Existentialism In Des Cartes And Cogito Ergo Sum

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Recommended: BASIC PRINCIPLES OF existentialism

Existentialism, in my opinion is best described by the great french philosopher Des Cartes in which he stated, “Cogito Ergo Sum” meaning “I think therefore I am.” In essence existentialism is the concept of having conscious thought and the fact that you have that thought you exist and have free will. When we make choices we are doing so through our conscious thought and these things are done at our own free will.
These thoughts define us as human beings therefore further verifying existence. When we make these choices we do so knowing that we are having to adhere to no real boundaries or constraints but at the same time knowing that you are responsible for yourself and all of mankind. Thus, anguish, is a direct result of acknowledging that we are condemned to be free, accepting the implications of such, knowing that we cannot escape our obligation to choose, and taking full responsibility for our actions and their consequences. Knowing that we are free and then choosing what to do with that freedom is what defines us as people and in these defining moments in our lives our main concern should always be for humanity because choosing humanity is therefore choosing yourself. Freedom is not in terms of acting rational but rather with choice and transcendence. …show more content…

We try to act rational in a completely irrational universe and to understand that making choices is at free will, what you choose to do is what makes us our own individual. Rationality according to Kierkegaard it is a coping mechanism to existential anxiety. Being rational is completely redundant to true freedom. Knowing that we’re thrown into this world with no choice and that we exist even before there is life because existence is being in this world and precedes

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