Existentialism

What do the following statements mean? “Existence precedes essence.” “Man is condemned to be free.” “God’s death sets us free.” “If you love someone, set them free.” “Before we can live, we must face death.” “Hell is other people.”

Main themes of existentialism 1. Existence precedes essence o man is a conscious being, not a thing that is manipulated or predetermined 2. Anxiety / Anguish o The dread of the nothingness of human existence 3.Absurdity o I am my own existence, but my existence is absurd

Main themes of existentialism 4.The Void o There is nothing at all that structures the world in which we live 5. Death o Death is the most personal and authentic moment…but it is as absurd as birth 6.Alienation o Apart from our own conscious being, all else is “otherness,” and we are alienated from that otherness

Consider… 1.How do most people fill “the void”? How does an existentialist do so? 2.How would an existentialist answer the Nazi defense of “I was only following orders”? 3.Can there be true existentialist ethics?

Jean-Paul Sartre ( ) Background Atheist existentialism “Bad Faith” Inauthenticity Optimistic?

“By existentialism, we mean a doctrine which makes human life possible and, in addition, declares that every truth and every action implies a human setting and a human subjectivity.” “[Atheistic existentialism] states that if God does not exist, there is at least one being in whom existence precedes essence, a being who exists before he can be defined by any concept, and that this being is man…Thus, there is no human nature, since there is no God to conceive it. Not only is man what he conceives himself to be, but he is also only what he wills himself to be after this thrust toward existence.” “The existentialist…thinks it very disturbing that God does not exist, because all possibility of finding values in a heaven of ideas disappears along with Him; there can no longer be an a priori Good, since there is no infinite and perfect consciousness to think it.” -Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism

Responsibility We our responsible for our—and everyone’s—choices o By choosing to do become a teacher, I am saying that becoming a teacher is a worth-while endeavor I am creating the world in which I live