Existentialism

[Sojourn]

Ok so I just finished my final for English. I wrote about the different themes of Notes from the Underground, and a little about existentialism.(NFTU is incredibly complex but good) What I don't completely get is existentialism. I have a basic understanding of it enough to write a paper about it. It seems interesting and I wanted to learn more about it. I was just wondering if anyone knew more about the subject and could enlighten me or if anyone knows of any good resources I should check out.

 

[speakeasy]

Existentialism, like "string theory" is one of those things that no matter how many times people explain it to me, I have no idea what the f--- they are talking about.

 

[Nighthawk]

It's about how we are living in a pointless, Godless universe, and that's all we have to deal with.

 

[Skel]

It really depends how its used but its the philosophy of what Nighthawk said somewhat except the uniqueness of yourself is made by self defining choices if that makes sense.

 

[KarmaSutra]

The best resource for understanding and appreciation the Existentialist movement is a book by William Barrett entitled Irrational Man.

Existentialism is not believing in divinity or a God-head figure. Kierkegaard was a rabid Christian and found himself at peace that God was alive and well. His stance was that God created us but had no interest in following our every minutiae. Which leaves us to fend for ourselves.

Jean-Paul Sartre is, in my opinion, the closest to actualizing Existentialist philosophy.

I don't subscribe to the bleakness most people carry over from Friedrich Nietzsche's pandemic thoughts. In truth, Nietzsche is more a staunch nihilist than an Existentialist.

 

[speakeasy]

Okay, so "existentialism" just sounds like another word for atheism from what you guys are saying. So what's the new revelation here in that?

 

[backbreaker]

The best resource for understanding and appreciation the Existentialist movement is a book by William Barrett entitled Irrational Man.

Existentialism is not believing in divinity or a God-head figure. Kierkegaard was a rabid Christian and found himself at peace that God was alive and well. His stance was that God created us but had no interest in following our every minutiae. Which leaves us to fend for ourselves.

Jean-Paul Sartre is, in my opinion, the closest to actualizing Existentialist philosophy.

I don't subscribe to the bleakness most people carry over from Friedrich Nietzsche's pandemic thoughts. In truth, Nietzsche is more a staunch nihilist than an Existentialist.

fuuny enough, i think you recommended me this book. someone here did. and I bought it and read it. great book. long read. great book

 

[backbreaker]

The best resource for understanding and appreciation the Existentialist movement is a book by William Barrett entitled Irrational Man.

Existentialism is not believing in divinity or a God-head figure. Kierkegaard was a rabid Christian and found himself at peace that God was alive and well. His stance was that God created us but had no interest in following our every minutiae. Which leaves us to fend for ourselves.

Jean-Paul Sartre is, in my opinion, the closest to actualizing Existentialist philosophy.

I don't subscribe to the bleakness most people carry over from Friedrich Nietzsche's pandemic thoughts. In truth, Nietzsche is more a staunch nihilist than an Existentialist.

fuuny enough, i think you recommended me this book. someone here did. and I bought it and read it. great book. long read. great book

 

[Sojourn]

The best resource for understanding and appreciation the Existentialist movement is a book by William Barrett entitled Irrational Man.

Existentialism is not believing in divinity or a God-head figure. Kierkegaard was a rabid Christian and found himself at peace that God was alive and well. His stance was that God created us but had no interest in following our every minutiae. Which leaves us to fend for ourselves.

Jean-Paul Sartre is, in my opinion, the closest to actualizing Existentialist philosophy.

I don't subscribe to the bleakness most people carry over from Friedrich Nietzsche's pandemic thoughts. In truth, Nietzsche is more a staunch nihilist than an Existentialist.

Gonna check that book out. You know I just have to add this its great a site like this exists because I can learn so much from other people when I have questions.

 

[theunflushables]

I don't subscribe to the bleakness most people carry over from Friedrich Nietzsche's pandemic thoughts. In truth, Nietzsche is more a staunch nihilist than an Existentialist.

I don't know if it's just me, but I do not find Nietzsche's work bleak at all. I actually find it quite liberating. But like you said, he's not really an existentialist.

As for the OP if you like Notes From The Underground, check out "The Metamorphosis" by Kafka; "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Kundera; and "Nausea" by Sartre.

If you're into films, most Woody Allen movies touch on the subject as well.

 

[redspicyflag]

Check out

Myth of Sisyphus

and

Existentialism is a humanism

 

[Skel]

Okay, so "existentialism" just sounds like another word for atheism from what you guys are saying. So what's the new revelation here in that?

Its more than that

 

[Brazilian_Blues_Boy]

Existentialism is a very challenging and life-oriented branch of philosophy. There's no such thing as one Existentialism, but different authors with Existential themes in common. Even in the Bible, the book of Ecclesiastes has existential themes.
I'm currently reading Existentialism for beginners, is a comic-book like book that explains the story and the main authors in a very easy-to-understand way. It's cheap and quality.

If you can use Torrent software, look for an audio-course from the Teaching Company (TTC - www.teach12.com) that's called : Existentialism and the Meaning of Life, the lectures were recorded by the late great Robert Salomon, who is a guest in Richard Linklater's animation-based movie Waking Life. He goes all the way from Kierkegaard and Nietzsche , then Albert Camus, Heidegger and finally Sartre.
The audio files come with handy pdf brochures that have the synthesis of the lectures.

I'll stop because I'm in a hurry, but I hope this helps.

Best regards,

BBB

 

[macallik]

First off, anyone who calls Nietzsche a nihilist does not understand him. If you read Thus Spoke Zarathustra, specifically the part about the Last Man and how the 'common' people misinterpret Zarathustra's speech about the Last Man as something to strive towards you would know that Nietszche does not condone or entertain the idea of nihilism by itself.

It is only nihilistic to destroy if you have no intentions of rebuilding. Nietzsche does not say "God is dead, lets rape, pillage and listen to rap music", the point he is getting across that many people who dabble in existentialism fail to grasp is that the idea of God is outdated but we as a civilization are educated enough replace the image of God with the image of ourselves.

 

[macallik]

To Soujourn

Whats up man, I can't believe you did NFTU in an english class. You must be in Europe or something, coz that is hella deep to jump into for a standard English class imo.

Anyways, to me, existentialism is about a search for meaning and in the process challenging ideals and rules in society. When I was in universitiy I studied a bit of existentialism and I also took Post Modernism classes in English and you'd be surprised how many parrallels are evident between the two so if you have studied anything PoMo that can help in your understanding of Existentialism to a degree.

What specifically would you like to know about existentialism?

 

[KarmaSutra]

First off, anyone who says Nietzsche isn't more a nihilist than Existentialist hasn't read anything other than Thus spoke Zarathustra.

There is very little positivity in Nietzsche's work. He subscribed to the defeatist mentality where there are no confines outside of subscribed orthodox religion.

Using ourselves as a mirror of divinity is not what Nietzcshe was saying at all.

 

[macallik]

I am not here to pick a fight or flame you like you insulted me in the thread a couple days back but I think you are incorrect. I have read the majority of his main pieces. Please elaborate on your argument.

There is a common misconception that the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was a nihilist. You can find this assertion in both popular and academic literature, yet as widespread as it it, it isn't really an accurate portrayal of his work. Nietzsche wrote a great deal about nihilism, it is true, but that was because he was concerned about the effects of nihilism on society and culture, not because he advocated nihilism...

You can read the entire article at:
http://atheism.about.com/od/nihilismnihilists/a/nietzsche.htm
Or lookup nihilism on wikipedia, there is a big subsection on nietzsche and why he is NOT a nihilist:

As the first philosopher to study nihilism extensively, however, Nietzsche was also quite influenced by its ideas. Nietzsche's complex relationship with nihilism can be seen in his statement that "I praise, I do not reproach, [nihilism's] arrival. I believe it is one of the greatest crises, a moment of the deepest self-reflection of humanity. Whether man recovers from it, whether he becomes master of this crisis, is a question of his strength!". [12] While this may appear to imply his allegiance to the nihilist viewpoint, it would be more accurate to say that Nietzsche saw the coming of nihilism as valuable in the long term (as well as ironically acknowledging that nihilism exists in the world so has more gravity compared with categories that refer to a purely fictitious world). According to Nietzsche, it is only once nihilism is overcome that a culture can have a true foundation upon which to thrive. He wished to hasten its coming only so that he could also hasten its ultimate departure.[7]

Nietzsche's philosophy also shares with nihilism a rejection of any perfect source of absolute, universal and transcendent values.[8] Still, he did not consider all values of equal worth. Recognizing the chaos of nihilism, he advocated a philosophy that willfully transcends it. Furthermore, his positive attitude towards truth as a vehicle of faith and belief distinguishes him from the extreme pessimism that nihilism is often associated with

can you touch on the part about nietzsche having a defeatist attitude? I'm lost on what you are trying to say here


As for your last sentence, I did not use the phrase mirror of divinity and I do not know what you are alluding to when you reference to it. However, (if my memory serves me correct) in the Twilight of the Idols, Nietzsche talks about how he wants to replace the God's with the human's image so that we stop trying to attain the impossible; instead we forever chase and replace the possible. Instead of trying to be the next Jesus Christ, try being a better KarmaSutra, and then tommorow... try being an even better KarmaSutra, ad nauseum.

 

[macallik]

i win? lol

 

[Jules Verne]

These posts are just different interpretations of the same work.

And I like what macallik has to say.

 

[Sojourn]

I still don't completely understand existentialism but I understand it more now than I did

To Soujourn

Whats up man, I can't believe you did NFTU in an english class. You must be in Europe or something, coz that is hella deep to jump into for a standard English class imo.

Anyways, to me, existentialism is about a search for meaning and in the process challenging ideals and rules in society. When I was in universitiy I studied a bit of existentialism and I also took Post Modernism classes in English and you'd be surprised how many parrallels are evident between the two so if you have studied anything PoMo that can help in your understanding of Existentialism to a degree.

What specifically would you like to know about existentialism?

I never thought I would be doing existentialism in an English composition class at a community college. I didn't want to know anything specifically. I was just trying to get a better overall understanding of existentialism. After taking the class I am more interested in philosophy. Philosophy is something I never thought I would be interested in, but I am glad I chose that professor because I found a fascinating subject I can learn about.

Does anyone know what books I should read to start learning more about philosophy? Any recommendations on where I should start?