem: the denial of existentialism as a project Ø literature - essayism - philosophy: the organicity of the artistic worldview Ø the tragedy of human existence Ø the rebellion of humanity in the world of absurdity Ø happiness and freedom

Dmytro Dontsov (1883– 1973) tragic optimists

Vasyl’ Stus (1938– 1985) philosophy of “straight-standing”