What is existentialism (1 Viewer)

[soul_guardian]

What is the theory behind existentialism?

 

[idan]

Google.

Thanks.

 

[Mendo]

Well I thought i may as well write something up about existentialism if people want to know. convenience wise.
Existentialists hold the belief that life is pointless, that everything amounts to nothing. people do things because they are told, and for no other reason. They don't ask questions or consider the consequences or lack-there-of.
Alot of existentialist get into drama and theatre. There's a condradiction there in that they're kind of trying to achieve something, put a meaning behind they're work, even though they believe eveything is for nothing anyway. bit of a wank personally.

 

[silvermoon]

ok def Mendo, but i think you've combined existenialism and nihilism (though, granted, you dont often see one without the other). Existenitalists debate on whether there is a point or purpose behind actions whilst nihilists say that life is meaningless and that death separates us from life - so nothing we do in our lives will have any impact on anything after we're dead (both to the ppl left behind and in any spiritual capacity).
if this question is in relation to king lear, there is a definately already a thread on this answering specifically for that module in the Module B subforum.

 

[Jase]

I always thought existentialism had more to do with the concept of 'self' and individualism and that the only possible point in life is discovering yourself. One of the only parrallels Nihilism has with existentialism is that there is no 'ideal universal essence' and that the world sucks. Except with existentialism, it's more like.. 'There is no essence other than what we make for ourselves'.
Basically existentialism revolves around individual freedom and choice, summed up by "existence precedes essence".

if your interested, try looking up Satre or Kierkegaard

 

[kimmeh]

or albert camus

jase has the definition i learnt with

 

[Mendo]

Hey silvermoon- cool, thanks for the comment. Im surprised my english teacher never actually approached the similarities and differences between nihilism and existentialism.
Well the comment that existentialism is more about individual choice would be kinda right- but more the opposite. I had the impression it was that choices made no difference, and there never really is a choice because life i fated. Eg Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

 

[Jase]

hm.. alot of the existentialism in Rosencrantz and Guild* has to do with choosing and making your own life. They are *dead* because they are not making their own choices, and Stoppard is just saying that we should have this ability to choose and use it to make our own lives - in accordance with existentialism. Hes doing the whole, reverse my beliefs to see how crap the world is without it.
But then again, the meaning of existentialism may have changed since the french ideas of existentialism.
things change.. things get outdated.

Although i still remain firm in the belief that existentialism is very much, if not purely, based on the tenet of individual freedom of choice.

 

[Mendo]

Hi Jase, just had a question for ya, might be because Im a little confused ( most probably). So do you believe that existentialism is about having choice, or not having choice. I think its kind of a mixture- choice can be made but the outcome is fated. In R&G, it doesn't matter what choices they make because they will die. Well thats the simple version lol.

 

[Emily.]

this all sounds very philosophical....we have never been taught anything this deep in class
ive been reading a lot of poeple who have been taught all this kinda stuff....i feel like were missing out. do you think ive been disadvantaged

 

[Jase]

The existentialism im familiar with is more a part of the 3u course.

I think that existentialism is all about choice, in a world that lacks absolute meaning.
As in, the only meaning you can get is what you make for yourself and in discovering yourself.
In R&G, they are fated because they are *not* choosing. The point is that they should not merely accept their fate. It's hard to analyse r&g wholly within existentialism, considering all the other influences, so you can twist the ideas a little.

anyway, i've come to the conclusion that the existentialism they teach in School and the existentialism you would learn elsewhere is different.

 

[mizz_smee]

the way i learnt Hamlet and R&G was that
Hamlet was a humanist text and R&G was an existenetial text
is this correct?
becasue i got those from a notes that i found
whereas my dumb eng teacher said they are both have the ideals of existentialism
but i don't believe that anymore since i found these notes

 

[Jase]

hmm I really hate seeing a text labelled as an "-ism"
Hamlet is so much more than just humanism and the likes, even though Shakespeare himself might not have intended anything beyond the universal concepts of his time.
But i guess to keep it simple, its entirely plausible to call Shakespearey stuff humanist.