INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Module 1:
The Human Person and the Self: Reflection and Death

Part II:
Death and Existentialism

INTRODUCTION

As we have learned the basic definition of philosophy and Gabriel Marcel’s idea on Primary
and Secondary Reflection, and Problem and Mystery, we now proceed to one of the most intriguing
topics in philosophy: death and existence. By the end of this study guide, you are expected to

1. Identify the different philosophical concepts on death and existentialism from Albert Camus
and Søren Kierkegaard.
2. Integrate the concept of Secondary Reflection on how one understands death and existence.
3. Reflect on the status of your existence and seek the meaning of life vis-a-vis death.

CONTENT
Part of the brokenness of the world is the reality of death, that as humans, we all know that
we are bound to die someday. That is why being left by people who are dear to us such as family,
friends, and colleagues, adds another crack to the world that is already broken.
Thinking about it, although death is certain, it remains uncertain. We know it will come but we do
not know when. We do not have any idea how. And this is the mystery that death presents to us. We
now raise the question:

What is the point of living if we are just going to die?

Life, Death, and the Afterlife

Before going over the philosophical perspective of death, how do we usually first define life,
death, and even the afterlife?

• Life – The condition that one lives, existence.

• Death – When our physical bodies cease to exist.
 • Afterlife – A belief that once we die on earth, there is another life after death. But what
happens or where do we go? Two of the most famous beliefs about the afterlife came from
Christianity and Buddhism.
o Christians believe in the promise of Jesus Christ that there is eternal life. As long as
one follows the footsteps of Christ, there is a glimmer of hope that one can attain the
glory of heaven.
o Buddhists on the other hand believe in samsara. According to their sacred ancient
texts, there is a cycle of life and death. This is commonly known as reincarnation
wherein when a person dies, they are once again to be born in accordance to what
they did in their past life.
As we have recently learned Gabriel Marcel’s concept of mystery and problem, the main question
raised above is a mystery as there is no one correct answer. For that reason, the definitions above of
life, death, and the afterlife are just primary reflections. In this module, we will integrate secondary
reflection in understanding the mystery of existence and death through Albert Camus and Søren
Kierkegaard.

The Existential Movement / Existentialism

Have you ever heard of the term “existential crisis?” Or perhaps the more fitting question
would be, have you experienced an existential crisis? That feeling of being conscious about time, the
status of your life, and all the uncertainty that may come ahead tomorrow. That empty feeling that
usually keeps you up at night. Commonly being aware suddenly of your purpose in this life is a
phenomenon known as an existential crisis. This is a state of questioning yourself about the state of
your existence or life. It is completely normal to feel this way as this reminds you to be aware of a
particular stage in your life and to engage yourself with the mysteries of your existence.
This theme is examined under existentialism, a philosophical movement that urges the human
person to confront and make them aware of their existence. Historically, existentialism emerged
after the Second World War. Due to the depressive state of human affairs that transpired during that
time, the human person was put into the spotlight: amidst the cruelty of the world, what can one
person do?
Like philosophy, existentialism has been widely defined, but as Simone de Beauvoir would say, “It is
a philosophy yet does not want to stay enclosed in books and schools.”1 Existentialism should be
understood as an attitude towards understanding the mysteries of life. That is why you will find
most works of existentialists not in textbooks but in all forms of creative media such as literature,
plays, and films. At its core, works under the banner of existentialism highlight that we are in control
of this life despite the unknown mysteries that await this existence of ours.

1 Simone de Beauvoir, What is Existentialism? Translated by Marybeth Timmermann (Milton Keynes: Penguin

Books, 2020), 2.
Albert Camus and the Myth of Sisyphus
Existentialism provides us with a secondary reflection on how we understand life as it
reminds us that we should be in control of how we live. Now we raise the question: how should we
perceive death? If I am in control of my life, why am I not in control of my death?

To elaborate on this point, we now go to Albert Camus, a famous literary writer and existentialist. In
his work The Myth of Sisyphus, he narrates the story of Sisyphus, a tyrant King who managed to escape
death twice by tricking the gods. While Sisyphus was successful in his first attempt, the Gods have
provided a bizarre form of punishment for trying to escape death twice.
Sisyphus’ punishment was not something brutal or violent. He was simply tasked to push a boulder
up the hill but when it reached the top, the boulder rolls down. What makes this unique is the fact
that Sisyphys was bound to do this for eternity. Not wanting to achieve death, the Gods have punished
him to live for eternity by pushing a boulder up and down a hill. But then, what can we learn from
this story?
Camus likened the story of Sisyphus to our lives. He calls it absurdity: the futile search for
meaning in this meaningless world. We may not notice it, but we are like Sisyphus in our own
ways. We wake up every morning, do all the tasks required for the day, go home to do more things,
and after doing all of those, we rest only to do the same kind of things the next day. Further, we read
Camus’ interpretation of how Sisyphus continues to handle his eternal punishment,
I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain! One always finds one's
burden again. But Sisyphus. teaches the higher fidelity that negates
the gods and raises rocks. He, too, concludes that all is well. This
universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor
futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled
mountain, in itself forms a world. The struggle itself towards the
heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus
happy.2
For Camus, death is not something that we should strive to control. What we can learn from Sisyphus
is that instead of chasing over one’s death or the afterlife, one must first find meaning in a world
without meaning. For Camus, the greatest expression of our freedom is to find what will make us
happy despite this futile world we live in. Like Sisyphus, we must imagine ourselves happy once we
push our everyday boulders once more. However, with the inevitability of death that remains ever
present, what should be our disposition about it?

Søren Kierkegaard on Death

Commonly, death is perceived as an event that leaves one feeling the brokenness of the world.
This is also what causes our fear of death—that it may take us or any of those dear to us at any
moment it decides. Indeed, the inevitability of death remains a mystery because none of us knows

2 Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus translated by Justine O’Brien (Buckinghamshire: Penguin Books, 1979),
110.
when or how it will come to us. Søren Kierkegaard, one of the recognized precursors of the existential
movement provides us with a new perspective on how we should view death,
Death minds its own business in life; it does not run around, as the
timorous think, and sharpen its scythe and scare women and children-
as if this were earnestness. No, death says, "I exist; if anyone wants to
learn from me, then let him come to me."3

Death is not an event that we usually personify as a person in black holding a scythe, ready to strike
us when the time comes. Rather, for Kierkegaard, death is something that we should not avoid. We
should neither be proud that death will come someday nor fear its inevitable coming. Instead of
feeling joy or despair about the reality of death, it should be our driving passion to understand the
life we have, and how we should always live life to the fullest with the little time we have in this world.
Additionally, Kierkegaard says that “to die is indeed the lot of every human being and thus is a very
mediocre art, but to be able to die well is indeed the highest wisdom of life.”4 A reminder that in the
face of death’s coming, it is better to come to it with no regrets at all. Because to have lived a
meaningful life means a meaningful death.

SUMMARY AND SYNTHESIS

In this module, we have encountered the following: A brief history and definition of
Existentialism which highlights that our existence is a life that we must be in control of despite the
challenges it gives as a mystery. Albert Camus on the other hand introduces the concept of absurdity
through the story of Sisyphus despite the meaninglessness of the world, it is our task to push the
boulder once more: to find meaning in every pursuit. Lastly, with the reality of death being inevitable,
Kierkegaard introduces death by saying that it must be something that helps us gather meaning in
this lifetime. his lifetime.
To synthesize, we now read an autobiographical account of Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist who
experienced firsthand how it was to be a prisoner of the Nazis during the second world war. Frankl
quotes Friedrich Nietzsche who said, “he who has a why to live for can bear with almost any
how.”5 A reminder to us that despite the cruelness of reality, as long we know what we want to
become with the freedom that we have, all of it can lead to our discovery of life’s meaning.

CONCLUSION
At the beginning of this module, we raised the question: what is the point of living if I am
going to die? Through the concepts discussed by Sartre, Camus, and Kierkegaard, we can answer this
by saying that the point of living is to create meaning by living. We can only do it if we liken ourselves
to Sisyphus, that even if the world presents itself as meaningless, we must never forget that we
always have the capacity to make meaning out of everything, that we must imagine ourselves happy.

3 Søren Kierkegaard, Three Discourses on Imagined Occasions edited and translated by Howard V. Hong and

Edna H. Hong (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1993), 76.

4 Kierkegaard, Three Discourses on Imagined Occasions, 76.
5 Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning (Boston: Beacon Press, 2006), 76.
Reflect: If you were to answer the main question, what would your answer be?

REFERENCE LIST
Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus tr. by Justine O’Brien. Buckinghamshire: Penguin Books,
1979.
De Beauvoir, Simone. What is Existentialism? Tr. by Marybeth Timmermann.M ilton Keynes:
Penguin Books, 2020.
Frankl, Viktor E. Man’s Search for Meaning. Boston: Beacon Press, 2006.
Kierkegaard, Søren. Three Discourses on Imagined Occasions ed. and tr.by Howard V. Hong and
Edna H. Hong. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1993.