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Existentialism Definitions

This document defines key terms in existentialism and related philosophies: - Existentialism focuses on the individual's experience of meaninglessness and responsibility to shape their own existence, embracing the view that "existence precedes essence". - Absurdism believes the universe has no rational order or meaning, conflicting with human desire for order. - Determinism holds that human acts are results of influences outside human will. - Nihilism views traditional values as unfounded and existence as senseless. Its paradox is that meaninglessness has meaning. - Other terms defined include epistemology, being, consciousness, existence, facticity, freedom, nothingness, reflection,

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58 views

Existentialism Definitions

This document defines key terms in existentialism and related philosophies: - Existentialism focuses on the individual's experience of meaninglessness and responsibility to shape their own existence, embracing the view that "existence precedes essence". - Absurdism believes the universe has no rational order or meaning, conflicting with human desire for order. - Determinism holds that human acts are results of influences outside human will. - Nihilism views traditional values as unfounded and existence as senseless. Its paradox is that meaninglessness has meaning. - Other terms defined include epistemology, being, consciousness, existence, facticity, freedom, nothingness, reflection,

Uploaded by

So Appalled
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Existentialism Definitions

Existentialism - a philosophy that focuses on the individual human being's experience


of, recognition of, and triumph over the meaningless of existence. Humans are born into
a moral and metaphysical void. People are responsible for shaping their own existence
("Existence precedes essence")

Absurdism - the idea that the universe is without meaning or rational order that human
beings, in attempting to find a sense of order, conflict with it the belief that human
beings exist in a purposeless, chaotic universe

Determinism - The philosophical theory that every human act or decision is the
inevitable result of specific influences that are independent of human will.

Nihilism - a viewpoint that traditional values, beliefs, and morals are unfounded, and that
existence is senseless or useless.

Nihilism Paradox - the absence of meaning has some meaning.

Epistemology - a branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods, and
limits of human knowledge.

Being - Including both Being-in-itself and Being-for-itself (both as defined below), but the
latter is the nihilation of the former. Being is objective, not subjective or individual.
Being in itself - Non-conscious Being. The sort of phenomenon that is greater than the
knowledge that we have of it.

Being-for-itself - The nihilation of Being-in-itself; consciousness conceived as a lack of


Being, a desire for Being, a relation of Being. The For-itself brings Nothingness into the
world and therefore can stand out from Being and form attitudes towards other beings
by seeing what it is not.
Being-for-others - Here a new dimension arises in which the self exists as an object for
others. Each For-itself seeks to recover its own Being by making an object out of the
other.

Consciousness: The transcending For-itself. Sartre states that "Consciousness is a


being such that in its being, its being is in question insofar as this being implies a being
other than itself."

Existence - Concrete, individual being-for-itself here and now.

Existence precedes essence - The subjective existence of reality precedes and defines
its nature. Who you are (your essence) is defined by what you do (your existence)
Facticity - Broadly: facts about the world. More precisely, the For-itself's necessary
connection with the In-itself, with the world and its own past.

Freedom: The very being of the For-itself which is "condemned to be free". It must
forever choose for itself and therefore make itself.

Nothingness - Although not having being, it is supported by being. It comes into the
world by the For-itself.

Reflection - The form in which the For-itself founds its own nothingness through the
dyad of "the-reflection-reflecting"

Reflection - The consciousness attempting to become its own object.

Anguish (Sartre) - Sarte saw anguish as the product of man’s existential freedom, liable
to manifest itself whenever a decision has to be made.

Nausea (Sartre) - Sarte used nausea to show the individual's recognition of the
contingency of the universe.

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