O existentialism it was a philosophical doctrine and an intellectual movement that emerged in Europe at the end of the 19th century, but gained notoriety in the 20th century, with the development of French existentialism.
It is based on metaphysical existence, where freedom is its greatest motto, reflected in the conditions of existence of the being.
Characteristics of existentialism
Existentialism was influenced by phenomenology (phenomena of the world and the mind), whose existence precedes the essence, being divided into two aspects:
- atheist existentialism: deny the existence of a human nature.
- Christian existentialism: human essence corresponds to an attribute of God.
For existentialist philosophers, the human essence is constructed during their experience, based on their experience in the world and their choices, since they have unconditional freedom.
In other words, the existentialist current preaches that the human being is a being who has all the responsibility through his actions. Thus, throughout his life, he creates a meaning for his own existence.
For existentialists, human life is based on anguish, absurdity and nausea caused by life not having a meaning beyond existence itself.
Based on moral and existential autonomy, we make choices in life and outline paths and plans. In this case, every choice will imply a loss or several, among many possibilities that are presented to us.
So, for existentialists, the Freedom of choice it is the generative element, in which no one and nothing can be responsible for the paths of life. Individuals are beings "for themselves", free and fully responsible.
Main Existentialist Philosophers
Considered the "Father of Existentialism”, Sören Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a Danish philosopher. He was part of the line of Christian existentialism, in which he defends, above all, free will and the irreducibility of human existence.
Like other existentialists, Kierkegaard focused on concern for the individual and personal responsibility. According to him:
To dare is to lose balance momentarily. not daring is getting lost.
Based on Kierkegaard's work and the criticism of the history of philosophy, Heidegger (1889-1976) developed the idea that human beings can experience an authentic or inauthentic existence.
What will determine this existence will be your attitude towards death and the choices you will make in the face of the finitude of your life.
The human being is not the lord of beings, but the shepherd of being.
One of the greatest representatives of existentialism, Sartre (1905-1980) was a French philosopher, writer and critic. For him, we are doomed to be free:
Condemned because he didn't create himself; and yet free, because once released into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.
Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) was a French philosopher, writer, teacher and feminist born in Paris.
A bold and libertarian personality for her time, Simone studied philosophy and embarked on the paths of existentialism and the defense of female freedom. According to her:
You are not born a woman: you become.
This phrase corroborates his existentialist tendency, whose existence precedes essence, the latter being something built during life.
In his fundamental work, the book the second sex (1949), the philosopher develops the foundations of twentieth-century feminist thought. She criticizes the traditional thinking that associates the human being with the masculine, relegating women to a subordinate role, as second-class human beings.
Albert Camus
Algerian philosopher and novelist, Camus (1913-1960) was one of the main thinkers of “absurdism”, one of the theoretical branches of existentialism. He was a friend of Sartre with whom he discussed a lot about the aspects and essence of being.
In his philosophical essay “Myth of Sisyphus” (1941) he discusses the various absurdities of life, according to him:
How should the absurd man live? Clearly, ethical rules do not apply, as they are all based on powers over justification.
"Integrity doesn't need rules."
"Everything is allowed" is not an outburst of relief or joy, but rather a bitter acknowledgment of a fact.”
Albert Camus won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957.
Merleau-Ponty
Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908-1961) was a French philosopher and professor. Existentialist phenomenologist, together with Sartre, founded the philosophical and political magazine “the modern times”.
He centered his philosophy on human existence and knowledge. For him,
Philosophy is an awakening to see and change our world.
Karl Jaspers
Existentialist philosopher, German professor and psychiatrist, Karl Theodor Jaspers (1883-1969), believed in the fusion of philosophical faith and religious belief.
According to him, faith is the maximum expression of human freedom, being the only path that leads to existential certainty and the transcendence of being.
Philosophy seeks to make existence transparent to itself.
His main works are: Philosophical Faith, Reason and Existence, Philosophical Orientation of the World, Philosophy, Explanation of Existence and Metaphysics.
Read too: Dostoevsky: biography and summary of the main works
Bibliographic references
BEAUVOIR, Simone de. The Second Sex (1949). Rio de Janeiro: New Frontier, 2014.
CAMUS, Albert. The myth of Sisyphus. Rio de Janeiro: Guanabara, 1989.
HEIDEGGER, Martin. Ser e Tempo (1927), Parts I and II, translated by Marcia Sá Cavalcante Schuback, Petrópolis: Vozes, 2002.
KIERKEGAARD, Soren. Fear and tremor (1843) in Os Pensadores, translated by Maria José Marinho, São Paulo: Abril Cultural, 1974.
JASPERS, Karl. Philosophy of existence: lectures given at the German Academy in Frankfurt. Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Imago, 1973
MERLEAU-PONTY, Maurice. (1945). Phenomenology of perception (C. Moura, Trans.). São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 1994
SARTRE, Jean-Paul. Being and Nothingness (1943). 13th ed. Petrópolis: Voices, 2005
