EXISTENTIALISM

It is the philosophical belief we are each responsible for creating purpose or meaning in
our own lives. Our individual purpose and meaning is not given to us by Gods,
governments, teachers or other authorities.
Existentialism is the view that human consciousness is radically free, always able to
choose. Such freedom entails that one’s ethical system is chosen. Also, because one
must choose to act, one’s ethical system will not automatically direct action.
Existentialism is more of a moral theory than a moral system.
Existentialism was a literary and philosophical movement in Europe that emerged in the
early to mid-20th century. Existentialists argued that humans are the architects of their
own future. They are therefore completely free to determine the course of their own
lives, for better or worse. Moreover, they believed there was no god, no fate and no
destiny at play. Both liberating and terrifying, this school of thought opened up new
ways of thinking about our relationship to the world around us. We examine some of the
most prominent and prolific Existentialists who scorched a path for countless others to
follow.

Prominent thinkers
1. Jean-Paul Sartre
French philosopher, screenwriter, playwright, novelist and literary critic Jean-Paul
Sartre was the eminent voice of Existentialism. His standout contributions to the
field of Existentialism include the philosophical treatise Being and Nothingness,
1943. He later adapted this same essay into a sell-out lecture delivered in Paris
titled Existentialism is a Humanism. His most important literary works include the
novels Nausea, 1938, and The Roads to Freedom Trilogy, 1945–49. Among his
most popular plays are Flies, 1947, and Dirty Hands, 1948. Throughout this long
and prolific career, Sartre explored what it means to be human, and he
questioned how the structures of our consciousness inform how we can direct
the path of our own lives.

2. Albert Camus
Algerian-born French philosopher, novelist, playwright and journalist Albert
Camus was one of the Existentialist school’s leading lights. As an Algerian living
in Paris, he wrote from the perspective of an outsider or interloper looking on as if
from a distance. The characters in his stories reflect the concept of Existential
dread. They struggle to find their purpose and belonging in an increasingly
complex and dangerous world. Camus is also closely associated with the literary
style of Absurdism, which focused on one’s feelings of separation from the world
around us.
 This sense of alienation plays out in his most famous literary works L’Etranger
(The Stranger), 1942, and La Peste (The Plague), 1947. In Camus’s
philosophical essay The Myth of Sisyphus, 1942, he described the mythological
character of Sisyphus as the ideal absurd hero. Camus argues that this anti-
hero’s life of perpetual struggle without hope or end epitomizes the grim reality of
human existence.

3. Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir was a pioneering French Existentialist who produced a vast
body of work. This includes literature, philosophy and social theory. She was also
an iconic feminist who fought tirelessly for women’s rights. Her most celebrated
text was the philosophical essay titled Le Deuxième Sexe (The Second Sex),
1942. In it she argued vehemently for the abolition of the female ideal, which she
saw as designed exclusively for the benefit of men. By contrast, in her novels she
explored core Existentialist themes around human consciousness and the quest
for self-fulfillment. We see these themes at play in L’Invitée (She Came To
Stay), 1943, and Les Mandarins (The Mandarins), 1954.

4. Samuel Beckett
The Irish, French based writer Samuel Barclay Beckett was a giant in the field of
European 20th century literature, producing novels, short stories, poetry and
translations, although he is probably best-known as an influential playwright.
Beckett took a somewhat pessimistic approach to the school of Existentialism.
He did this by arguing that life has no meaning, while our human desire is to try
and attach meaning to everything.

Beckett’s stories often present a bleak outlook on life in post-war Europe. His
characters struggle to find their purpose, and instead drift aimlessly around doing
nothing. He also explores elements of satire and black humor. His novels include
Murphy, 1928, Dream of Fair to Middling Women, 1932, How It is, 1961 and The
Lost One, 1970. Among his many successful plays are the timeless Waiting for
Godot, 1949, as well as Endgame, 1957, Krapp’s Last Tape, 1958 and Happy
Days, 1961.

Basic Themes
1. Existence Precedes Essence
The catchphrase often adopted by existentialists is “existence precedes
essence.” But what does this really mean? In order to understand, we need to
look at a philosophical school first founded by the Greek philosopher Aristotle,
 called Essentialism. Aristotle argued that everything had an “essence” that
defined its purpose in life – for example, a knife’s essence is a blade. It can take
many different shapes and sizes, but the essence is still the same. Aristotle
argued that a person or object’s essence came before its existence. Religion
propped up the importance of Essentialism, and the belief that God had designed
us with a certain life purpose in mind, even before we were born.

This belief system stayed in place for thousands of years, and it wasn’t until the
19th century that thinkers started to question it. Existentialism reversed this belief
system, arguing existence came first, and it was up to us to find our true
essence, however difficult it might be.

2. Existentialism Argued There Are No Systems of Power

As the horrors of the war rippled through society, philosophers began questioning
the systems of authority that had allowed them to happen. Would God really
have allowed such brutalities to take place? And can we really trust governments
to hold our best interests at heart? Existentialism argued that war had
demonstrated that there was no higher authority that held us in place. There was
no omnipotent presence that predetermined our existence. Instead, each
individual was solely responsible for themselves, and free to choose their own
path.

3. Existentialism Argued Freedom Is Overwhelming

While freedom might seem like a liberating prospect to many, Existentialist
philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre argued that it was also a terrifying prospect in a
world so full of fear and uncertainty. Remember that war had recently torn society
apart, so there were anxieties and uncertainties everywhere. Sartre wrote, “Man
is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible
for everything he does.” For some, having unmitigated freedom in the world was
a terrifying prospect which gave rise to terms such as “Existential angst”, and
even “Existential crisis.” These terms describe individuals who are overwhelmed
by the enormity of the world, and who struggle to find their place within it.

4. Life Makes No Sense

Much like the Nihilists who emerged a generation earlier, the Existentialists
believed that life is completely absurd, and makes little to no sense. This
prospect is as bleak as it is exhilarating. But while the Nihilists argued that life’s
absurdity made it meaningless, and our existence entirely pointless,
Existentialism argued that amongst the chaos lurked countless opportunities and
possibilities, for those who were brave enough to go out and find them.
Existentialist writer and philosopher Albert Camus argued, “The realization that
life is absurd cannot be an end, but only a beginning.” Sartre argued that
because there were no authorities, and no one had any answers, even those in
 supposed positions of authority, it was up to the individual to create their own
moral code, and to find their own unique way of living authentically.
Specific existentialist of your choice
Jean-Paul Sartre believed that human beings live in constant anguish, not solely
because life is miserable, but because we are 'condemned to be free'. While the
circumstances of our birth and upbringing are beyond our control, he reasons that once
we become self-aware (and we all do eventually), we have to make choices — choices
that define our very 'essence'. Sartre's theory of existentialism states that “existence
precedes essence”, that is only by existing and acting a certain way do we give
meaning to our lives. According to him, there is no fixed design for how a human being
should be and no God to give us a purpose. Therefore, the onus for defining ourselves,
and by extension humanity, falls squarely on our shoulders. This lack of pre-defined
purpose along with an 'absurd' existence that presents to us infinite choices is what
Sartre attributes to the “anguish of freedom”. With nothing to restrict us, we have the
choice to take actions to become who we want to be and lead the life we want to live.
According to Sartre, each choice we make defines us while at the same time revealing
to us what we think a human being should be. And this incredible burden of
responsibility that the free man has to bear is what relegates him to constant anguish.