Existentialism

Origins

The term "Existentialism" has been used by many philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Heidegger and also some very famous writers such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Kafka. Although these people have helped a lot in the Existentialism movement, Kierkegaard has been named "the Father of Existentialism".

After the Second World War, Western societies were in dire need of new leaders and new ideas, and this school of thought gained respect and popularity thanks to the help of philosophers like Sartre and Camas.

Existence VS Essence

Existence comes from the Latin word "existere" which means "to stand out". Existentialism is based on the fact that everything has essence and existence. What is important to note is that in every creature essence precedes existence. To elaborate on this a little, imagine a painter with a white piece of paper. The piece of paper is blank, but the painter has the idea in his head. He has the picture in his mind and he knows exactly what he is going to draw. That "idea" is the essence.

Human beings are an entirely different matter. Humans first exist and then they "define" themselves. They are born and through time they learn to make their own essence. The positive side of this belief is that people can be anybody they choose to be. You can be a good person instead of a cruel one; your faith is in your own hands.


Reason

Existentialists are against definitions of human beings as "rational". Sartre believed that what you "feel" is right is the right thing to do. What has meaning to you is the rational thing to do. He recounts that:

Once one of my followers came to me and said that he wanted to go to London to help and promote Existentialism, but his mother was very sick, and if he left her, she would die. He wanted to know what the right thing was. I asked him what he wanted to do, and he replied that he wanted to stay with his mother. I told him it is the right thing to do. If he had chosen to go to London, I would have said the same thing.

Responsibility

Defining yourself is indeed a very big responsibility. That is why philosophers believe that Existentialism values man kind more than Marxism, Naturalism or even Liberalism. This issue though, brings up another matter which is known as "angst".


Angst

The fact that you have to make your own essence, and you are responsible not only for your own life, but sometime for others' too (Assuming that human beings define themselves, when one does something right, that will inevitably becomes a "Value" that others would want to follow), Puts people in an extreme state of anxiety. According to Sartre, this anxiety is different from the angst Nihilists feel. This kind of anxiety is constructive and important to make men grow.

Loneliness

People who follow certain religions believe that men have a part of God with them. Naturalists believe that men are a part of nature, but Existentialists believe that humans are something entirely different. This belief has made them lonely. There is nothing in this world they can relate to, and worse that that, there are no morals. There are no goods and evils. Radicals do not believe in God either, but they believe in something common in men that stops them from wrongdoing and that is called "conscience", but without God and conscience, what is there to stop them from Cruelty?


My Opinion

I believe that after the failure of communism, Radicalism and Naturalism, Existentialism can be considered a very strong school of thought based on logic and reason. Its weakest point though, is the lack of what we human beings need the most these days, and that is morality. Without Morality, living is almost impossible and for this very reason, Existentialism is weak.


Author's Note: this is a summery of what I have understood from Existentialism. I could be very wrong about the things I have written. If I have made any mistakes in concept or Grammar, feel free to correct me. I would appreciate it.