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'''Existentialism''' is a chiefly 20th century philosophy that emphasizes existence for its own sake alone, disregarding God and morality and almost anything else. Descartes famously declared, "I think therefore I am"; but an existentialist might exclaim, "I am therefore I think."  Arbitrary actions are a favorite of existentialists, as they resist moral codes of behavior.

'''Existentialism''' is a chiefly 20th century [[philosophy]] that emphasizes existence for its own sake alone, disregarding [[God]] and [[morality]] and almost anything else. [[Rene Descartes]] famously declared, "I think therefore I am"; but an existentialist might exclaim, "I am therefore I think."  Arbitrary actions are a favorite of existentialists, as they resist moral codes of behavior.

Existentialism denies the dependency of human existence on [[God]] and views human existence as an independent and meaningless form.<ref>Existentialism Today[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/existentialism/#5]</ref> It asserts that we do not have fundamental attributes, such as morality or a soul, and that humans develop these attributes in a meaningless manner as their lives progress.  Beyond that, existentialism means different things to different people and thus can often be the subject of debate by students of atheistic philosophy.

Existentialism denies the dependency of human existence on [[God]] and views human existence as an independent and meaningless form.<ref>Existentialism Today[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/existentialism/#5]</ref> It asserts that we do not have fundamental attributes, such as morality or a [[soul]], and that humans develop these attributes in a meaningless manner as their lives progress.  Beyond that, existentialism means different things to different people and thus can often be the subject of debate by students of [[atheistic]] philosophy.

The name derives form one of its central concepts, the notion that a [[human]] being's "existence precedes essence."   

The name derives form one of its central concepts, the notion that a [[human]] being's "existence precedes essence."   

The earliest existentialist was [[Søren Kierkegaard]]. Other writers were [[Jaspers]] and [[Heidegger]].  The movement did not, however, develop its name or popularity until the 20th century when it was popularized by [[Jean Paul Sartre]] and [[Simone de Beauvoir]]. <ref>Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/existentialism/]</ref>

The earliest existentialist was [[Søren Kierkegaard]]. Other writers were [[Karl Jaspers]] and [[Martin Heidegger]].  The movement did not, however, develop its name or popularity until the 20th century when it was popularized by [[Jean Paul Sartre]] and [[Simone de Beauvoir]]. <ref>Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/existentialism/]</ref>

{{quotebox|Especially Sartre says, "Existence precedes essence." He asserts that man appeared not from essence (God or an idea) but rather from nothing and then defined himself and gave essence to himself.<ref> [http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Books/UT/UT-2-1-1.htm Theory of the Original Human Nature] - Dr. [[Sang Hun Lee]]</ref>}}

{{quotebox|Especially Sartre says, "Existence precedes essence." He asserts that man appeared not from essence (God or an idea) but rather from nothing and then defined himself and gave essence to himself.<ref> [http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Books/UT/UT-2-1-1.htm Theory of the Original Human Nature] - Dr. [[Sang Hun Lee]]</ref>}}

{{quotebox|The writings of existentialists such as Kierkegaard, Sartre and Camus reflect an [[epistemology]] that is not only based upon the criteria of [[rationalism]] or [[empiricism]]. Theirs is an appeal to the intuitive, as reflected by Sartre’s references to the “nausea” stirred in him by the contradictions and hypocrisy in human behavior. The same appeal to the intuitive can be found in Soren Kierkegaard’s notion of dread and in Albert Camus’ reflections on universal guilt.<ref> [http://www.unification-thought.org/01ward.html A Reflection on Unification Thought, Evil, and Theodicy] - Thomas J. Ward</ref> }}

{{quotebox|The writings of existentialists such as Kierkegaard, Sartre and [[Albert Camus|Camus]] reflect an [[epistemology]] that is not only based upon the criteria of [[rationalism]] or [[empiricism]]. Theirs is an appeal to the intuitive, as reflected by Sartre’s references to the “nausea” stirred in him by the contradictions and hypocrisy in human behavior. The same appeal to the intuitive can be found in Soren Kierkegaard’s notion of dread and in Albert Camus’ reflections on universal guilt.<ref> [http://www.unification-thought.org/01ward.html A Reflection on Unification Thought, Evil, and Theodicy] - Thomas J. Ward</ref> }}

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