EXISTENTIALISM

Existentialism is a philosophy developed by Jean-Paul Sartre, Kierkegaard and

others.
Existentialism is a teaching and learning philosophy that focuses on the men freedom
to choose their future, create their own meaning for life life.
At its core it is about rejection of the idea that there is a higher power or god
controlling our destiny.
With this knowledge we are liberated to make decisions for ourselves.
Scholarly Definitions
• Guignon (2013) writes that “existentialists hold that humans have no pregiven
purpose or essence laid out for them by God or by nature; it is up to each one of us to
decide who and what we are through our own actions.”
• Lawless (2005, p. 326) writes that existentialists believe that “there are no
universal standards for a human life: we are what we do, the sum of our actions.”
• Duignan (2011, p. 113) writes that existentialists believe that “there is no God,
and therefore human beings were not designed for any particular purpose”. As there
appears to be no pre-ordained meaning of life, humans “are free to choose how they
will live.”
Existentialism believes that humans have no pre-ordained purpose. Therefore, each of
us is free to choose how we wish to live our life, and what our life’s purpose shall be
Themes?
Here are
1. Rejection of Meaning-giving Narratives
Existentialists do not believe that there is a God who gives life meaning.
We were not designed with any purpose set out for us. BUT Interestingly, some
existentialists are still religious. For religious existentialists, there is a God – but he
hasn’t left any trace or evidence of how we should live our lives. It’s up to us.
Other existentialist do not believe there is a god at all. This has made them pause and
wonder: how can I give meaning to my own existence?
2. Existence precedes Essence
Essence: Who we are. Our identities.
Existence: The fact that we are alive, right now.
‘Existence precedes essence’ is Jean Paul Sartre’s famous phrase.
Existentialists believe we have to choose for ourselves who or what we will become.
Remember: they don’t think God left any clues about how we should live our lives.
It’s up to us.

“Stop searching for the purpose of life!” they would scream. “You must create
purpose for yourself.”
Now that you exist (existence), you must create your own meaning of life (essence).
3. Life is Absurd
Things that make no sense and have no meaning are said to be ‘absurd’.
You might have used this term when hearing a man screaming nonsense on the bus.
“He makes no sense to me,” you might say. “This man is absurd!”
Well, to existentialists, life is absurd. It makes no sense to them at all.
4. We live a Life of Despair

EXISTENTIALISTS say, we use religion to give ourselves meaning because we can’t

handle the fact that life is meaningless? GOD EXIST?
5. We always have Freedom and Choice
Something nice about existentialism is that you’re free to choose your own path.
Existentialists strongly believe that we have the free-will to choose our own path in
life.
This is true. And the existentialists agree.
"we are the result of our choices" So no matter how bad life gets, There are always
options. WAUUUUUUUUUUUU ‘pick yourself up by your bootstraps’
6. We have a Responsibility to be Authentic
We are free to choose our own life. But we must choose our own life.
Therefore, we are “condemned to be free”.
"The freedom to make choices is a big responsibility".
What would give you fulfillment in your life?
According to existentialism, you need to make choices that will help you obtain that
fulfilment. We will call the choices that lead you in the direction of a fulfilling life
‘authentic’ choices.
7. Existentialism is a Humanism
Humanism is a philosophy that believes we should focus on enhancing human life. We
should ensure humans’ emotional, social, psychological and physical health is
paramount in our minds.
. Existentialism keeps its focus on the whole range of human emotions, and how the
human being can create a meaningful life for themselves.
CONCLUSION
Existentialism is said to be a form of humanism.
Existentialist Philosophers
Of the great existentialists, only Jean Paul Satre and Simone de Bouvoir ever accepted
the characterization. There are many existentialists in fact, they include: Kierkegaard,
Nietzsche, Sartre, de Beauvoir, and Camus.
Here are three important figures:
1. Soren Kierkegaard (1815 – 1855)
Kierkegaard is considered the ‘father of existentialism’.
Kierkergaard influenced existential thought:
A. Rejection of organized religion: Kierkergaard believed that organized religions
tried to assign meaning and order to a disorganized world. He found this to be
inauthentic and intellectual overreach. Some things about life cannot be explained
because they are simply absurd.
B. Free will: Kierkergaard also believed all humans have the freedom to choose
how to live their lives. These people are obliged to choose how they will live their own
lives.
C. Despair and anxiety: Kierkergaard also believed that the absurdity of life and
our responsibility to choose meaning for ourselves will likely lead people into despair.
2. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 – 1900)
Nietzsche very strongly influenced existentialism with the following beliefs:
A. God is dead: Kierkergaard believed in god but thought the church was incapable of
understanding God. Nietzsche did not believe in God and declared God dead. As a
result, a lot of Nietzsche’s writing was concerned about how to live life without the
guidance of a God;
B. Truth is subjective: We all need to make our own meaning in life.
3. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 – 1980)
Sartre is the single biggest existentialist philosopher. He believed:
 A. There is no fundamental meaning to life: Humans were not made for any
purpose.
B. Existence precedes essence: We exist, and now that we exist, we must choose our
essence (our purpose and identity).
C. Condemned to be free: We all must make decisions in our lives. Even making no
decision is a choice made out of our own free will.
D. Bad faith: Bad faith occurs when we lie to ourselves to reassure ourselves. We
often tell ourselves that we have no choice in a situation to make ourselves feel better.
However, Sartre thinks we always have free will and should acknowledge this at all
times.

ACTIVITY HOME:
Strengths and Weaknesses of Existentialism
Strengths of existentialism include VS Weaknesses of existentialism include:
References for your Essay
MAKE AN ESSAY ON EXISTENTIALISM WITH KAFKA AND ALBERT CAMUS
AS A REFERENCE