Existentialism

Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiries. It explores how individuals struggle to lead authentic lives. This struggle happens despite the apparent absurdity of existence. Many thinkers examine meaning, purpose, and value through this lens. They often discuss concepts like existential crises, angst, and freedom.

This philosophy is not a single, rigid system. Instead, it is often viewed as a general approach. It serves to reject certain abstract or systematic philosophies. Existentialists prefer to focus on concrete human experience over theory.

A central tenet is that existence precedes essence. This phrase was famously used by Jean-Paul Sartre. It means that humans exist first and define themselves later. A house has an essence before it is built. Its purpose is to provide shelter from the weather. Humans are different because we lack an inbuilt purpose. We are free to choose our own direction. Our actions and deliberate choices create our true essence.

This freedom brings a heavy burden of responsibility. You are defined by what you actually do. If you act cruelly, you define yourself as a cruel person. You cannot blame your genes or human nature for these choices.

There are different ways to understand the concept of the absurd. One view comes from Albert Camus. He argued that the world is not absurd on its own. The absurd emerges from the clash between humans and the world. It is the incompatibility between human needs and a silent universe.

A second view was elaborated by Søren Kierkegaard. He believed absurdity is limited to human actions and choices. These choices are absurd because they lack a foundation outside of ourselves. This concept often highlights the "unfairness" of the world. It challenges the idea that good things always happen to good people.

The history of these ideas spans several centuries. Many associate the origins of existentialism with Kierkegaard in the 19th century. He may have borrowed the term "existential" from the poet Welhaven. Friedrich Nietzsche and the novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky also explored these themes. However, the specific word "existentialism" was not coined until the mid-1940s. The French Catholic philosopher Gabriel Marcel created the term. He originally used it to describe the work of Jean-Paul Sartre.

Sartre initially rejected the label during a 1945 colloquium. He later changed his mind and publicly adopted it in Paris. His lecture helped popularize the movement across Europe.

Many prominent philosophers contributed to this intellectual landscape. Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir were key figures in the mid-20th century. Other important names include Martin Heidegger and Karl Jaspers. Gabriel Marcel and Paul Tillich also explored these questions. Some scholars focus on the cultural movement of the 1940s and 1950s. This movement included thinkers like Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Albert Camus. There is much debate about where the term should apply. Some extend the label all the way back to Socrates. Others believe it should only describe a specific European era.

Existentialist thought has a massive impact on many disciplines. It reaches far beyond the realm of pure philosophy. You can find its influence in theology and psychology. It also shapes the worlds of art, drama, and literature. Many writers use existential themes to explore the human condition. Authors like Franz Kafka and Joseph Heller have written about these struggles. These works often depict people encountering the absurdity of the world. They show how individuals face the possibility of meaning breaking down. This connection makes deep philosophical ideas feel very real.

The concept of freedom in existentialism is quite radical. Sartre believed that nothing fixes our purpose but ourselves. Our projects have no weight unless we endorse them. Simone de Beauvoir offered a slightly different perspective. She introduced the idea of "sedimentation." This refers to factors that offer resistance to change. These are products of past choices that shape our outlook. However, these sedimentations can still be changed through new choices. This process of change often happens very slowly over time.