Difference between revisions of "Existentialism"
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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]]. | + | 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> |
==Reference== | ==Reference== | ||
Revision as of 19:59, July 2, 2008
Existentialism is a philosophy which denies the dependency of human existence on God, and instead views human existence as an independent and meaningless form. [1] 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. 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. [2]