Existentialism Webring
Lyceum
The Cry
Existential Museum
The Basics of Existentialism
Heidegger
Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Existentialism - a primer

This is a completely biased list of links that I found interesting and perhaps useful to you. While it is true that our ministers and facilitators often read from the work of feminists and existential philosophers, this list in no way represents a consensus of the members or reflects what we may or may not have read, know or practice. In the meantime, enjoy...

  • Existentialism Defined - A Summary of some main points from Sartre's "Existentialism and Human Emotions".

  • 6 Existentialists - A list of Existential Philosophers with links to biographies.

  • Philosophers: Jean-Paul Sartre - A very brief biography with links to other existentialists.

  • The Cry - An amusing compendium of resources, a place for debate, poetry, etc.

  • The Realm of Existentialism - Another excellent resource with quotes, modern writers, Theater of the Absurd, lots of links.

  • Simone de Beauvoir - A biography of another major Existentialist, with more links.

    		• Existentialism - any of several philosophical systems of the 20th cent., all centered on the individual and the individual's relationship to the universe or to God.

    Existentialism is not a religion, nor is it a system of beliefs. And, unlike both eastern and western doctrines and tenets, existentialism offers no answers, establishes no ethic principles, nor provides any means of enlightenment. It could be assumed, then, that existentialism does not belong on such a grand comparative scale. On the contrary: existentialism permeates every aspect of being and nonbeing in a very minimal and simple philosophy.

    To be fair, "existentialism" is such a broad term that a precise definition is not possible. In fact, it has been dully overused, becoming a catch-all for unconventional thought. Existentialism originally referred to "several widely different revolts against traditional philosophy" (William Kaufmann). Hints of existentialism can be found in sporadically in past literatures. Several writers began to explore this attitude in the nineteenth century, but its popularity did not occur until the twentieth century, specifically in the western world during and following the second world war.

    The most basic tenet common to the many uses of the term is that man is entirely free and wholly responsible for himself. In this light, man's imperfection is suddenly obvious, to which follows a sense of anguish and helplessness. To the existentialist, this is roughly the point of awareness.

    Existential awareness can logically lead in several opposing directions--all of which are captured by the term. For some, anguish leads to loneliness and despair, possibly resulting in nihilism. For others, meaningless prevails, and life is simply inconsequential. For others still, the perceived "imperfection" of man is merely a changeable facet of his/her character, for with total freedom and total responsibility comes limitless potential (the existentialist here touches the concept of humanism). The human condition, then, is not absolute nor entirely understood; improvement (but not "enlightenment") can come through the emphasis of different or new human attributes. The individual is free to be who s/he chooses.

    Most of the reactions to existential awareness converge at experience. Certainly things exist, but are meaningless until "experienced" or "acted upon." In this way, one exists, and existence precedes essence. If a similarity must be drawn between existentialism and traditional philosophies, it is through experience alone that one can "find answers" if s/he so chooses. Individual, not collective, experience is imperative; emotional solitude is not only necessary but unavoidable--and not uncomfortable.

    Because anguish is such an immediate reaction to imperfection, the existential must question its origin. Such negative reactions, and possible even the perceived catalyst, are instructed socially and historically. The existentialist, therefore, is quite distrustful. For this reason the majority of existential thought is agnostic or atheistic, although there is considerable room for divine belief.

    Existentialism has been expressed in many mediums, but has been most successful in literature. Some philosophical writers include Martin Heidegger, Karl Jaspers, Soren Kierkegaard, and Jean-Paul Sartre. Sartre contributed greatly to literature as well, as did Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Franz Kafka. Contributors in the genre of drama include Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, early Harold Pinter, and Sartre.

    Kierkegaard developed a Christian existentialism that recognized the concrete ethical and religious demands confronting the individual, who is forced each time to make a subjective commitment. The necessity and seriousness of these decisions cause him dread and despair.

    Following Kierkegaard, Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre,

    both students of Husserl, were the major thinkers of the movement. Heidegger rejected the label of existentialism, describing his philosophy as an investigation of the nature of being in which the analysis of human existence is only a first step. For Sartre, the only self-declared existentialist among the major thinkers, existence precedes essence: there is no God and no fixed human nature; thus, each person is totally free and entirely responsible for what he or she becomes and does. This responsibility accounts for human dread and anguish. Sartre influenced the writings of de Simone de Beauvoir and Albert Camus

    A Christian existentialism was developed in France by Gabriel Marcel, a Roman Catholic. The religious thinkers Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Martin Buber, and the philosopher Karl Jaspers are often included in the orbit of existentialism.

       

    Discussion
    		 Existentialism is a philosophy which, according to my handy-dandy American Heritage College Dictionary (3rd Ed.), "emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards existence as unexplainable, and stresses free choice and responsibility for one's actions." This system of beliefs is quite fascinating to read about, and I have found the entire philosophy to be very relevant to the plight of modern man. Many novels in some way or another deal with existential problems (particularly the works of Dostoevsky, Kafka, Turgenev, and even Faulkner), which is why existentialism is sometimes referred to as a purely literary philosophy (that is to say that it's detractors believe it has no relevance to the real world). If any of this interests you, you may want to check out books by Soren Kierkegaard (the Danish philosopher who first outlined the existential theory), Martin Heidegger, or Jean-Paul Sartre (founder of atheistic existentialism and author of the most comprehensive book on the philosophy, Being and Nothingness). For more information about existentialism on the web, click on The Realm of Existentialism.

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