Existentialism Essay example - 1368 Words

In his 1946 essay Existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre undertakes the task of defending existentialism against what he defines as â€Å"charges† (341) brought against it. Sartre begins to outline the â€Å"charges† brought against existentialism and further, existentialists. Following the medieval quaestio-form, Sartre begins with the statement of the objection, a short discussion, and then his reply to each. The first of the charges is that of quietism. â€Å"First, it has been charged with inviting people to remain in a kind of desperate quietism because, since no solutions are possible, we should have to consider action in this world as quite impossible† (341). Historically, quietism was a Christian philosophy that advocated withdrawal from worldly†¦show more content†¦Before I begin to discuss the replies Sartre provides for each objection raised, it is important to establish what Sartre believes existentialism to be. That is, it is important to understa nd exactly what Sartre is defending. Sartre begins his definition by defining the two groups of existentialists: Christian existentialists and atheistic existentialists. Sartre aligns himself with the atheistic existentialists for the remainder of the essay. What the existentialist philosophers have in common, and where Sartre begins his definition, is the idea that existence precedes essence. The reader is provided the example of a paper cutter. A designer has a plan for a paper cutter in his/her mind and sets about creating it with the preconceived notion of its function. This preconceived notion is the essence of the object and thus for the object (a paper cutter) essence precedes existence. That is to say the paper cutters being is predetermined. It would follow that for essence to precede the existence in a person, there must be an individual to conceive of the beings essence and thus bring about its existence. However, Sartre declares that there is no God andShow MoreRelatedEx istentialism : Existentialism And Existentialism994 Words   |  4 Pageshis choices† (Sartre, n.d.). When discussing existentialism, the man responsible for this quote is always attached to the conversation. As the man who is often remembered for bringing the most amount of international attention to the theory of existentialism, Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre deserves to have his theories and ideals discussed and respected whenever possible. Firstly, what exactly is existentialism? The textbook defines existentialism as â€Å"a philosophical movement or tendency, emphasizingRead MoreExistentialism : Existentialism And Existentialism1186 Words   |  5 PagesSubjectivity in Existentialism is a Humanism In Existentialism is a humanism, French philosopher and existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre defends existentialism from 20th century critics who believed that its overly subjective nature promotes anguish, abandonment, and despair. Sartre explains these common misconceptions about existentialism and argues that it is not a pessimist point of view, but the complete opposite. In what follows, I will explain how Sartre not only invalidates the surging misconceptionsRead MoreExistentialism : Existentialism And Existentialism951 Words   |  4 Pages In Existentialism is a Humanism, Sartre defines existentialism and explains his belief of â€Å"existence before essence.† He says that human beings don’t have a pre-established purpose or something that we have to be. He goes in more detail by saying, â€Å"†¦ man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world – and defines himself afterwards. If man as the existentialist sees him is not definable, it is because to begin with he is nothing. He will not be anything until later, and then heRead MoreExistentialism : Existentialism And Existentialism1124 Words   |  5 Pageslife its value? There are two main viewpoints that answer this question; Nihilism and Existentialism. (There are 4 kinds of nihilism, and we will be focusing on one of them, called Existential Nihilism). To a nihilist, life itself is intrinsically, fundamentally and inherently meaningless, and is nothing but a dynamic chemical reaction that, when it stops, is nothing but the end of the reaction. Existentialism, on the other hand, is the belief that every human is born without a given meaning, butRead MoreExistentialism : Existentialism And Existentialism1774 Words   |  8 Pages Journal 3 - Existentialism Existentialism is something that everybody thinks of sometimes in their life. Maybe they thought about it while on the toilet, or when they just achieved something they worked really hard at, or they thought about it while lying in bed at 3 am when they couldn’t sleep. Existentialism is based off of the questions â€Å"What is my purpose?† and â€Å"Why am I here?†. It basically answers these questions by saying that there is no meaning and that we can only assign meaning toRead MoreExistentialism1408 Words   |  6 Pages Existentialism and its facets There are many philosophies that people use in their lives. Some of the ways of thinking are linked to some prominent people. There is idealism, naturalism, experimentalism, and existentialism among others. This essay explores existentialism, which has been postulated by Sartre among others. The other proponents of existentialism include Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, martin Buber, Martin Heidegger and Martin Buber. The weakness and strengths of existentialism are going toRead MoreSartre s Existentialism And Existentialism1024 Words   |  5 Pagesin the following paper, I shall examine Sartre’s Existentialism is a Humanism and give a framework of concepts and reasons as to why it is existentialist in nature. Whereas the last paper chronologically organized Sartre’s life and experiences, this will focus more specifically on his work, thought process and an impression and interpretation of his logic. Presented and chronicled after the liberation of Paris from German occupatio n, Existentialism is a/and Humanism, flew directly out of that optimisticRead MoreExistentialism, Idealism, Naturalism, Experimentalism, And Existentialism1230 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction According to Wikipedia, â€Å"existentialism is the work of certain late nineteenth and twentieth century European Philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal preferences, shared the belief of philosophical thinking begins with the human which not merely thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living individual. While the predominant value of existentialist thought is commonly acknowledged to be freedom, its primary virtue is authenticity† (Wikipedia.org). â€Å"In the view of the existentialistRead MoreExistentialism And The Existentialist Ideas Behind Existentialism1186 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Existentialism is a theory of philosophy that stepped away from ideas that there is any single unifying reality or reason to existence and that we should approach philosophy from a perspective of what we can perceive to be true, not what we think is true without being able to perceive it. In that mind set, it tries to examine what a person’s perception of reality can be, their place is in that reality, how they approach their own existence given that information, and how, based on thoseRead MoreExistentialism Is A Humanism?1568 Words   |  7 PagesExistentialism is a humanism Oxford English Dictionary defines â€Å"humanism† as â€Å"any system of thought or ideology which places humanity as a whole, at its center,  especially one which stresses the inherent value and potential of human life.† In Sartre’s lecture, â€Å"Existentialism is a humanism,† not only Sartre’s elaboration of humanism is coherent with the notion of â€Å"humanism,† but also his demonstration of â€Å"existentialism† as one kind of humanisms is cogent. In contrast with those Aristotelians and