It is common to think that Existentialism is all doom and gloom; a philosophy filled with angst, dread, despair, and absurdity. It is also common to think it’s a philosophy that is entirely too hard to grasp and could never have any practical or beneficial applications in life.
It is true that many existential philosophers have talked about the absurdity of life and the angst and anxiety that individuals feel.
It is also true that parts of existentialism are difficult to grasp. But to think that it cannot benefit our life today is a mistake.
Existentialism can actually be seen as a positive philosophy that can help us grow and become the individual that we want to be. It is actually a very simple concept that can be applied immediately with amazing results. This philosophy has changed the lives of many for the better.
What is Existentialism?
Believe it or not, there is not an agreed-upon definition of the term. Too many existential philosophers hold slightly different points of view, therefore the way one philosopher may define it might not sit well with another.
Many consider existentialism a movement rather than a philosophy. We don’t need to get into that debate, but what is certain is the fact that existential philosophers were not satisfied with the traditional philosophy of the day. They thought that many of the concepts discussed by academic and traditional philosophers were far too removed from the human subject.
The existential movement started in the late 19th century into the early 20th century. Instead of abstract ideas and subjects (which is what many philosophers focused on), the existential thinkers wanted to focus on the individual and how to live life.
Existential Questions
The existentialists wanted to study existence; what it means to exist. They wanted to explore questions like:
- What is the meaning of life/ existence?
- Who am I? What is my nature/ essence?
- What is my purpose, if any?
- How should I live my life?
- What is death?
- Is there a god?
It is clear that they wanted to shift away from trying to understand the external world, to understanding the internal self; They wanted to understand our place in the world, and how we should live life.
Soren Kierkegaard 1813-1855
Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) can be considered the very first existential philosopher even though the term was not around during his time.
Much of philosophy looks to stay clear of the subjective individual; Truth and reality should be sought after in the objective world.
Kierkegaard, however felt that authentic subjectivity is what is most important and what philosophy was all about. We should search to understand our inner world.
He admitted, however, that this is one of the most difficult tasks to undertake and one that we generally hide from. It’s easier to hide behind the world and go through the motions of life. What is truly difficult is to understand who we really are, what we want to make of ourselves, and why.
To the world, we appear a certain way as we adhere to labels and roles – we are a mother, a father, a teacher, an engineer, an extrovert, a democrat, a vegetarian, a good student, etc. The question is, how many people understand who they truly are inside?
Most people find this task entirely too daunting. It is much easier to be complacent and self-satisfied. It is easier to just follow along in life like everyone else. It takes a lot of work to take an honest look at ourselves, our values, convictions, desires.
Kierkegaard wants us to know that we are responsible for giving meaning to our life and one should live life passionately and sincerely.
What I really need is to get clear about what I am to do, not what I must know, except in the way knowledge must precede every act… The thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I am willing to live and die.
– Soren Kierkegaard
Even though Kierkegaard discussed existential ideas and concepts in the mid-1800s, it did not become popular until the mid-1900s.
The individual who is generally thought of as responsible for popularizing the movement is Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980).
The Existentialists
Other well-known Existentialists include:
- Friedrich Nietzsche
- Martin Heidegger
- Edmund Husserl
- Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Albert Camus
- Franz Kafka
- Jean-Paul Sartre
- Simone de Beauvoir (the only female on the list)
- Karl Jaspers
- Maurice Merleau-Ponty
It is important to note that even though these individuals are considered existentialists they may not have all considered themselves as such. For example, Camus did not consider himself an existentialist.
As stated earlier, existentialism is difficult to define, but there are some central concepts:
- Existence precedes essence
- We have no essential nature or identity
- We are totally free beings (not determined by anything – upbringing, environment, heredity, etc.)
- We must make choices in life and we are responsible for those choices
- We are responsible for creating ourself
- We can become completely other than what we are
In reality, all of these statements can be boiled down to the first one – Existence precedes essence. Roughly this can even serve as a definition of existentialism.
What does it mean though?
Here is Sartre:
What is meant here by saying that existence precedes essence? It means first of all, man exists, turns up, appears on the scene, and, only afterwards, defines himself. If man, as the existentialist conceives him, is indefinable, it is because at first he is nothing. Only afterward will he be something, and he himself will have made what he will be.
Jean-Paul Sartre 1905-1980
We exist in this world before we are defined, meaning we have no essential nature – there is nothing that we have to be. We make the choice of what we want to be. And we must choose. All of life is a choice.
The core concepts here are freedom, choice and responsibility.
We are not born determined to become something. We choose what to make of our life. If you think that you have no choice, then that is what you have chosen.
Sartre says, ‘We are condemned to be free’. This means we must choose no matter what.
This is both terrifying and unbelievably inspiring and liberating.
Why is this terrifying?
You are free and that is why you are lost.
– Franz Kafka
Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.
– Soren Kierkegaard
Because what we do with our life is completely our responsibility. We can blame no one or nothing else. We have all become very fond of blaming other people, situations, and circumstances for things in our life.
‘I can’t lose weight because I have bad genes’
‘I am passive-aggressive because my father was’
‘I’m poor because of this economy’
‘I can’t go back to school because I have kids’
‘I can’t ask that girl out because I am shy’
This is how those statements would look if we took responsibility and realized that we make all choices in our life.
‘I haven’t lost weight because I have never made the commitment to do it’
‘I am passive-aggressive because I choose to do the same things I saw my father do’
‘I’m poor because I choose to let this situation take over my life instead of taking action to change it’
‘I can’t go back to school because I fear I won’t be able to do it’
‘I can’t ask that girl out because I fear rejection’
Taking responsibility can be a tough pill to swallow. This is why so many of us choose the blame game.
More from Sartre:
In life man commits himself and draws his own portrait, outside of which there is nothing. No doubt this thought may seem harsh to someone who has not made a success of his life. But on the other hand, it helps people to understand that reality alone counts, and that dreams, expectations and hopes only serve to define a man as a broken dream, aborted hopes, and futile expectations.
This is a brilliant quote and sums up so much of what existentialism is all about. There is nothing else but what we make of our life. This is not good news for someone who has not made his or her life a success. It is their own fault; it is what they have chosen.
Our unhappy life is the result of the choices that we have freely made.
But what about existentialism being ‘unbelievably inspiring and liberating’?
If we are free to choose what we want and are not determined by circumstance, history, etc., then we are free to make our life what we want.
We can do whatever we want with our life! We can choose to become something entirely different at any moment.
If you are unhappy in your marriage, you can choose to leave.
If you want to go back to school, you can choose to do it.
If you want to meet more people, you simply make the choice.
If you want to quit smoking, then stop smoking – it is always your choice.
Another quote from Sartre:
There is no reality except in action. Man is nothing else than his plan; he exists only to the extent that he fulfills himself; he is therefore nothing else than the ensemble of his acts, nothing else than his life.
Every action that we choose creates our self. What is wonderful is that as long as we are alive, we can choose other actions to create ourselves anew. At no time are we prisoners of the past since we can choose differently at any moment. We can’t change the past, but we are free to interpret it in any way we like, and we can make the future different.
Sartre:
There is only one day left, always starting over: it is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk.
Man is not the sum of what he has already, but rather the sum of what he does not yet have, of what he could have.
If we can truly understand the power that we have with any given choice that we could make, we would realize that we can do anything that we want. Many, however, will choose the ‘easy’ way out and live life as if it has been handed to them instead of them making it.
So to answer the question as to whether or not existentialism can change your life, the answer is: Yes, but it is all up to you.
Here are some final words from Soren Kierkegaard:
The highest and most beautiful things in life are not to be heard about, nor read about nor seen but, if one will, are to be lived.
Below is a beginner’s book on existentialism.
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