1. Introduction to the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus
Existentialism
Introduction to the novel
The Stranger by Albert Camus

2. Quick Write 1
Is it better to live a life full of joy, pain, sorrow, happiness – highs & lows… OR
…to live a life without emotions and purpose – no pain, no joy…

3. Quick Write 2 Agree or Disagree:
There is no real meaning in life. People only make their own meaning so that they can exist each day with some sort of purpose.
For example: One might say religion exists to give people meaning so that they can go on each day and feel their life is not pointless.

4. Quick Write 3
What would happen if (or describe a day in the life of) someone who…
Doesn’t believe there is a purpose in life…there is no point
Doesn’t believe in religion, god, or any higher power
Doesn’t love, sees no beauty, and has no real emotions
Doesn’t follow society’s norms
Doesn’t worry about consequences
Doesn’t think anything really matters

5. Existentialism Definition
A philosophical movement that embraces diverse doctrines, BUT centers The idea that people are free but ultimately responsible for their choices without knowing if those choices are right/wrong, good/bad…
dictionary.search.yahoo.com
n. noun
1. A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts.

6. An Attempt to Explain Existentialism, by Vincent Lui
Kids’ Existentialism

7. Concepts of Existentialism
The only certainty is death
All “meaning” is man-made
Karma does not exist
The universe is meaningless and absurd
Does not believe in abstract principles like love and beauty

8. More Existential CONCEPTS
Truth is subjective; reality is subjective
The universe is ruled by randomness
Everything that happens is chance
Free will exists; fate does not

9. KIERKEGAARD ( )
Believed life was an impossible choice between two conflicting attitudes:
Aesthetic-immediate experience Vs. Ethical-ideals
 "...the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I can live and die" - Journals 1835

10. More Existential CONCEPTS
No self-identity
Individual shapes own destiny and gives meaning to his existence, not only for himself, but as it will be judged by others

11. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)
Tragic pessimism defines life
The individual will oppose itself to the moral conformity of the majority
Proclaimed the death of God and rejected the entire Judeo-Christian moral tradition
“In the consciousness of the truth he has perceived, man now sees everywhere only the awfulness or the absurdity of existence and loathing seizes him.” -- Friedrich Nietzsche

12. More Existential CONCEPTS
Man is personally and solely responsible for what he does and what he is
Every person has the power and the ability to change at ANY time in life
Individual actions are unpredictable
It doesn’t matter what you think…
it only matters what you do

13. Martin Heidegger ( )
Humanity lives in an incomprehensible, Indifferent/uncaring world
Human beings will never understand why we are here
Each individual must choose a goal and follow it with passionate conviction, aware of the certainty of death and the ultimate meaningless of life.
“If I take death into my life, acknowledge it, and face it squarely, I will free myself from the anxiety of death and the pettiness of life - and only then will I be free to become myself.” - Heidegger

14. More Existential CONCEPTS
Believed in taking a leap of faith into a Christian life.
Believed this Christian faith would be the only thing to save an individual from despair.

15. Jean-Paul Sartre ( )
Emphasize human freedom, choice and responsibility
Humans require a rational basis for their lives but are unable to achieve this, thus life is a futile passion
“To be is to do.” - Existential motto
“There is no reality except in action.” – Sartre
“In life man commits himself and draws his own portrait, outside of which there is nothing. No doubt this thought may seem harsh to someone who has not made a success of his life. But on the other hand, it helps people to understand that reality alone counts, and that dreams, expectations and hopes only serve to define a man as a broken dream, aborted hopes, and futile expectations.” - Sartre

16. More Existential CONCEPTS
Free will allows individuals to change
Even a refusal to choose is a choice
Few decisions are without negative consequences
Universe does NOT provide moral rules; they are constructed by humans and intended to promote responsibility for actions
Therefore, NO ONE should attempt to impose rules of conduct on anyone!

17. Existentialists don’t believe in

18. THE Absurdist Theory The universe has no rational direction or scheme.
It is meaningless and absurd.
full meaning of The Stranger.

19. Given: Life is meaningless
Given: Life is meaningless. Given: If we accept or acknowledge this, we risk falling into despair and depression.

20. Thus: We create meaning for ourselves throughout our lives.

21. But:
We know this meaning we have created is meaningless, as we are the ones feeding ourselves on illusion, to keep from going insane at the reality of the meaninglessness of human existence.

22. Therefore: We live ABSURD existences as we have created false meaning for ourselves, knowing this, and fooling ourselves.

23. So: The trick is to accept the meaninglessness of life, but create meaning for us so life is NOT meaningless – and this is, in effect, absurd.

24. Existentialists cannot even agree on a definition of existentialism because it is an absurd idea.
Irony

26. Wrap-Up
Write at least one thing about existentialism that you agree with. Explain.
Write at least two things that you disagree with. Explain.

27. Steve Martin: