Key Principles Of Existentialism

Without any doubt, XX ct. was a turning point in the mankind’s history. This can be deduced from the considerably rapid changes in human life for a relatively short period of time: brisk scientific and technological progress, wide access to information, psychoanalytical revelations, large-scale World Wars, rise and fall of the totalitarian regimes, reassessment of the former cultural traditions, moral values, and philosophical worldviews. It is not surprising that in the face of such events mankind was constantly balancing between the tremendous progress and the utter catastrophe. In such conditions, human mind has become confused and unstable as never before. Naturally, these phenomena often manifested themselves in the contemporary philosophy

It means there is no definite imperative or guidance on which all the people could rely on. Any honest reflection would reveal that the universe is a bottomless void of unknown, and the experience of nothingness is unavoidable part of human existence. Therefore, the only purpose or meaning to undertake is the one individual chooses for themselves, and the only value to their life is the one they give. In a nutshell, the key principles of Existentialism are as follows:

• the fundamental principle is that “existence precedes essence”, i. e., people are what they do, their existence comes first, and only then they define themselves through their choices and actions that follow them;

• the categories of absurdity of life, fear, despair, loneliness, suffering, and death are put forward;

• the person has to oppose the society, the state, the hostile environment, because they all impose their will, morality, and ideals upon the individual;

• the notion of alienation and absurdity are interconnected;

• the freedom of the individual has the highest vital value;

• the existence of man is interpreted as a drama of

One of them was John Fowles, whose works are noticeably imbued with existentialist motives, themes, and problems. Fowles was firstly exposed to existentialist ideas as he was a student at Oxford. Revolutionary and fashionable in the intellectual circles, Existentialism immediately stroke the young man as something completely different and even inspired him to become a writer. However, Fowles frequently points out the negative aspects of such infatuation. He says:] Fowles never criticized the philosophy itself, though, but rather emphasized the danger of misunderstanding and adoption of existential metaphors as a direct guidance for real life. That’s how he puts it in his novel The Magus: Nonetheless, Fowles admires Existentialism as a profound insight into the human position in this world. The ideas of existential freedom, anxiety, and authentic existence vs. bad faith were the core of his fiction and essays. Fowles believes that existentialism is a crucial part of social equality and justice; it