Existentialism

Existentialism, which spread rapidly over continental Europe after the First World War, is essentially the analysis of the condition of man, of the particular state of being free, and of man's having constantly to use his freedom in order top answer the ever- changing and unexpected challenges of the day. According to the Existentialists, the starting point of every philosophical investigation is concrete human existence. That means that human personality in itself should point the way to the absolute value of reality. A single definition of existentialism is impossible. Definitions, provided by dictionaries are only part of what existentialism is about. Ð'...central to each definition is the assertion that existentialism is a theory or statement about the nature of man's existence. (1) The term is so difficult to define because, unlike other terms, existentialism is not universal. In other words, there are no two existentialists, which share exactly the same values or beliefs. Although, here is one major theme: a stress on individual existence, subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice.

There are two kinds of existentialist; first those who are Christian, and on the other hand the atheistic existentialists. Many unfamiliar with the subject people associate existentialism with atheism, but they are wrong. The truth is that the majority of existentialists are not atheists. Sartre, which we place among atheists, stress that central concern of philosophy is human existence. He says that human being is a special kind of consciousness (being-for- itself). Everything else is matter (being-in-itself). He believes that human being has no God-given essence and is absolutely free and absolutely responsible. According to him, anguish is the result of the absolute freedom and responsibility. He also says that human existence is absurd and unjustified. Therefore, the goal of human being is to justify his/her existence.(2) Sartre believes that there are those in our history who have established a religion to reassure nothing more than what he calls a "fundamental project." That means that when we become anguished by the affairs of life we pursue a fundamental project in attempt to flee this anguish. He says that we try to make ourselves Gods in hopes that others would see us divine, and hold us in higher regard. To pursue a fundamental project according to Sartre is to act in a bad faith. "To act in a bed faith is to manifest our freedom inauthentic ally."(3) Sartre believes that man experiences two primary phases of consciousness in his life, the spontaneous phase in which man does nothing more than pursue a particular task which means that man is in shallow mode of being, and the reflective phase of consciousness In reflective phase, man realizes that he is not alone in this world and this realization is not without consequences. When men acknowledges that there are others that makeup the society in which he exists, the man discovers that he has identity. People know who he is and what he does, then he discovers that he is "a being in the world of others"(4) If man can acknowledge his facticity situation, that is accept that he is a being with biological and social past, that means that he is according to Sartre acting clear headed, and in good faith. This means that man manifests his freedom authentically and therefore his freedom is real. I think that Sartre's tenets are applicable to life. I can think of many occasions in which we face realizations we are not prepare for and act without a clear head, and this not allows us to achieve peace of our minds. Once a clear head is put to use, Sartre says, the reconciliation and peace of mind will come (5) As atheist, Sartre states that no one can escape from his/her freedom, and that the human being is absolute free, and as he believes there is no Got, that means that our freedom is unrestricted. We and only we are responsible for our own life and choices we make every each day and emotions, motives, and social and political institutions can't limit it. We, and only we are responsible for accepting others opinion about ourselves and other things. A person, who is labeled as ugly, for example, doesn't have to accept this opinion, like we don`t have to accept that abortion is bad. Ethical choices we make through our life are our own and are very subjective. But our responsibility extends far beyond this personal dimension. Our responsibility reaches other human being, or maybe, entire human race. By deciding the way we act, we create of image of ourselves, which we want others to accept, approve and follow. But most people try to avoid this responsibility, the painful anguish by falling into, like Sartre says, bad faith, or self-deception. The painful truth is that no one else but we are responsible for our actions, but what whit those who belief in God, or in universal human nature? Are they in bad faith? Are they trying to escape from responsibilities by saying that this was "God's will" when something bad happen as a result of their choices? Existentialists which are not atheists have much more difficult task to accomplish. They have to answer not only to themselves, but also to the God. What if the action they choose seems to be moral for them but is not moral in religious point of view? For example, a person can believe that killing his/her own dying mother, which is suffering indescribable pain, is moral, but he/she has to make the decision remembering about one of the ten commandments which says "don`t kill" The person will not only think about the way he or she will feel, or about the consequences of this action, but also will ask: What if Got really exists? Am I going to be punished? Is there a hell, and if so, am I gong to go there instead of haven? So, those "thru believers', which might think that they are free of responsibilities because God created them and everything what happens is God's will has to accept that our God-given free will puts us in a irrevocable position of responsibility as well as those who are atheists. Morality is set of principles, or rules that guide us in our actions, and whether stated as law or not- form the basic structure of every society, defining the limits of what is called the good life. We all want to know the answer to the questions like: How should we live? What do we want? And what we should want? Whether we believe in God, or we are atheists, we all are making choices, which we are responsible for. People who believe in God have to be aware that good life doesn't necessarily mean to go to the church on Sunday morning. The religious life is a life of devotion: "living with the fear of God in one's