19th/20th Century Existentialism, Chapter 14

Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, and Camus

What is existentialism?

A term applied to different philosophies sharing themes concerning the uniqueness of each human, individual choice, and response to an indifferent, absurd universe

What are the five themes of existentialism?

1. Individualism and subjectivity

2. Freedom and responsibility

3. Existence and essence

4. Anguish and absurdity

5. Authenticity

What is the acronym for the themes of existentialism?

Impossible

Furry

Elephants
Are

Apples

What was Kierkegaard’s central idea?

Fideism

What is fideism?

The notion that religion is grounded in faith, not in reason

What was the absurdity of religion outlined by Kierkegaard?

He believed all attempts to apply reason to religion were doomed, religion is absurd and requires a leap of faith grounded in passion to be believed → this leap of faith promotes true belief and can only be provoked by absurdity

What does Kierkegaard believe about society and individuals?

He believes that society dilutes the identity of individuals, causing them to forget passion

According to Kierkegaard, what is subjective truth?

An objectively uncertain truth held with passion, concerned with how one believes something, and is the highest truth available

According to Kierkegaard, what is an objective truth?

Objective truths concern what is actually believed

How does Kierkegaard relate objective and subjective truths?

As a subjective truth denotes how something is believed, once it is held the what of the truth is created, meaning subjective truths become objective

What was Nietzsche’s central idea?

The will to power

What is the will to power?

The idea that the nature of all existence is to control and dominate, with all actions ultimately being aimed at power

What shows the will to power according to Nietzsche?

The search for knowledge, particularly in science, philosophy, and religion, in which people do not actually seek truth, but instead an ability to master and control and domain through understanding

What are the two types of morality according to Nietzsche?

Master morality and slave morality

What is master morality?

The morality held by the rich and powerful elite that deems those with the slave morality as lesser and values aristocracy, class, and other upper-class ideals

What is slave morality?

The herd morality that deems those with master morality as evil and that champions good qualities, that is any quality that advances the interests of the slaves such as love, kindness, and sympathy

Who is the Overman?

A theoretical superior man in the future of higher form and morality that can transcend herd morality

How does Nietzsche view religion?

A belief of the slave morality, an acceptance of the herd in which one lives for an afterlife, sees people as inherently sinful, and champions slave qualities

What are Nietzsche’s views on the death of God?

Since God is an aspect of slave morality, the death of God would be a step in departing from this system → Nietzsche believes this has already occurred

What is the central idea examined by Heidegger?

The question of being or existence: what is it to be? what is existence?

How does Heidegger characterise the idea of being that he examines?

He sees it as pure existence, not incorporating ideas of logos or God → not the method of existence, existence itself

What is Dasein?

The aspect of existence examined by Heidegger → the self-conscious human being

How did Heidegger study Dasein?

Phenomenology

What is phenomenology?

A way of painstakingly describing the data of consciousness without the distortion of pre-conceived ideas

What are the three aspects of Dasein?

Thrownness, projection, and fallenness

What is thrownness?

The idea that Dasein is thrown into the world without consent or choice → no decision about where or when you will be born

What is projection?

The idea that Dasein is forced to define themself by their own actions that will shape their present and future → essence

What is fallenness?

The erosion of individuality experienced by Dasein in society where one resorts to idle, vacuous thinking → departure from authentic self to an inauthentic self

What is the authentic self according to Heidegger?

It is the achievement where one accepts their individuality in an existential sense, knowing their agency over their life

What is the inauthentic self according to Heidegger?

The self that ignores individuality, avoiding choice and becoming a face in the crowd or a cog in the bureaucratic, societal machine

What was the most important basic truth posited by Sartre?

That saying humans are radically free, completely in control over their own life

What does Sartre believe about existence and essence?

Existence precedes essence → ‘man is nothing else but what he makes of himself’

How does Sartre view freedom?

He sees it as both a blessing and a curse → we are lucky to be able to set our own goals, dictate our own actions, and create our own lives, but we can look only to ourselves to decide how to live, and are therefore burdened with anguish, despair, and abandonment

How does Camus see existence?

He believes existence is absurd, that a sense of meaningless and irrationality arises from the conflict between the need for meaning in life and the meaningless, indifferent universe without a higher power or governing principles

What is living authentically according to Camus?

Accepting responsibility and freedom, recognising one’s own agency and their role as the ultimate designer of their life

What is living inauthentically according to Camus?

Allowing society, religion, history, mass culture, or one’s own fear to define one’s life and actions

Who is Sisyphus in Greek mythology?

Sisyphus is forced by gods to push a boulder up a mountain, just for it to roll down to be pushed up again → despite meaningless task, Sisyphus finds meaning in it, embracing it and refusing to be overwhelmed by despair

How does Camus use Sisyphus to illustrate absurdity?

In his essay ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’, Camus uses Sisyphus’ task as a dramatisation of the absurdity of human existence

Who were the main philosophers examining existentialism?

Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, and Camus