Draft:Outline of existentialism
Philosophical form of enquiry into subjective existence
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to existentialism:
 | An editor has marked this as a promising draft and requests that, should it go unedited for six months, G13 deletion be postponed, either by making a dummy edit to the page, or by improving it and submitting it for review. Last edited by The Transhumanist (talk | contribs) 38 days ago. (Update) |
Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and value, existentialist thought often includes concepts such as existential crises, angst, courage, and freedom.
What type of thing is existentialism?
Existentialism can be described as all of the following:
- a branch of philosophy
- a branch of continental philosophy
- a philosophical school
Branches of existentialism
History of existentialism
Metaphysical and ontological concepts
- Existence precedes essence – the claim that human existence precedes any defined essence or identity.
- Being in itself – concept central to Sartre’s ontology describing non-conscious being.
- Facticity – the concrete details against which human freedom exists and is limited.
- The Other – the recognition and confrontation with other consciousnesses.
- Abandonment – the realization that there is no external source of moral guidance.
Human condition and psychology
- Existential crisis – a period of deep questioning about life’s meaning or purpose.
- Angst – a deep, general sense of anxiety about one’s freedom and isolation.
- Absurdism – the belief in the conflict between the human search for meaning and the universe’s lack of it.
- Meaning and the meaning of life
- Nihilism – the rejection of inherent meaning or value in life.
Ethics and authenticity
- Authenticity – living in accordance with one’s self, rather than external expectations.
- Bad faith – self-deception by denying one’s freedom or responsibility.
Influences and related philosophies
- Phenomenology (see also Existential phenomenology)
- Nihilism
- Humanism
- Absurdism
- Existential humanism
- Continental philosophy
Existentialism in contemporary thought
- Existential threats – modern use of “existential” to describe risks to humanity’s existence.
- Existential psychology
- Existential therapy
- Existential feminism
Journals and periodicals
- Existenz (journal) – journal covering philosophy, religion, politics, and the arts
- Sartre Studies International
- Stirrings Still – The International Journal of Existential Literature
- Existential Analysis – published by The Society for Existential Analysis
Organizations
Persons influential in existentialism
Notable existentialists
- Hannah Arendt (1906–1975)
- Hazel Barnes (1915–2008)
- Martin Buber (1878–1965)
- Albert Camus (1913–1960)
- Emil Cioran (1911–1995)
- Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986)
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–1881)
- William A. Earle (1919–1988)
- Martin Heidegger (1889–1976)
- Karl Jaspers (1883–1969)
- Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855)
- Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908–1961)
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
- Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980)
Influential non-existentialists
- Edmund Husserl (1859–1938)
- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860)
Existentialist literature
Major works
- Being and Time – 1927 book by Martin Heidegger
- Being and Nothingness – 1943 book by Jean-Paul Sartre
- Existentialism Is a Humanism – 1946 book by Jean-Paul Sartre
- Man's Search for Meaning – 1946 book by Viktor Frankl
- The Outsider – 1956 book by Colin Wilson
- Irrational Man – 1958 book by William Barrett
- Lukacs and Heidegger: Towards a New Philosophy – Lucien Goldmann
