Existentialism
Existentialism is a modern philosophy emerging from the 19th century, which is centered upon the analysis
of existence and of the way humans find themselves existing in the world. The notion is that humans exist
first and then each individual spends a lifetime changing their essence or nature. It attained its zenith in
Europe following the disenchantments of the Second World War. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), a Danish
minister and philosopher, is considered to be the founder of existentialism . Other thinkers whose works
have existentialist themes are Friedrich Nietzsche, Gabriel Marcel, Martin Heidegger, Jean Paul Sartre, Karl
Jaspers, Abbagnamo, Bardyaev and Albert Camus etc.
During the 18th century reason and nature were given more importance, objectivity was very much
emphasized, leading to industrial and technological developments and science was given utmost importance.
From the scientific viewpoint, man was also regarded as an object. Man became a slave to machines in
developing industrial society. Against this situation existentialism emerged as a protest against the society
and asserted the supremacy of individuality of man.
It emphasizes individual existence, freedom and choice. It is the view that humans define their own meaning
in life, and try to make rational decisions despite existing in an irrational universe. The main identifiable
common proposition is that existence precedes essence. By this, existentialism states that man exists and in
that existence man defines himself and the world in his own subjectivity, and wanders between choice,
freedom, and existential angst.
It is the most individualistic of all modern philosophies. Its overriding concern is with the individual and its
primary value is the absolute freedom of the person, who is only what he, makes himself to be, and who is
the final and exclusive arbiter of the values he freely determines for himself. Great emphasis is placed on art,
on literature, and the humanistic studies, for it is in these areas that man finds himself and discovers what
values he will seek to attain.
It holds that society is unnatural and its traditional religious and secular rules are arbitrary and that worldly
desire is futile. To the existentialist, human life is no way complete and fully satisfying because of suffering
and losses that occur when considering the lack of perfection, power and control one has over his life.
In simpler terms, existentialism is a philosophy concerned with finding self and the meaning of life through
free will, choice, and personal responsibility. The belief is that people are searching to find out who and
what they are throughout life as they make choices based on their experiences, beliefs, and outlook. And
personal choices become unique without the necessity of an objective form of truth. An existentialist
believes that a person should be forced to choose and be responsible without the help of laws, ethnic rules,
or traditions.
Existentialism – What It Is and Isn’t
Existentialism takes into consideration the underlying concepts:
• Human free will
• Human nature is chosen through life choices
• A person is best when struggling against their individual nature, fighting for life
• Decisions are not without stress and consequences
• There are things that are not rational
• Personal responsibility and discipline is crucial
• Society is unnatural and its traditional religious and secular rules are arbitrary
• Worldly desire is futile
Existentialism is broadly defined in a variety of concepts and there can be no one answer as to what it is, yet
it does not support any of the following:
• wealth, pleasure, or honor make the good life
• social values and structure control the individual
• accept what is and that is enough in life
• science can and will make everything better
• people are basically good but ruined by society or external forces
• “I want my way, now!” or “It is not my fault!” mentality
There is a wide variety of philosophical, religious, and political ideologies that make up existentialism so
there is no universal agreement in an arbitrary set of ideals and beliefs. Politics vary, but each seeks the most
individual freedom for people within a society.
