Why are humans on the earth? What is the meaning of life? What is going to happen when we die? These are some of the many questions people ask during their time on this earth. Over time, there have been many explanations about why we as humans are here. Answers began with creation stories; then as time went on Plato philosophized different ideas about reality; now in modern times the newest idea is existentialism. Although existentialism is the newest idea, it is not the most important artistic and intellectual force of the modern era. Existentialism is a powerful force, however in modern times it argues with older “truth” systems and forces people to and causes people to struggle with what to believe in. Existentialist Sartre defines …show more content…
Dr. Martin Luther King is a great example of a very influential person in modern times who does not have existentialist views. King was a preacher so he believed in God and that something happens to us after we die. In King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, he says, “We must see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. (Doc E)” This shows that King cares about what others think and feels judged by others. He also uses God as his backup to show that he is doing something good, so he sees God as someone to judge him whereas in existentialism he would be the judge of his own actions. In a similar situation regarding racism, the poem Incident by Countee Cullen shows tells the story of a young child who was the victim of racism. “And so I smiled, but he poked out his tounge, and called me, ‘Nigger.’ (DOC F) This shows that people are judging him the poem is not existential because in the end that was all he remembers and if it was existential he would not have let that bothered him. During the time of racism in the United States, existentialism was really not present because people were letting the judgment of other people get to
In their book, “Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview,” Phillips, Brown, & Stonestreet (2008) describe existentialism by saying, “Each person must find
The common stereotype that comes to mind when one thinks of an existentialist seems to be a moody philosopher locked in a dark room drinking tea and reading while listening to music from a record player. What people do not realize, however, is how common and widely accepted existentialism has become in our everyday lives. Books, songs, magazines, and billboards display existential ideas; existentialism is plastered across our world. “Imagine all the people, living for today”, sings John Lennon. This is existentialism in its purest form; it is a rejection of hollowness and a call to action for all of mankind. This is why existentialism is so important for our world today; in the midst of social media, terrorism, inequality, and every other significant or trivial issue that we face, we lose our vision. We hope for world peace or good health, but we, ourselves, bully or steal or lie or judge or take our health for granted. We are hollow because we are not choosing mankind; we are not setting an example that we hope every man will follow, so we are met with the despair of a passive hope in a world that we feel we cannot fix. What no one realizes, however, is that our job is not to fix the world, but to fix ourselves so that the world may follow suit. We have acknowledged our rock; we have experienced our hour of consciousness; what we need now is our night of Gethsemane, the moment when each
Many people wonder: what is the meaning of life? What is the human purpose on this earth? At least one time in our lifetime, we all look at ourselves and wonder if we are living our lives the way we were meant to live them. Sadly, there is not a definite answer to the principles of human life. Every human comes from different backgrounds and different experiences throughout their existence.
As humans we are creatures of habit. We settle in to our daily routines: waking up, going to work, studying, etc. At times, we have moments of lucidity which break these routines temporarily, these junctures of time provoke you into contemplating your own existance. If there is no meaning or point to life our existence is absurd. Our aspirations for ourself will cease, and so will those of the next generations, so on and so forth until everything ceases. Our existence is a reflection of Sysiphus', always pushing the boulder up the mountain but never truly completing the task, it is how we function with the knowledge of our absurdity and making life worthwhile.
In this post, we’ll explore some of these viewpoints. We’ll first look at six different schools of thought and what they’ve said about the meaning of life. We’ll then look at some of the most common perspectives on the subject: the religious and the secular way of explaining your purpose. Finally, we’ll provide you some steps to help make more sense of it all and to find your own purpose and passion to live a more meaningful life.
The question “How am I to exist?” is the question sought after by many thinkers and is at the center of existentialism. Existentialism is any philosophy that emphasizes fundamental questions of meaning and choice as they affect existing individuals. (Soccio 391) Existentialists develop theories that describe how a person should to live his or her life. Two existentialist philosophers that will be discussed in this paper are Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. Søren Kierkegaard is a very enthusiastic philosopher who believed that the way to live is to have a religious authenticity and avoid the crowd life. Friedrich Nietzsche is a very controversial philosopher who believes that everyone is entitled to their own point of view on life and that there is no absolute truth. Both thinkers express ideas that are different from the norms of their societies and have therefore provoked controversy in their respective times.
Existentialism is the epitome of the unknown. There is no straightforward explanation of what exactly it is, there is only certain characteristics and behaviors that describe existentialist views. Throughout today’s world, there are examples of it everywhere, it’s found in movies, books, songs, and just people in general. Existentialists are known to think and do for themselves only. They believe that to understand what it means to be human requires understanding of themselves first. Some very well known pieces of entertainment existentialism is found in are: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Stranger by Albert Camus, and The Breakfast Club by John Hughes. The Stranger is a book written about a young man whose mother dies, which soon leads him to becoming acquainted with the feeling of not caring about what his actions do to others or himself. The main character Meursault starts helping his friend Raymond, carry out ways to torment his mistress. Out of nowhere while at the beach, Meursault shoots Raymond’s mistress’s brother. He is thrown into jail and tried, but he seems to not be affected as much as he should about his actions. He first finds it hard to live without cigarettes, women, and nature, but he soon finds out he doesn’t need any of those. After being sentenced to death, he is suggested to turn away from his atheism but later realizes that human existence has no greater meaning. This realization and acceptance is what truly makes him happy (Camus). Next, The Breakfast Club is a very relatable movie about high school students suffering the consequences of their actions in detention. The kids are all of ...
There are many different techniques and approaches to group counseling. The approach that I found to be the most interesting is the existential approach. “The existential perspective holds that we define ourselves by our choices” (Corey & Corey, 2014, p.114). This approach can be successful in therapy because it allows one to oversee one’s future. In this paper, I’m going to generally discuss the existential approach to therapy and where it can be used.
Existential literature often focuses on the personal journey towards existential awareness. Common themes in existential works, such as alienation and confrontation with death, often lead the "anti-hero" towards a climactic choice that defines whether they have reached true understanding. The themes within existential literature are reflected from the world at large, and the works themselves are a metaphor for a grander shift in Western philosophy.
Imagine living in a world that was black, white, apathetic, and just overall meaningless. Take in the consideration that life right now, was utterly different. Think how humans would represent life and how individuals would appear to society. The existentialists believe in the theory of existentialism which can be depicted as life has no meaning until it is given a purpose. Though everyone has a purpose in life; it is just a matter of discovering what the purpose is. Throughout literature authors use the theory of existentialism to urge humanity to consider the human condition that life has no meaning without purpose.
Existentialism is a philosophical thought that became popular and reached its pinnacle after the world war 2nd “commonly associated with Left-Bank Parisian cafes and the ‘family’ of philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir who gathered there in the years immediately following the liberation of Paris at the end of World War II.” (Existentialism: A Very Short Introduction ix).
For centuries humans have pondered over what exactly the meaning of life was. Humans naturally desire to fulfill some type of existential meaning, but how does one address this desire? Philosophers Lois P. Pojman and Albert Camus analyzed the question and reached different conclusions, which leads to the problem of understanding weather or not it is possible to answer such a question? Both philosophers have claimed to have found meaning in their lives, but both philosophers view their meaning on earth differently. This indicates that meaning is personal and only you can decide what gives your life meaning, but should that be all humans strive for?
The emergence of humanism in psychology, was a result of opposition to see humans only as parts. Humanistic school of thought, often called as the third force in psychology emphasized on viewing humans as more integrated spirits who are beyond testing and proving. Existential thought in psychology is linked to humanism. The existential assumption of humanistic psychology is that human experiences are central and that they have free will (McLeod, 2007).
Life reminds us of the impermanency of our human existence, and the preciousness of the time we have as living, breathing, creative beings. So what is the meaning of life? What is the purpose of Life? I don’t think any single answer can be ubiquitously shared and be applicable for everyone. So I’ll answer for myself, from my current state of
I imagine there are billions of stars and constellations that are constantly shifting, changing and expanding infinitely to create every single existing thing on earth and everything all of us have ever known. But I can also imagine God waving his hands like a magician and all the elements forming to create the earth, the universe, and all the people that will ever exist. We also could have just as easily poofed into existence for a reason, fates intertwining and planning to cause our creation at the precise moment we are needed. But what does it mean then, what can it all mean? The questions surrounding existentialism are answered in the world around us through personal experiences, advice from past thinkers and perception.