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existentialism aspects
essays on existentialism
essays on existentialism
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There are many genres in music. Today, people see the charts dominated by pop, rock, and hip-hop, but there are numerous genres that fill bottom cultures of music. For instance, jazz music is not booming like it was in the 1930s. However, the culture still fully exists. It is still being performed and experimented with by musicians. It is even arguable that jazz was a starting root to music today. Literature also holds an abundance of genres. From fantasies to lectures, news to philosophies, literature is also a constant part of human life. Now, if there were a genre of literature that works as an analogy to jazz, it would certainly be existentialism. Existentialism is a philosophical movement that was birthed post-World War II. It is a deep study of the existence of life, and revolves around the idea that we create our own nature. The absolute internal freedom humans own is only beat down by the anxiety humans create from their freedom. That is why life is absurd. With such a deep, complex philosophy, it is important that it is studied, investigated, and explained. The same can be said for jazz music. The complexity may be why existentialism is still being explored today. There are many modern works that set up existential experiments, attempt to define the existential character, and display consequences of the philosophy being ignored. Existential investigation is important because on the surface, it seems like a dark philosophy, but through understanding it becomes powerful.
With the overall outlook on existentialism seeming quite daunting, it is important to find the resolution. One of the themes that make existentialism so daunting is that life is absurd. What is absurdity, and what are people able to do about it? Sartre expr...
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Dasa, Gadadhara Pandit. “Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi: The Liberating Power of Non-violence.” The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post., 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 13 May 2014.
Dumas, Alexandre. The Count of Monte Cristo. New York: Modern Library, 1996. Print.
"Existentialism in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis." 123HelpMe.com. 13 May 2014
Groundhog Day. Dir. Harold Ramis. Perf. Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliot. Columbia Pictures, 1993.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print.
Schrahé, Svenja. “Albert Camus and The Myth of Sisyphus.” Albert Camus Society. Camus Society., 2011. Web. 13 May 2014.
Shelton, Robert. No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 1986. Google eBook.
Wildman, Wesley. “Existentialism.” People.bu.edu. Boston University., 2010. Web. 13 May 2014.
The lecture “Existentialism is a humanism” (French: “L’Existentialism est un humanisme”, 1946), first presented in the winter of 1945, represents Sartre’s attempt to defend the existentialist philosophical thought by the attacks of the Communists and Christians, as well as the common understanding of "existentialism". Sartre argues that the notion of “existentialism” has gone beyond the philosophical though and has acquired a pervasive and negative connotation.
Shelton, Robert. No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan. New York: Beech Tree, 1986.
"Nonviolence can touch men where the law cannot reach them." These words, uttered by the late civil right's leader himself, were the fundamental tenet of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life. These words, though few in number, are great in power. These words, simple, plain, and concise, provide a rubric with which to investigate Martin Luther King, Jr.'s creative genius and intelligence.
First Martin Luther King’s philosophy of non violence had two major influences guided him though his life a strong belief in religion and the Philosophy of Gandhi. Being a Christian instilled strong moral values in Martin Luther King and much of Martin Luther King’s philosophy of non violence residences form came from the bible, like the teachings of Jesus and the Christian principles of pacifism. Martin Luther King also had other influences that helped shape his philosophy of non violent. For instance, Martin Luther King was greatly influenced by another civil rights activist, Mahatma Gandhi. A lot of Martin Luther King’s philosophy of non violence resistance came from the Philosophies that Gandhi applied to his resistance movements in India and Africa. For example, the use of boycotts, rallies, Marches, and civil non compliance as forms of non violence resistance. It was both his religion and influences form activist like Gandhi; straighten his commitment to love his enemy and not to wish harm on them, and to fight for truth and justice.
According to Indian social activist Mahatma Gandhi, selfless service is the foundation for creating change throughout the world. “Action is one’s duty”, and one’s duty is actuated by “the spirit of service” (9) which one must take on in order to understand humility and selflessness, strengthen himself, and become an advocate for ahimsa, nonviolence (9). Like so many other social activists, Gandhi had a vision for the future: a vision of peace, independence, and equality for all. To Gandhi, nonviolence is essential if one ever wishes to see this change that he envisioned for the world. Gandhi fought relentlessly for India’s independence from Britain, but he did not fight in the way many people today think of when they hear the word “fight”. Gandhi fought without fists but with courage, heart, empathy, and, most importantly, with love – love for self, love for others, and love for his country. Gandhi confirms that one who loves himself, others, and his country enough to sacrifice himself and devote himself to ahimsa has the power to change the world. If an individual wants to make a difference he should follow the ways in which Mahatma Gandhi lived his life; Gandhi led a life of nonviolence in his everyday life, in the form of civil disobedience, and as a foundation for independence. As Gandhi did, when one reaches a full understanding of nonviolence and acts upon it, he alone can make a difference.
Existentialism Is a Humanism is philosophical writing by Jean-Paul Sartre and its goal is to defend his philosophical theory of existentialism against many reproaches put forward by many different critics. Sartre is a firm believer that we have no greater purpose, no pre-determined plans, no ultimate meaning. We have, in Sartre’s words, no human nature, since there is nothing outside of us in which would conceive of it for us. We are simply here, and it is up to us to define ourselves. As Sartre states, “Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.”
This famous quote summarizes the gloomy philosophy of existentialism. Schopenhauer, using this philosophy, believed that the universe was meaningless and irrational, and that his irrational life was full of choices that brought him in contact with the nothingness of the universe. Existentialism has no definite description because individuals create their own meaning by making sense of the world as it pertains to the individual. While individuals create their own meaning, there are several common themes that are followed. These themes fall under the general idea that reality is absurd and it is the responsibility of humans to make their own choices and accept the consequences of these choices in regard to the individual’s experience. Some of these universal themes appear as morals of the effects of not being an existentialist in the writings of existentialists who decided to share their own reflections in books, songs, and movies. Within existential literature, three themes, dread and anxiety, alienation and estrangement, and choice and commitment, are most common and also epitomize the philosophy of existentialism. Dread and anxiety show the existentialist that his direction or choice is wrong at the time.
Toward the end of the semester we read Albert Camus version of the Myth of Sisyphus.
Existentialism is a term that was coined specifically by Jean-Paul Sartre in regards to his own life. Sartre had adopted the Atheistic approach to life and its meaning, and while he was not the first or only one to do so, was the first and only one to come up with a way to describe it. Under Existentialism, man lives without higher power or guidance and must rely solely on himself and what he is aiming to do in order to lead a fulfilling life. This can be anything. Critics of Sartre propose that, because such a vast array of options exists within the meaningfulness of life, this philosophy is obsolete and trivial in nature. This is not true, as it is seen in everyday examples – celebrities, namely – that a thirst
In his 1946 essay Existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre undertakes the task of defending existentialism against what he defines as “charges” (341) brought against it. Sartre begins to outline the “charges” brought against existentialism and further, existentialists. Following the medieval quaestio-form, Sartre begins with the statement of the objection, a short discussion, and then his reply to each.
12. see Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays, trans. Justin O'Brien, (New York: Vintage Books, 1961) 21-24.
Ross, Ph.D., Kelley L. "Existentialism." The Proceedings of the Friesian School. 2011. Web. 6 April 2012.
Gandhi and King both agreed that nonviolence is accomplished by revolutionizing the relationship between adversaries, and that its strength lies in their commitment to justice. However, Gandhi puts emphasis on a need for personal suffering in the practice of nonviolence, a stance that is somewhat less aggressive than
Existentialism is a philosophical approach to understanding human existence. The nineteenth and twentieth century saw the emergence of many philosophers and thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Jaspers, Marcel, Sartre, Camus, Nietzsche and Buber all of whom greatly influenced existential therapy. During a period in Europe where civil disturbances, localised wars and where two world-wide wars took place, ideologies and the recklessness of humanity came into question. A growing interest in existentialism could be perceived throughout literature, art, philosophy and education. After the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution there was a decline in religious faith and this left many feeling lost and devoid of values and any sense of direction (Corey
Mahatma Gandhi believed in a system of non-violence, or ahimsa, that “could change and heal situations of conflict and human nature itself” (xxxi). He believed that there was a need for “radical transformations in human lives, relationships, and organizations… and the interconnectedness of these” (xxvi). Gandhi “recognized the need to create a social environment in which this sort of disciplined personal life and consequent transformed personal relationships could flourish,” (xxvii) which sparked the idea of ashram communities where people shared a vision of “authentic human life and the disciplines which enabled it” (xxvii). Furthermore, Gandhi pushed for the civil disobedience of “people unwilling to conform to the laws of the legislature”