Why are humans on the earth? What is the meaning of life? What is going to happen when we die? These are some of the many questions people ask during their time on this earth. Over time, there have been many explanations about why we as humans are here. Answers began with creation stories; then as time went on Plato philosophized different ideas about reality; now in modern times the newest idea is existentialism. Although existentialism is the newest idea, it is not the most important artistic and intellectual force of the modern era. Existentialism is a powerful force, however in modern times it argues with older “truth” systems and forces people to and causes people to struggle with what to believe in. Existentialist Sartre defines …show more content…
existentialism as, “nothing else but what man makes of himself. (Doc A)” Basically Sartre believes that everyone is responsible for their own existence and he is the judge of his own character and morals so there is no power above judging him. In his play, No Exit, existential views are brought up between the two characters Garcin and Inez. In one part of the play, both characters are talking about how Garcin believes that he died too early and did not have enough time to live the life he wanted to. Inez responds in a very existential way saying, “You are--- your life, and nothing else. (Doc D)” This line basically sums up what Sartre’s belief of existentialism. This idea of existentialism has somewhat carried over to modern times and caused people to doubt traditional ways of thought but at the same time they do not want to stop believing in a higher power. In modern times, existentialism has affected some modern artists and intellectuals. In the poem Great Hymn of Thanks, Berthold Brecht shows his existential view that, “you don’t matter (Doc C).” This one quote is very significant because it is a clear existential view and shows that existentialism is becoming a more popular belief because his poem is about realizing that you are in charge of your own life and at the end of it, you are just going to die and God is not going to judge you, you are the judge of your own life choices. Other forms of literature like current plays have been affected by Sartre’s philosophy. Tom Stoppard’s, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” he compares death to acting and says that, “Nobody gets up after death…there’s no applause, only silence and some secondhand clothes, that’s death! (Doc I)” This is an existential view because after you die you don’t feel anything because there is nothing once you are dead people might remember you however no one is going to judge and remember everything you did or why you did it. In this modern era, intellectual P.J. O’Rourke wrote an article titled, “On Classical Education,” where he says that even if one has knowledge of a classic education it is not going make him better then everyone else or mean that he knows everything that happens in the world. His existential view is showed when he says, “ They graduated from college, were sent out to rule India, and telegraphed home: “People here acting as though they were in the Iliad.” (Doc H).” This shows that people are judging others however O’Rourke is sarcastic because he is really trying to say that it doesn’t matter what people learned because they judge themselves and make their own choices. Although there are many people who have existentialist views, there are still many who have traditional views.
Dr. Martin Luther King is a great example of a very influential person in modern times who does not have existentialist views. King was a preacher so he believed in God and that something happens to us after we die. In King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, he says, “We must see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. (Doc E)” This shows that King cares about what others think and feels judged by others. He also uses God as his backup to show that he is doing something good, so he sees God as someone to judge him whereas in existentialism he would be the judge of his own actions. In a similar situation regarding racism, the poem Incident by Countee Cullen shows tells the story of a young child who was the victim of racism. “And so I smiled, but he poked out his tounge, and called me, ‘Nigger.’ (DOC F) This shows that people are judging him the poem is not existential because in the end that was all he remembers and if it was existential he would not have let that bothered him. During the time of racism in the United States, existentialism was really not present because people were letting the judgment of other people get to
them. In Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto, he talks about the judgment of the bourgeois society amongst the rest of the population. In an existential society people would just care about themselves however Marx did not like the way that the lower class was treated so he believed in communism where everyone has an equal share. When Marx says, “And the abolition of this state of things is called by the bourgeois, abolition of individuality, and freedom! (DOC G)” Marx believes in the absence of individuality and everyone should be the same so you can not have your own views like you can as an existentialist. In Lu Xun’s, New Year’s Sacrifice, one can see a perfect example of the decision many people face in our society; existentialism versus traditional belief systems. When the character says, “There may be, I think, (Doc J)” he is being honest because he is torn on weather to believe in God or some other power or not. This document is the perfect to show what many people in our society deal with the question of a higher power and life after death. Even though the most recent philosophic idea is existentialism, it is not the most influential of the modern era. In modern times, many people still believe that there is life after death. So even though Sartre’s existentialist philosophy has become a very relevant force of the modern era, it is not the most relevant because it argues with older truth-values.
to find his or her own unique vocation. As he wrote in his journal, “I must find
The common stereotype that comes to mind when one thinks of an existentialist seems to be a moody philosopher locked in a dark room drinking tea and reading while listening to music from a record player. What people do not realize, however, is how common and widely accepted existentialism has become in our everyday lives. Books, songs, magazines, and billboards display existential ideas; existentialism is plastered across our world. “Imagine all the people, living for today”, sings John Lennon. This is existentialism in its purest form; it is a rejection of hollowness and a call to action for all of mankind. This is why existentialism is so important for our world today; in the midst of social media, terrorism, inequality, and every other significant or trivial issue that we face, we lose our vision. We hope for world peace or good health, but we, ourselves, bully or steal or lie or judge or take our health for granted. We are hollow because we are not choosing mankind; we are not setting an example that we hope every man will follow, so we are met with the despair of a passive hope in a world that we feel we cannot fix. What no one realizes, however, is that our job is not to fix the world, but to fix ourselves so that the world may follow suit. We have acknowledged our rock; we have experienced our hour of consciousness; what we need now is our night of Gethsemane, the moment when each
As humans we are creatures of habit. We settle in to our daily routines: waking up, going to work, studying, etc. At times, we have moments of lucidity which break these routines temporarily, these junctures of time provoke you into contemplating your own existance. If there is no meaning or point to life our existence is absurd. Our aspirations for ourself will cease, and so will those of the next generations, so on and so forth until everything ceases. Our existence is a reflection of Sysiphus', always pushing the boulder up the mountain but never truly completing the task, it is how we function with the knowledge of our absurdity and making life worthwhile.
In this post, we’ll explore some of these viewpoints. We’ll first look at six different schools of thought and what they’ve said about the meaning of life. We’ll then look at some of the most common perspectives on the subject: the religious and the secular way of explaining your purpose. Finally, we’ll provide you some steps to help make more sense of it all and to find your own purpose and passion to live a more meaningful life.
The question “How am I to exist?” is the question sought after by many thinkers and is at the center of existentialism. Existentialism is any philosophy that emphasizes fundamental questions of meaning and choice as they affect existing individuals. (Soccio 391) Existentialists develop theories that describe how a person should to live his or her life. Two existentialist philosophers that will be discussed in this paper are Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. Søren Kierkegaard is a very enthusiastic philosopher who believed that the way to live is to have a religious authenticity and avoid the crowd life. Friedrich Nietzsche is a very controversial philosopher who believes that everyone is entitled to their own point of view on life and that there is no absolute truth. Both thinkers express ideas that are different from the norms of their societies and have therefore provoked controversy in their respective times.
(Crowell). Ironically the authors, directors and poets would deny that they are existentialists, because they are existentialists. (Corbett) The authors continued showing features that furthered the belief of their movement. In their eyes, people are free and must take it upon themselves to make rational decisions in a chaotic universe. Existentialists believe that there is nothing more to life since life has no purpose. (Corbett) Life is just where we are right now but we have no real impact to others or this earth. It is all the same if we were dead as if we were alive. This often comes as a realization to existentialist people and often present in existentialist literature about the “reality” of life.The question comes down to, do all human beings believe that they matter in life? This question challenges existentialist belief since life has no purpose. (Corbett) How can we matter in this life if one of the main themes in existentialism is that we have no purpose, it is quite
The universe, and what it means to be alive is almost impossible to define; yet that does not stop humanity from trying. “Lonergan’s philosophy of the human person reveals that being human means having an unlimited number and variety of questions about life and the universe.” (Morgan, 1996). There is no limit on the number and variety of questions the human person will ask, "the most subversive people are those who ask questions” (Gaarder), as a result there are many varied and opinionated answers. This essay will explore three different theories on how one might find answers to life's ultimate questions. At one point or another, every human being has asked the question why: Why am I here? What is my purpose? What is the point? It is in our nature as human beings to reason, to think, to ask, it is what separates us from the rest of creation, and with this ability to reason, we are left with one question: Why? Throughout history many have tried to answer this question, some have come to the conclusion that meaning is found through God, and one’s faith. Others feel that life begins meaningless, and it is up to the individual to give life meaning; then there are those who believe that life has no meaning, and we are all essentially, just waiting to die, "The meaning of life is that it ends." (Kafka).
There are many different techniques and approaches to group counseling. The approach that I found to be the most interesting is the existential approach. “The existential perspective holds that we define ourselves by our choices” (Corey & Corey, 2014, p.114). This approach can be successful in therapy because it allows one to oversee one’s future. In this paper, I’m going to generally discuss the existential approach to therapy and where it can be used.
Existential literature often focuses on the personal journey towards existential awareness. Common themes in existential works, such as alienation and confrontation with death, often lead the "anti-hero" towards a climactic choice that defines whether they have reached true understanding. The themes within existential literature are reflected from the world at large, and the works themselves are a metaphor for a grander shift in Western philosophy.
Imagine living in a world that was black, white, apathetic, and just overall meaningless. Take in the consideration that life right now, was utterly different. Think how humans would represent life and how individuals would appear to society. The existentialists believe in the theory of existentialism which can be depicted as life has no meaning until it is given a purpose. Though everyone has a purpose in life; it is just a matter of discovering what the purpose is. Throughout literature authors use the theory of existentialism to urge humanity to consider the human condition that life has no meaning without purpose.
Existentialism is a philosophical thought that became popular and reached its pinnacle after the world war 2nd “commonly associated with Left-Bank Parisian cafes and the ‘family’ of philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir who gathered there in the years immediately following the liberation of Paris at the end of World War II.” (Existentialism: A Very Short Introduction ix).
The emergence of humanism in psychology, was a result of opposition to see humans only as parts. Humanistic school of thought, often called as the third force in psychology emphasized on viewing humans as more integrated spirits who are beyond testing and proving. Existential thought in psychology is linked to humanism. The existential assumption of humanistic psychology is that human experiences are central and that they have free will (McLeod, 2007).
For centuries humans have pondered over what exactly the meaning of life was. Humans naturally desire to fulfill some type of existential meaning, but how does one address this desire? Philosophers Lois P. Pojman and Albert Camus analyzed the question and reached different conclusions, which leads to the problem of understanding weather or not it is possible to answer such a question? Both philosophers have claimed to have found meaning in their lives, but both philosophers view their meaning on earth differently. This indicates that meaning is personal and only you can decide what gives your life meaning, but should that be all humans strive for?
Life reminds us of the impermanency of our human existence, and the preciousness of the time we have as living, breathing, creative beings. So what is the meaning of life? What is the purpose of Life? I don’t think any single answer can be ubiquitously shared and be applicable for everyone. So I’ll answer for myself, from my current state of
I imagine there are billions of stars and constellations that are constantly shifting, changing and expanding infinitely to create every single existing thing on earth and everything all of us have ever known. But I can also imagine God waving his hands like a magician and all the elements forming to create the earth, the universe, and all the people that will ever exist. We also could have just as easily poofed into existence for a reason, fates intertwining and planning to cause our creation at the precise moment we are needed. But what does it mean then, what can it all mean? The questions surrounding existentialism are answered in the world around us through personal experiences, advice from past thinkers and perception.