Existentialism the thing is to find a truth

Existentialism “. . the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I can live and die. ” -Soren Kierkegaard

What is it? § A philosophy- the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will. § Each individual creates their own meaning for their life according to their personal experiences.

Existentialism § Each action is based on a current understanding of who one is. § One must accept responsibility for their actions because they effect all other human around them § Find oneself through free will, choice, and responsibility.

Existentialism and God § There are two “branches” of Existentialism: – atheist – theistic § Why might you think that this would be such an important aspect to this philosophy?

Existentialism and God § If we all create the meaning of our own life, how does God play into that philosophy? § Atheistic Existentialists believed that God and religion were created simply to appease humans who were too weak and afraid to create their own life values and meaning.

Influential Existentialists § § § § Soren Kierkegaard Friedrich Nietzsche Jean- Paul Sartre Simone de Beauvoir Albert Camus Fyodor Dostoyevsky Franz Kafka

Important Tenets of Existentialism § Society kills the individual § Man has free will and therefore is responsible for himself § Individuals must live according to a perceived truth, not hypocrisy or lies § Human life is never fully satisfying or complete because of the suffering and losses man must endure

Important Tenets of Existentialism § Individualism is the most important thing § It is destroyed when someone or something (society) imposes rules, beliefs, or values which the individual does not truly/honestly believe. § This dehumanizes and turns the individual into an object which the higher power desires it to be (a puppet).

Existentialism § Existentialism is the search and journey for true self and true personal meaning in life.

Nihilism

Nihilism § the rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless. § extreme skepticism maintaining that nothing in the world has a real existence § Life has no meaning or value

Nihilism roots § derives its name from the Latin root nihil, meaning nothing, that which does not exist. § Camus believed nihilism was a disturbing problem of the 20 th century. § Values and morals are a creation of social and emotional pressures.

Nihilism § Friedrich Nietzsche § “Every belief, every considering something true, is necessarily false because there is simply no true world. ” § There is no objective order or structure in the world except what we give it