Existentialism

Existentialism is the philosophical theory that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of there will. Friedrich Nietzsche central message concludes that “the basic drive of all living things is not a struggle to survive, but a struggle for power …” (p.530). Jean-Paul Sartre has a different central message stating “Nothing tells me what to do. I myself decide” (p.317). These messages show why they are regarded as existentialists.

Nietzsche’s central message is “the basic drive of all living things is not a struggle to survive, but a struggle for power …” (p.530). Meaning that organisms don’t just struggle for basic necessities, but for power and domain over others. Once they gather and complete their basic necessities, they subsequently focus on achieving their desire for power. When the organism then achieves this power he voluntarily uses it to compete, annihilate the competition, expand their territory, and reproduce. “If organisms were struggling merely to survive, then once food and security have been attained the struggle would cease and organisms would go into stasis” (p.350-5351). This quotation shows Nietzsche’s demonstration about humans’ urge for power, and why it motivates human behaviors. There fore as humans are not just satisfied whit having the basic amenities they sometimes have to risk all just to obtaining more power. Nietzsche’s point can clearly be classified as existentialist, because it talks about how man is after power that he can use with free will to determine his own development. Humans chase power for the sole purpose of using it with free will, and by doing so they construct their own future. The quotation “w...

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...e’s reflection about freedom of choice. That every single of us has a will; we ourselves make the choices; and we have to be responsible for every outcome, because at the end it determines who we are. These two philosophers that have different pieces of writing, but both came together with the same definition of existentialism, believing that each of us are unique, and self reliable to make decisions that will make who we are, through acts of our own will.

Nietzsche and Sartre clearly help to show that each of us have our own will. Although with every decision we make there is going to be an outcome, and because it was us that made the decision, then it became our responsibility to deal with the future outcomes. Decisions that mold us and make us what we are. Ultimately are we truly free, or is it when someone else makes the decisions for us that we are truly free?