Human Personhood, Existentialism, and Free Will

A comprehensive vocabulary review of core concepts, thinkers, and terminology regarding human personhood, embodied identity, existentialism, determinism, and free will based on lecture notes.

Human Personhood

A dynamic and multifaceted concept studied across philosophy, theology, and science that extends beyond biological life to include consciousness, self-awareness, rationality, emotions, and relationships.

René Descartes

The philosopher known as the Father of Modern Philosophy who used methodic doubt to establish that thinking and self-awareness prove human existence.

Methodic Doubt

A philosophical technique used by René Descartes that involves systematically questioning everything that could possibly be uncertain.

Res Cogitans

The Latin phrase used by René Descartes to describe humans as "thinking beings."

Cogito

René Descartes' statement "I think, therefore I am," which serves as a starting point for understanding human identity and existence through self-awareness.

Embodied Consciousness

The philosophical concept that the mind and body are connected, meaning humans experience, understand, and navigate the world through their bodies.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

The philosopher who argued that humans experience and understand the world through their bodies, making the body an essential part of identity.

Narrative Identity

A concept developed by Paul Ricoeur stating that people understand their evolving identity through the stories they construct about their lives.

Paul Ricoeur

The philosopher who developed narrative identity, explaining that humans connect their past, present, and future to create a meaningful life story.

Existentialism

A philosophy focused on lived human experience, freedom, choices, responsibility, and anxiety, centered on the idea that existence precedes essence.

Existence Precedes Essence

The central existentialist principle stating that humans are not born with a fixed identity or purpose, but define themselves through their choices and actions.

Søren Kierkegaard

A Danish philosopher (1813–1855) and forerunner of existentialism who focused on despair, faith, authenticity, and human relationship to God.

Despair (Kierkegaard)

In Søren Kierkegaard's philosophy, the psychological and spiritual state that occurs when a person fails to become their true self.

Leap of Faith

Søren Kierkegaard's concept of choosing to trust and commit to God even when reason cannot provide complete answers.

Aesthetic Stage

The first of Søren Kierkegaard's three stages of life, characterized by seeking personal pleasure and avoiding responsibility.

Ethical Stage

The second of Søren Kierkegaard's three stages of life, defined by living responsibly and with moral integrity.

Religious Stage

The third of Søren Kierkegaard's three stages of life, marked by establishing a deep, personal relationship with God through faith.

Jean-Paul Sartre

A major existentialist philosopher (1905–1980) who argued that individuals have absolute freedom and complete responsibility to create their own meaning.

Anguish (Sartre)

The intense feeling that arises from realizing one is completely free and uniquely responsible for their own choices and life direction.

Bad Faith

Jean-Paul Sartre's concept of escaping personal responsibility by blaming social roles, external expectations, or circumstances for one's choices.

Authenticity (Sartre)

The act of acknowledging one's freedom and responsibility, and honestly creating one's own meaning without making excuses.

"Hell is other people"

A famous phrase by Jean-Paul Sartre describing the interpersonal tension that occurs when one is judged and defined by other people.

Determinism

The philosophical view that human actions are controlled or caused by prior conditions or forces, challenging the notion of free will.

Ancient Atomism

An early form of determinism proposing that all events and human actions are caused by the movement of microscopic, indivisible particles.

Divine Determinism

The belief that God's complete knowledge, sovereignty, and will direct and predetermine all events and human actions.

Physical Determinism

The position that physical causes, biological processes, genetics, environment, and laws of nature dictate all human decisions and events.

Democritus

An ancient Greek philosopher (c. 460–370 BCE) who asserted that everything in the universe, including human thought and action, is caused by moving atoms.

Epicurus

An ancient philosopher (341–270 BCE) who introduced the idea of the atomic swerve to make room for human choice within atomism.

Swerve (clinamen)

A concept proposed by Epicurus describing unpredictable movements by atoms, intended to allow space for human freedom.

Indeterminism

The view opposing determinism that asserts the future is open with multiple possibilities, allowing human actions to be genuinely unpredetermined.

Libertarian Free Will

The stance that human beings are the true authors of their actions and possess real, uncoerced power to make independent choices.

Alternative Possibilities

A key concept in libertarian free will holding that an individual is genuinely free only if they had the genuine capacity to choose differently.

Thomas Reid

A philosopher who supported libertarian free will by holding that humans are moral agents capable of initiating their own actions.

Radical Freedom

Jean-Paul Sartre's doctrine that humans are continuously free to choose their actions and responses in any situation, bearing total responsibility for those choices.