existentialism by taylor schimbke & karma french
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PowerPoint on Existentialism by Taylor SchimbkeTRANSCRIPT
ExistentialismBy: Karma French & Taylor Schimbke
What is Existentialism?
There are many different forms of “existentialism”
Each existentialist philosopher had his own definition, understanding, and belief of the human existence
“Existentialism is a catch-all term for those philosophers who consider the nature of the human condition as a key philosophical problem and who share the view that this problem is best addressed through ontology.”
Where did Existentialism Come From?
Seen throughout Europe in the 19th & 20th centuries
Increasing popularity of scientific & industrial revolutions led to a decline in spirituality
With this disconnection from religion people began to search elsewhere for the meaning of life
The term was adopted by Jean-Paul Sartre
Following WWII, literary and philosophical works of Sartre and other existentialists sparked the existentialist movement in Europe in the 1940s, this movement lasted through the 1950s
http://www.ratdiary.com/2006/11/27/gods-assassin/
What do Existentialists Believe? As humans we should desire to live a full and authentic life
Our lives should be rewarded and fulfilled by embracing our human dignity
Existence precedes essence you are born with no God-given soul, it is your job to create your own essence throughout your existence
A brave, non-conformist existentialist will separate themselves from society and maintain that separateness as a testament to their true independence
Key Themes of Existentialism Philosophy as a Way of Life
Philosophy should be integrated into life
Anxiety & Authenticity Anxiety is the idea that human existence is
in many ways “on its own” Authenticity refers to one being able to
recognize and confirm the nature of existence
Freedom Freedom is defined by the independence of
our decisions from a deity or pre-existing values
Situatedness “Although my freedom is absolute, it always
takes place in a particular context”
Existence We should be concerned with human
existence
Irrationality/Absurdity Human existence can be described as
“absurd”
The Crowd By living an “authentic” life, others will
become authentic as wellFor more info visit: http://www.iep.utm.edu/existent/#H1
Famous Existentialists Jean-Paul Sartre Albert Camus Franz Kafka Samuel Beckett Simone de Beauvoir Anne Rice Charles BukowskiSimone de Beauvoir Albert Camus
Franz Kafka
Jean-Paul Sartre
Born in Paris in 1905 and lived until 1980
Studied at École Normale Supérieure from 1924 to 1929 and became a Professor of Philosophy at Le Havre in 1931
He studied the philosophies of Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger in Berlin
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/02/11/timestopics/topics_sartre_395.jpg
Jean-Paul Sartre’s Existentialism Atheism is taken for granted and the “loss of God” should not be mourned
Humans are condemned to freedom from all authority
Man can make meaning of the world once this terrible freedom has been acknowledged and accepted
This attempt will not succeed without the “solidarity” of others
No Exit, a Play by Jean-Paul Sartre
Summary: Three people are in hell, which is simply a furnished room. None of them will confess their reason for being in hell. It is eventually concluded that they have all been placed there to make each other miserable. In the end after discovering the characters’ reason for being condemned to hell, it is concluded that “hell is other people”
Theme: “People need and want validation from one another, but are fundamentally separated and incapable of getting it.”
It relates to the existential ideas of Sartre because it reveals that a person is the product of your own self-creation
You start as nothing and end up where your choices have led you
http://www.chicagostagereview.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/season01_noexit.jpg
Albert Camus and His Existentialist Viewpoint
Born on November 7, 1913 in the village of Mondovi
Shared with other existentialists an interest in the active human psyche
Valued individualism, free choice, inner strength, authenticity, personal responsibility, and self-determination
He was different from other existentialists because he believed in common human nature and that human existence has an essential core element of dignity and value
The StrangerAlbert Camus
Summary: A man who is detached from most everything, kills a man for no clear reason. He is sentenced to death. In prison he tries to come to terms with his situation. Eventually, he accepts that human existence holds no great meaning, which makes him feel happy.
“Only when something dramatic happens do people start to reevaluate things and see them in a different way.”
When you discover that there is no meaning, you feel like a stranger, but once you accept it, you can find peace.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2f/TheStranger_BookCover3.jpg/200px-TheStranger_BookCover3.jpg
Existentialism Influences in Western Culture
Existentialism has always been closely associated with narrative arts. Many movies are filled with existential themes.
The following movies are greatly influenced by existentialism
Blade Runner
Fight Club
Stranger Than Fiction
Superbad
http://www.reellifewisdom.com/files/images/fight-club_0.jpg
Relevance to Course Content
The Scientific & Industrial Revolutions eventually led to Existentialism
“The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by Leo Tolstoy is considered a “pre-existentialist” text – containing some of the existentialist ideas that appeared in the 1940s
Jorge Luis Borges was known to have explored existentialist ideas – he wrote “The Garden of Forking Paths”
“Sartre's theoretical writings as well as his novels and plays constitute one of the main inspirational sources of modern literature .” Nobel Prize
Works CitedBurnham, Douglas. "Existentialism." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2011. <http://www.iep.utm.edu/existent/>.
Crowell, Steven. "Existentialism." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2010. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/existentialism/>.
"Jean-Paul Sartre - Biography". Nobelprize.org. 28 Oct 2012. <http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1964/sartre-bio.html>.
Works CitedPanza, Christopher, and Gregory Gale. Existentialism For Dummies. For Dummies, 2008. Print.
Simpson, David. "Albert Camus." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2005. <http://www.iep.utm.edu/camus/>.