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Strengths and weaknesses of existentialism in education
The aspects of existentialism
Benefit of existentialism in education
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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.
Life is too short to waste it and just let it pass by. Each person on Earth has an equal chance to do something life-changing, if humanity puts their minds to it. In order to feel some sort of accomplishment, existentialists believe that putting a purpose behind the scenes is all up to the human living that life. Philip Mairet wrote in his lecture that “…we reproached as people who deny the reality and seriousness of human affairs” (Existentialism Is a Humanism). As a society we lack the ability to achieve the greatness we hold as individuals. As the commonwealth, we do not hold a very excellent track record at being sensitive or emotional. Instead, we judge them or make them feel uncomfortable.
As a persona, we do a fantastic job at judging and isolating the other people around. As Philip Mairet says “…we are also reproached for leaving out of the account the solidarity of mankind and considering man in isolation” (Existentialism Is a Humanism). Though when it comes to being affectionate, we disregard the emotion, and isolate others on the account that it does not interfere with what we see happening in o...
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... the human condition and the impacts it has on individuals, others might be able to appreciate the purpose within them.
Works Cited
Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. New York. Grove Press, 1954.
Bramann, Jorn K. “Existentialism” Existentialism. N.p, n.b. Web 18 Nov. 2013.
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Camus, Albert. The Plague. New York: Modern Library. 1948. 4-70.
Camus, Albert and Matthew Ward. The Stranger. New York: Vintage International, 1989,
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Crowell, Steven, Crowell. “Existentialism” Stanford University. Stanford University.
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Mariet, Philip. “Existentialism Is a Humanism” February 2005. 15 Nov. 2013
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“20th WCP: Existentialist Perception of the Human Condition: With Special Reference to Sartre”
Trans. D. R. Bhandari. J.N.V University n.d Web 19Nov. 2013.
In the book, Grendel by John Gardner, Grendel shows that existentialism is significant in his life. Many of his decisions are based on the thought of whether they have a meaning behind it or not. He tries to be nihilistic and think that the world has no meaning but he ends up being existentialist as he cares about how his choices will be perceived. There are different characters that have existentialism in their lives which allows them to function throughout their world. This book promotes existentialism because the different main characters take on their unique roles throughout the book and create their own meaning.
In conclusion, humankind is blessed with life as God created it. One must reflect on their actions throughout life because one will be judged by God in the next life, one must see the importance of gasping liberation, and one must have a loving and open heart when helping the poor. Life should be lived to its fullest because once time is lost, it cannot be regained; life needs to be appreciated.
Again, I believe Taylor is missing some important feature to his theory. It seems he is correct in stating one should have their own sense of meaning to their life not just others’ perception that one’s life is meaningful. However, there is still the problem of giving equal meaning to everyone life that is doing what they love to do. As a result, to answer this problem one could suggest in order for one to have a meaningful life a person must be subjectively fulfilled by pursuing objectively valuable ends. This way it ensures the person must find meaning in their own lives as well as creating something that benefits many that will give others the perception the person has a meaningful life.
Known as one of the first existentialists, he conceived the notion of “life-affirmation.” “Life affirmation”
“Objection, evasion, joyous distrust, and love of irony are signs of health; everything absolute belongs to pathology.” (Nietzsche 1886) This quote from Beyond Good and Evil, is an example of existentialist purpose, since he is listing parts of life, some of witch can be considered purpose to life, and the consider it a disease, as if he has no purpose. I somewhat agree, because I don’t understand the point in life,¬¬–– there is no point is there. I guess the purpose of living is the everyday family, friends, and trying best to be happy or to make everyone who’s around happy. To be completely honest I’m not sure if there is a purpose, I would think that the main purpose for humankind is to function normally for society. This way we can all insure the well being of others and to keep others alive and well. I would say living in harmony with others would be my purpose. I will know that I have fulfilled my purpose when those around me are happy and at
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson-
Existentialism is a philosophical movement that stresses individual existence. Human beings are totally free and responsible for their own acts. Another main idea of existentialism is the limitation of reason and the irreducibility of experience to any system. Man is not a detached observer of the world; rather, he "exists" in a special sense - he is "in the world." Stones, trees, and other objects do not share this existence, and man is open to the world and the objects in it. There is no set limit to how many choices man must make, and no particular set of rules or values one must follow. Rather, there is simply a framework in which action and choice are to be viewed, implying that there are right and wrong ways of choosing, although the individual is still completely free.
Existentialism as a distinct philosophical and literary movement belongs to the 19th and 20th centuries. Although existentialism is impossible to define, some of its common themes can be identified. One of the major theme is the stress on concrete individual existence and, consequently, on subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice. 19th century Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, was the first writer to call himself existential. He wrote in his journal, "I must find a truth that is true for me . . . the idea for which I can live or die.
The Existential Approach stands for respect for the person, for exploring new aspects of human behavior, and for divergent methods of understanding people (Corey, 2013). Existentialists do not focus on instinctive drives or internalized others but on the person's unavoidable confrontation with the givens of the human condition. Yalom (1980) described those givens as death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness. (Bauman, & Waldo, 1998).
Existentialism is defined as a philosophical movement that human beings are completely free and responsible for their own actions. Existentialists will try not to cause waves and remain completely uninvolved with anyone because they do not want to hurt anybody. There is absolutely no such thing as an existentialist because he would have to be so uninvolved to the point where he would not be able to live at all. Although the two stories: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and The Stranger by Albert Camus are very different in approach, their endings are similar in that they both support the basics of existentialism.
Existentialism is a very broad topic with no exact definition, and it has been interpreted in many different ways by various philosophers. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, existentialism is defined 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”. Existentialism has influenced many authors works and lives, such as the novelist Hermann Hesse. A particular work by Hesse that was heavily influenced by his existentialist beliefs was his book, Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf
Existentialism is the epitome of the unknown. There is no straightforward explanation of what exactly it is, there is only certain characteristics and behaviors that describe existentialist views. Throughout today’s world, there are examples of it everywhere, it’s found in movies, books, songs, and just people in general. Existentialists are known to think and do for themselves only. They believe that to understand what it means to be human requires understanding of themselves first. Some very well known pieces of entertainment existentialism is found in are: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Stranger by Albert Camus, and The Breakfast Club by John Hughes. The Stranger is a book written about a young man whose mother dies, which soon leads him to becoming acquainted with the feeling of not caring about what his actions do to others or himself. The main character Meursault starts helping his friend Raymond, carry out ways to torment his mistress. Out of nowhere while at the beach, Meursault shoots Raymond’s mistress’s brother. He is thrown into jail and tried, but he seems to not be affected as much as he should about his actions. He first finds it hard to live without cigarettes, women, and nature, but he soon finds out he doesn’t need any of those. After being sentenced to death, he is suggested to turn away from his atheism but later realizes that human existence has no greater meaning. This realization and acceptance is what truly makes him happy (Camus). Next, The Breakfast Club is a very relatable movie about high school students suffering the consequences of their actions in detention. The kids are all of ...
(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
Existentialism is a phiosophy which revolves around the central belief that we create ourselves. External factors are not important. It is the way that we let external factors affect us that determines who we are. As individuals we all have the freedom to choose our own path and that is what life is all about. Along with the freedom of choice comes the responsibilty of one's actions which can make some people anxious but give others meaning to their lives. To overcome this anxiousness and accept responsibilty is to meet the challenges of life and to truly live it. I can adopt the existentialist approach which states that to live life is to experience happiness and absurdness and to appreciate both as a part of life.
In existentialism one’s mind and body are ultimately free, they have nothing controlling their actions; that freedom is in the way one communicates, one’s actions, one’s choices, one’s