Kierkegaard And Nietzsche And Existentialism

Soren Kierkegaard is a Danish philosopher and theologian who attempted to deliver his existentialist point of views. Specifically, Kierkegaard emphasizes the need for humans to take responsibility for their actions and go beyond their “socially imposed identities” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). According to his earliest major work “Either/Or,” he suggests humans are reluctantly stuck between two spheres of life that they must choose between: aesthetic or ethical. He delves into what constitutes a life as either and suggests the practicalities associated with each choice. He stresses the importance of being responsible for the truth and living according to the truth we’ve committed to. In addition, the existential choice can be

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

Most people pass through this stage without any conflict, and this allows them to move on to the formation of a more complex self.

  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

Abraham, the father of the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic religions is held up by Kierkegaard as the perfect model for faith in Fear and Trembling. The specific example most strongly used in Kierkegaard’s writing is the unhesitant actions of Abraham to heed God’s call and sacrifice his only son and promised heir to his kingdom, Isaac. Abraham faithfully follows God’s command without remorse, doubt, sadness, or anger. It is only moments before the murder and sacrifice of Isaac that God intervenes and send a ram in his stead. This action is elevated by Kierkegaard as the ideal living example of a knight of faith (99). Abraham’s resolute willingness to suspend all the normal ethical systems, what Kierkegaard refers to as the teleological

“…The secret for harvesting from existence the greatest fruitfulness and greatest enjoyment is – to live dangerously” (The Gay Science 161). According to Nietzsche, to achieve anything meaningful, hardships and effort were needed. He claimed that one must accept troubles instead of doing what he perceived Christianity taught, to refuse and escape troubles (Mastin). “…Every specific body strives to become master over all space and to extend its force” (The Will to Power 340). Nietzsche believed in the “will to power,” or one’s pursuit to expand his or her power. He saw it as the basis drive in human behavior and as a positive device. Within his philosophy, Nietzsche believed one could become an “Übermensch,” or a superhuman. For one to become this superhuman, one must adhere to Nietzsche’s own values. An Übermensch would be beyond pleasure and suffering, have total freedom, and have no need for God. This creation of Nietzsche reflected what he personally wished for (Mastin). Along with his other unusual views on the world, Nietzsche also wrote about his view on

So overall the quote to me means that every man has the power and the strength in them to overcome the suffering that is necessary to become great, self-commanding men. However, Nietzsche also feels like mankind is doomed to fall into a type of slavery where they will never be able to truly free and self-commanding.

We have grown weary of man. Nietzsche wants something better, to believe in human ability once again. Nietzsche’s weariness is based almost entirely in the culmination of ressentiment, the dissolution of Nietzsche’s concept of morality and the prevailing priestly morality. Nietzsche wants to move beyond simple concepts of good and evil, abandon the assessment of individuals through ressentiment, and restore men to their former wonderful ability.

In order to achieve an authentic life Nietzsche claims one must avoid becoming the “last man”; and instead be an Ubermensch. He defines “last man” as: a person who has no passion and is unable to dream; and an Ubermensch as: a person who rises above their difficulties and circumstances to embrace whatever life throws at them.

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

According to Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, the meaning of human existence is to make room for the “Superman”: a superhuman who perseveres in its capacity for unlimited self-creation. (Pg. 49)[1] In order for humankind to embrace its self-creative nature and allow for the transcendence into this superhuman condition, however, we must first learn to destroy our present tables of values; it is our desperate adherence to traditional (religious) values which prevents us from actualizing our potential for self-creation. It is important to note, however, that it is not the creation of these traditional values in and of itself that Nietzsche condemns. After all, self-creation is not only a

In the late 19th century, philosopher and psychologist, Friedrich Nietzsche, published a four part chronicle, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, to express his perspective on how human beings can work towards and achieve a lifestyle of joy and innocence. Nietzsche, who was an anti-christ due to its slavish mentality and ways, believed that everyone has an “overman” and “ubermensch” aspect to their lives, where they can be free spirited and the ultimate dictator of their morals and values. For one to live a life of free of predestined expectations and societal pressures, they must be constantly overcoming themselves, have the will to power over themselves, and must accept the past in order to authentically affirm their identity. Once someone is able

Existentialism emphasized the freedoms that humans have and the need to exercise their individual human will in responsible ways. His philosophy tended to be atheistic and Camus himself rejected all religion. The existentialists borrowed many of their basic ideas from the 19th century German Nietzsche, although there also were Christian types of existentialism derived from the work of Kierkegaard. Existentialism reacted against more standard philosophies such as rationalism and empiricism that looked to find some order in the universe and in human affairs. The atheist Mersault’s denial of any rational meaning to his life represents this idea in fictionalized form

Existentialism developed in the more extensive feeling to twentieth century rationality that is focused upon the investigation about presence and of the best approach people discover themselves existing or their existence as a whole. Existentialism takes its name from those philosophical topic of 'existence ', this doesn 't involve that there will be homogeneity in the way presence will be on be comprehended. On simpler terms, existentialism will be an logic worried for finding self and the intending from claiming an aggregation through spare will, choice and also personage obligation. Existentialism turned into prominent following those Second World War. In spite of seeing its philosophical viewpoint is little spot complex,

I consider myself an existentialist. There are two basic approaches to this philosophy: either one rejoices in the freedom of the idea that a higher power is not imposing rules and purpose onto our existence, or, one sinks beneath the burden of responsibility that this bequeaths. Existentialists like Sartre, who can only see the bleak and meaningless aspects of living, have missed the opportunity that this philosophy gives to structure and guide their lives based on their own inner moral principles. I think that the inability to cope with inherent absence of meaning points to a dependence on the guidance of a higher power: in effect, a reluctance to take responsibility for oneself. I see existentialism as an incredibly liberating