Existentialist Views on Death Essay - 5673 Words

Existentialist Views on Death What is Existentialism? Existentialism is a philosophy developed chiefly in the 20th century that attempts find meaning in a seemingly meaningless world. The central theme of existentialism is that an individual must assume all responsibilities for his or her acts of free will without any absolute knowledge of what is right or wrong. Existentialism analyzes this somewhat dismal situation mankind has been thrown into, and produces a model for how an individual should live his or her life. However, why should someone attempt to live a life of morals and meaning in a cold and indifferent world? An analysis of existentialist views on death may lead to an answer to this question. A Brief History of†¦show more content†¦He postulated that feelings of dread and anxiety are Gods way of calling each individual to make a commitment to a personally valid way of life (Akram). A major contributor to modern existentialism is Martin Heidegger. His philosophy developed out of a reaction to the rationalistic ideas of Edmund Husserl. Heidegger maintained that humanity finds itself in a complicated and indifferent world, and an individual will never know why they exist. Instead, humans need to find a goal and follow it with passionate conviction, knowing that life is meaningless and that they will eventually die. Heidegger emphasized the idea of being, particularly in his book Sein und Tode. He expanded Kierkegaards idea of dread, by asserting that anxiety leads to an individuals confrontation with nothingness and the impossibility of justifying ones actions (Kemerling). Jean Paul Sarte popularized the term existentialism by using it for his own philosophy, which began in France and became internationally popular after World War II. Sartes philosophy is explicitly atheistic and pessimistic, declaring that human beings need a rational basis for their lives but are unable to achieve one. He defined nausea as an individuals recognition of pure contingency of the universe, and anguish as the recognition of the total freedom of choice that an individual is confronted with continuously. He strongly emphasized the freedom of choice and theShow MoreRelated Yukio Mishimas The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea -   Existentialist Views On Death1195 Words   |  5 PagesFell from Grace with the Sea -   Existentialist Views On Death    Cultures all over the world have different convictions surrounding the final, inevitable end for all humans - death. In the United States, and in most Westernized cultures we tend to view death as something that can be avoided through the use of medicine, artificial respiration machines, and the like. To us, death is not a simple passing, and usually, we do not accept it as a normal part of life. 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Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of ones acts. In TheRead More Jean-Paul Sartre Essay1540 Words   |  7 PagesJean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Sartre was an existentialist philosopher. The questions of his philosophy often come out in his readings. Existentialism questions why we exist. Existentialists deny the existence of God. Existentialist writers such as Kafka and Sartre often use prisons and solitary confinement to tell their stories. Often, neither the reader nor the protagonist is aware of what crime has been committed. Jean-Paul Sartre’s â€Å"The Wall† reflects his philosophy and personal experiencesRead MoreEssay on Existentialism in Unknown Places1409 Words   |  6 PagesExistentialism is the epitome of the unknown. There is no straightforward explanation of what exactly it is, there is only certain characteristics and behaviors that describe existentialist views. Throughout today’s world, there are examples of it everywhere, it’s found in movies, books, songs, and just people in general. Existentialists are known to think and do for themselves only. They believe that to understand what it means to be human requires understanding of themselves first. Some very well known