Existentialism

In general, the term existentialism stands for a philosophical movement that accentuate on personal freedom, existence and choice. Though there are few different philosophical points of view on existentialism the common idea of the movement is that existence precedes essence. Existentialists claim that humans exist and by existing they define themselves and the world around them through their own subjectivity.

Besides the main idea about existence this philosophical movement has created other images and subjects concerning the doctrine. The first one is the so-called "Becoming a being", which is also known as existential ontology. According to it, "we are what we can become" and our becoming is kind of a process where the present and the past are subordinated to the future. And again future is the key dwelling of our existence because it is the place where we can project ourselves.

The second image that existentialists develop is that of the "nothingness". Nothingness is the place where possibility is located. It is the understanding for everything out there that is not our own existence. In other words, it is all that we are not and what we possibly might become. Fact is that the very idea of the nothingness cannot be accepted by the human mind. It is denied at once. (1)

"Absurd" takes place when we, in some way, become conscious of the nothingness and ask for an explanation. The image of the "absurd" is a leitmotif in the Sartrean existentialism where we can find absurd sometimes defeated by the absurd itself. (1)

"Ethics" in existentialism is represented by our acts. It is said that our vision of the surrounding world is enough to turn into Truth, as it is based on our facts. The decision about what we are to do with this truth relies completely on our good or bad faith. Our ability to act as if we embody the whole human race actually represents our ethics. (1)

"Choice" is a major image in existentialism. According to the doctrine, people always have choice and there is nothing predetermined excluding only our own existence. Through choice we define ourselves by picking up good or bad faith. The freedom of choosing is all that humans have, but we can never be sure about the rightness of our choice. The uncertainty about our decisions and the contingency of the existence bring out the angst. (1)

The "angst" or "anxiety" is the general trait of our existence. It appears when we run into the absurdity and contingency of our choices and actions. According to Sartre "angst" is the direct result of realizing the possibility of nothingness. (1)

According to the existentialists, the situation where humans are aware of living in a world that is nonchalant to their concerns, a world that they didn't choose by their own and cannot control is called "facticity" or "throwness". (2)

Witnessing this great gap between the world we are thrown into without being able to control it and the absolute freedom, people must define themselves. They have to despair of any expectations of outer value and limit themselves to what is under their control. (2)

There are several questions discussed by the existentialists. The first of them concerns Freedom; how existentialism defines freedom and how humans can be free if our bodies, environment and abilities are determined. The solution they give is that people are more than just these predetermined factors. Philosophers explain that our self exists beyond these things because of its unique individuality. Furthermore, despite of all the determined aspects in our lives we have the freedom to arrange and change them, as well as ourselves, the way we want. (2)

The second question that existentialists answer is "What is happiness and how can people be happy if we are devoid from external meaning and importance?". The reply again is based on the significance of the inner self. When we do not have external value we learn to find value within ourselves and it is even more precious because it cannot be taken away from external forces. (2)

The third question that arises, reads as follows: "If we are to create our own values without using external sources, can we do whatever we desire no matter if it is selfish or evil?". The answer is hidden it the image of ethics existentialists had developed. People must not forget that their acts shouldn't be determined by the personal wants and interests. The doctrine teaches that we have to act the way we want other people to act. We have to choose to act as like we represent all the humanity. Following this way of logic, one must remember that in order to be free he has to want other people's freedom and respect it. Moreover, we have to be aware that even if our deeds are free they are not totally random. They are determined by our choices as well as by these of the people around us. (2)

Taking into account the abovementioned existentialist philosophy we will discuss some of the Sartrean thoughts on different aspects of life. Let's begin with his opinion on religion and the existence of God.

Sartre is known for being a dogmatic atheist, so his beliefs about religion can be quickly described with the phrase: "God doesn't exist". He examines two cases, two realities where God can exist. Sartre classifies God as being-in-itself-for-itself. He is an in-itself in so far as the concept of the divine assumes that He is an existing entity, complete in himself and entirely unrelated. Furthermore, He must also be a for-itself inasmuch as He must be totally free and not bounded to anything else. Since such a combination is not possible because it involves a contradiction, then the logical conclusion must be to deny the existing of such a being. (3)

Sartre's opinion is that the idea of God plays a symbolic role in human's life as "the idea of a consciousness which would be the foundation of its own being-in-itself by the pure consciousness which it would have of itself." God actually represents human desire for self-sufficiency and completeness. (4)

Sartre's thought on reality turns down Plato's "dualism of being and appearance" and Aristotle's "duality of potency and act" with the arguments that "For the being of an existent is exactly what it appears" and "The act is everything". Sartre's idea of reality concurs with that of Descartes "I think, therefore I am". He says "I am, I exist, I think, therefore I am; I am because I think, why do I think? I don't want to think any more, I am because I think that I don't want to be." (4)

When talking of bodies, Sartre is mostly