Finding an Existential Ethic

Finding an Existential Ethic

Existential philosophy is subject to a single, seemingly debilitating criticism: it comprises a frame of mind rather than a theory. As Mary Warnock argues in her book Existentialist Ethics, "It seems that to be attracted by Existentialism is to be attracted by a mood. When it comes to serious thought, one may find . . . that it is necessary to cast off the mood and start again" (57). The focus of the existentialist is on the individual, existing being. By nature, the subject of existentialism appears incommunicable. It demands that each individual come to an understanding of the inwardness of self independently. This inwardness is not a state which can be achieved, but a process of constantly coming to be. The argument against the existence of an existential ideology seems valid. Without generalization, how can existentialist philosophy construct a theory that offers ethical direction?

Although Mary Warnock argues that existentialism is a mood, this conclusion fails to reflect the full complexity of existentialism. Though it lacks in generalization and is of an individual, arguably incommunicable nature, existentialist philosophy is, at its root, a universal construction of ethics. Before advancing this claim, it is necessary to consider what is meant by the term "ethics". Ethics refer to an individual’s choices rather than the guidelines of society, known as morals, which dictate conformity. In existential thought ethics displace morals because ethics relate to the existentialist’s primary concern: the individual.

Finding the underlying values common to existentialists allows an understanding of the basic substructure of existential philosophy. There is a se...

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...is/her actions, including his/her effect on others. The existentialist must confront how their personal decision making is reflected in world issues, such as hunger, pollution, and ethnic cleansing. As to Mary Warnock’s "mood": ha!

An existential ethic provides a root for a functional, universal ethic.

Works Cited

Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus and other essays. New York: Vintage

Books, 1991.

Kierkegaard, Soren. "Concluding Unscientific Postscript". Oaklander 32-46.

Nietzsche, Friedrich. "Human, All Too Human". Oaklander 128-135.

Oaklander, Nathan L. Existential Philosophy: An Introduction. New Jersey:

Prentice Hall, 1996.

Sartre, Jean-Paul. "No Exit". Oaklander 323-335.

Warnock, Mary. Existentialist Ethics. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1967.

Nietzsche, Friedrich. "Human, All Too Human". Oaklander 128-135.