Existentialism And Its Impact On Society

Existentialism is a philosophy for the twentieth century that revolves around being alive and the rationale of why humans find themselves to

The world is a simple place, but often at times, it seems more complicated than it really is. People exist in a world where others do not know about them because the world is so big. Existentialism is the belief that a person creates one’s self with the influence of external factors. However, more importantly, it is how a person is able to cope with these factors that allow a person to live their life. Existentialism is a key factor that is prominent throughout the story. The main characters in the book Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, are all influenced by outside factors that include a pregnancy substitute to make babies and pre-plan their futures, living in a controlled environment and by making the citizens live in a constant hallucination of “happiness”.

“Existentialism is a 20th century philosophy concerned with human existence, finding self, and the meaning of

First a basis of existentialism will be provided, then the two types will be presented, compared, and finally the way to lead these two types to moral freedom will be presented. Existentialism

During the 20th century, many philosophers including Communists and Christians were criticizing a surging attitude commonly known as “existentialism”. Communists, for example, argued that the emphasis that existentialism has on individual choice leads to contemplation rather than to action. Christians reproached the way that existentialists overlook the dignity that originates from being created from the image of God. Also, publics viewed subjectivity in existentialism as a bad thing because if human values originate from subjective human choices, then all human action is arbitrary. They argued that from one 's own subjective point of view, whatever one does is the right thing. Therefore, this creates the notion that life does not have predetermined values. In other words: to an existentialist, there is no such thing as a standard of values because there is no God or perfect being to

  Existentialism is a philosophy dealing with man's aloneness in the universe. Either there is no God or else God stands apart from man, leaving him free will to make his own choices. From this basic idea of man being alone in an uncertain and purposeless world, many related ideas have developed. One great worry of existentialist writers is that life is becoming too complicated and too impersonal. People become more and more involved with their work, which is taking them away from their friends, family, and culture. However, these provide the only "meaning" that life could possibly have. One author prominently known for his work with existential ideas was Franz

The Merriam – Webster Dictionary defines existentialism as a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe and the plight of the individual who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right or wrong or good or bad (Merriam, 2011). In other words, an existentialist believes that our natures are the natures we make for ourselves, the meaning of our existence is that we just exist and there may or may not be a meaning for the existence, and we have to individually decide what is right or wrong and good or bad for ourselves. No one can answer any of those things for us. A good

Perhaps the most telling symptom of existentialist philosophers is their ever-divergent theories on the fundamental characteristics of human life and their steadfast refusal to assign an explicit meaning or reason to our existence at all. Contrary to criticism which therefore labels the movement cynically nihilistic, existentialism justifies life with reasoning similar to that of Zen Buddhism. Specifically, the notions of hopelessness and absurdity can be gleaned from Buddhism in a manner helpful to the understanding of existentialist viewpoints on the same.

The progress of humanity has been a movement from socially dependent units of a general collective to individuals - each with rights to protect their independence and ensure their privacy in our world. Today, “Existentialism” can be defined as a philosophical theory that holds further sets of categories other than physics, biology, force, function,; and it is governed by authenticity. It is an alternate way to understand human existence and identity. The key to existentialism is that notions such as alienation and authenticity must be understood. Existentialism is in a very suitable philosophical position in 21st

Existentialism is a philosophical idea within ethics that was developed in the 19th century and progressed heavily into the 20th century. Some basic foundational ideas of existentialism are found in early Buddhist and Christian writings, which may have been the starting point for the movement. Also, like existentialism’s previous philosophical ideas that came before it, it rebels against traditional Western thought that believes rationality and consciousness are the key points to understanding the human condition. According to Jean-Paul Sartre, a famous existentialist, “existence precedes and rules essence” (Andrea 665). A clearer way

Existential follows anxiety stemming from living, which is unique to humans, comparing to the other mammals, due to our ability to perceive time, mainly distant past and future. Contrary to popular belief that existentialism is dark and fatalistic compared to humanism, which believes humans are inherently good, it perceives life and living as a personal working space. Its main themes are freedom and its subsequent responsibility, death, isolation, and meaninglessness. It strives for a bearable balance of death awareness and living with it.

The existentialist is one who is concerned only with that intense moment of awareness with only his senses at his disposal, never looking to the future – the most living awareness. McCandles, the protagonist, in Into the Wild has come to the realization that existence is already being dead and accepting the fact that life is absurd and marvelous. He embraced the sublime absurdity of existence by renouncing the language games society plays. What is so enticing about the existentialist is that he is not concerned with the pressure of appearances and small talk which society employs to lie about what they think and feel. Existentialism is accepting the inevitability of death and living life for the moment without entertaining hope or falsities that distract one from living and accepting truth. The existentialist sees the simplicity in life and the absurdity of complicating it with pretences and lies, the existentialist is a naked man, he is one who becomes one with the rest of creation in accepting his fate on this earth and not hoping for anything more – he simply exists.

Existentialism could be defined as a philosophical theory that focuses on the individual person being a free and responsible person who determines his or her own development through acts of will. Existentialism is a thesis that has been discussed by some of the greatest philosophical minds ever to live. Minds such as Kierkegaard and Nietzsche all had their own view on what existentialism was and major impact on the development of this thesis. Each of these philosophies played a huge influence on a great mind that would come later on in history. That was the mind of Jean-Paul Sartre. Sartre, who is considered one of the great philosophical minds, based many of his ideas around the idea of existentialism and phenomenology.

Existentialism comes through from a time of the Romantic Period in Europe. Focus had been put on a return to nature, feelings and an attack on rationalism. Most thinkers in this tradition like Kierkergard, Hiedegger and Nietzche focus on the issue and feeling of anxiety in the human condition. Treated well this anxiety goes on to breed authenticity in the human being. Anxiety comes about as an ontological question. One constantly asks themselves the question of “being”, “who am I?” Kiekergaard talks of this anxiety this way, “All existence make me anxious, from the smallest fly to the mysteries of the Incarnation; the whole thing is inexplicable to me, I myself most of all; to me all existence is infected, I myself most of all.” (Journals, II A 420).

Existentialism is a movement in philosophy and literature that began in the mid to late 19th and reach its peak in mid-20th century, and was largely spread through the works of French existentialist like Jean Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and Simone de Beauvoir (Mastin L, 2008). There is no agreed definition of existentialism, as those who are considered as “existentialist” do not share the same exact thought on the subject though the starting point may be fairly linked. Jean Paul Sartre, defines existentialism as a school of thought where one’s existence comes before his essence. Being an atheist existentialist, he argues that there is no God and that man existed first and defines himself afterwards. Thus “there is no human nature, because there is no God to have a conception of it. Man simply is” (Jean Paul Sartre,