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The Pros And Cons Of Existentialism

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As Pecorino (2000) defined it, “existentialism is a philosophical movement or tendency, emphasizing individual existence, freedom, and choice that influenced many diverse writers in the 19th and 20th centuries”. From the definition, it can be said that it is a view that all humans should determine their own meaning in life, and therefore try to make rational decisions in spite of existing in an irrational universe. The central point of the idea is the question of human existence, and the feeling that there is no purpose or explanation at the innermost of existence. It further holds that there is no God or any other superior force, and that the only means to opposed this nonexistence is by willingly accepting existence. The following paragraphs …show more content…

It’s point out at the potential on people to become great. On this point, it further stresses out and focuses on what the heathiest and happiest people do and what everyone else can do to get there. The next strength of existentialism is that it emphasizes individuality and autonomy. Therefore individuals are encourage to focus on their decisions, and great stress is given to free will. Another strong strength is that emphasis is laid on individual’s own experience and viewpoints.

Looking at the major weaknesses of existentialism, it can be pointed out that it is based on philosophical concepts that are not practical and are somehow vague. Because of this, it is not empirical in nature, and it is non scientific and hard to confirm with science. Therefore it is problematic to many people as they believe that it is impossible to know how true or how well its works if it is not scientifically proven.

I found it appealing when Sartre mentioned that there is “no proof of souls or spirits or ghosts or deities and thus their existence is nothing other than what people make a decision to believe”Pecorino (2000). This is such appealing because I keep wondering why such things keep coming up without any backing to convince one to

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However, at the end of the day, the choice one person selects is truly their own. Whether or not someone involves themselves in certain activities is up to man. Additionaly, Existentialism is the belief where God did not create us for a purpose. It is up to man to decide our journeys. Similarly, Eve and Trueblood conclude their lives are their own paths and chose their actions for personal reasons.

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My existentialism project was a radio show, hosted by myself, in which the person I was interviewing demonstrated various qualities of existentialism. Heck Ant(which is meant to be like ‘He Can’t’ as in he can’t find his purpose in life) goes through things like not being able to find a purpose in life, facing an irrational world, and having his ‘rock of life’ roll back down the hill. Heck starts by explaining that he wasn’t able to choose his major by his third year of college which is an example of somebody not being able to find their purpose in life. This is just like how in the Sisyphus model how people are constantly trying to find their purpose. Then Heck goes on to explain how the two boys go in together to buy a lottery ticket.

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Existentialism and Ghost Dog The existentialist movement is primarily concerned with the idea of an authentic existence: living truly as yourself, recognizing the emptiness and meaningless of the world, and not trying to obtain meaning from religion, science, reason, or any established way of life. After a person has recognized the vast insignificance of all ways of life, and comes to the realization that all systems of life - whether religious or governmental or moral - are equal, they can begin to make choices in their lives with complete freedom. This individual must rely on themselves to determine what values should be adhered to, and what purposes are worth living for, separate from the conforms and pressures of society. An excellent example of what an

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In February of 1968, H.J. McCloskey published an article called “On Being an Atheist,” in the journal Question One. In his article, McCloskey makes a very entertaining explanation in why the argument of God’s existences fails. This paper responds to McCloskey’s arguments via a theistic worldview. McCloskey attempted to show that atheism is quite a bit more reasonable, as well as comfortable than theism. McCloskey uses the word “proof” instead of “theory” to add fallacious power to his argument.

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Christian theologian William Lane Craig argues that without the existence God, a person’s life is devoid of meaning, purpose, and value. He claims that since God provides these, he allows humans to lead a satisfying and productive existence. Craig also states that without God, we are without guidance, meaningless, and in despair. In disagreement with atheist philosophers, Craig concludes that it is impossible to live a fufilling life without God. In this paper, I will examine each argument, and provide insight related to the strengths and weaknesses of his claims.

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Since, “Existentialism or existential philosophy is the reaction to all those attempts” (Beck, 1944, p. 127) I was able to learn from my own actions and grow. My existential way of thinking lead me to take charge of my life. I began working in settings such as retail that required me to talk to other people throughout the day. When I worked in retail, I was forced to talk to nearly 30 or more people a day.

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Existentialism is a philosophy that invites us to find purpose and meaning in life by thinking independently and acting deliberately, without overt influence from social norms. This philosophy manifests in Albert Camus’s novel The Stranger in the strange character of Meursault, who defies many major social norms throughout the novel. He places no faith in justice or authority figures. He does not pretend to grieve for his dead mother.

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In Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, there are scenes that trick the audience into thinking that it will give them the movie’s view on the meaning of life. The film, however, never actually gives the audience a real, serious answer to the questions that relate to life’s meaning; by doing this, the people who created the film probably wanted the audience to make up their own views and answers to life’s meanings and purposes (a loosely defined meaning of existentialism). In existentialism, existentialists reject proposed systems that have a definitive answer to the questions involving the meaning and purpose of life; they freely choose standards of values on the human condition, which asks questions, like “Why am I here,” “What does it mean to be human,” or “How should I live my life?” According to Mitchell’s Roots of Wisdom, the idea of existentialism “emphasizes the uniqueness and freedom of the human person as an individual (what makes each life a unique, personal experience) as opposed to the essence of a human being (what makes all of us alive).”

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These movements were a response to war and the unbelievable number of dead that were recorded in the time period between World War I and II. Existentialism was all about the absurdity of life and that life was a queue for death. Existentialists believed in the reality of the present and that anyone could die in the most inhumane manner, with or without hope of god awaiting them in afterlife. It was mostly just about the hope that people had of living another day. There was just death and destruction and the philosophy that became a mind-set that was based around nothingness (Aronson,

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CITR Rough Draft Essay World War II had ended for America and instead of trying to come together as a nation some felt the need to exist as individuals. The Existentialist evolution came from Europe during the 1950’s. Existentialism came along in the United States at the same time segregation in schools was ruled unconstitutional, the Korean War had begun, and the Warsaw Pact had been signed. Existentialism was a time in America where some people emphasized the existence of the individual as a responsible and free agent. Existentialist believed that their development was based off their acts of will.

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Existentialism The concept of existentialism has so many contradicting and difficult to grasp components that it is much easier to put in terms of philosophy at its most fundamental. Synonyms of philosophy include: thinking and reasoning, namely the understanding of nature and existence of a person. Although several versions of existentialism exist, there are no set themes that could possibly encompass them all. This philosophy is valid to an individualistic level, however, it does not hold up to modern society as a whole.

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Existentialism Many people try to understand the meaning of life and whether there is a spiritual force behind it. This is what is known as absurdity since eventually, the person will not have any meaning of existence. Some philosophers tried to find out about existence, for instance, Jean-Paul Sartre, who does not believe in a God and that a person first live then discovers more about himself and the world (Booker, 2015 pg. 282). Albert Camus is another philosopher who wondered whether there is a God or not and what man was supposed to believe to protect him from bad faith. But each person has some range of individualism hence believes as he or she chooses just like Friedrich Nietzsche, who believed that God is dead and that man 's existence is meaningless, and life bears no meaning (Gillespie, 2015 pg. 86).

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The argument Jean-Paul Sartre, a French philosopher, presents on existentialism helps to prove the foundation which is “existence precedes essence”. Existentialism is normally understood as an ideology that involves evaluating existence itself and the way humans find themselves existing currently in the world. For the phrase existence precedes essence, existence’s etymology is exsistere or to stand out while the term Essence means “being” or “to be” therefore the fundamental of existentialism, literally means to stand out comes before being. This can be taken into many different ideas such as individuals having to take responsibility for their own actions and that in Sartre’s case the individual is the sole judge of his or her own actions. According to him, “men is condemned to be free,” therefore “the destiny of man is placed within himself.”

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My friend, irrespective of our unique looks, size, style, abilities and design, all of us humans have the same purpose. Our place of origin and birth reveals our purpose on earth. If you believe that you are from God, then your purpose here on earth is the same with all those that are form God. The truth is that we all have the same purpose on this planet earth. It is important to note that our abilities which comprises of our skills, talents, creativity, wisdom and power is all tired to the assignment given to us for humanity.

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