The term ‘Existentialism’ refers to the philosophical and cultural movement that flourished in
the mid-nineteenth and twentieth century Europe. Although there is no definite definition of
existentialism, it is generally regarded as ‘a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the
problem of human existence and centres on the lived experience of the thinking, feeling,
acting individual’. (john, 2010, p.14). The movement of existentialism began as a revolt
against the prevailing philosophical traditions and emphasised individuality and the existing
human subject as the starting point of philosophical thought. Existentialism is an expression
that relates to all abstract thought that regards the human condition as a crucial philosophical
problem.
It is claimed that Existentialism is not a philosophical system, rather, it is best classified as a
philosophical movement. Crowell (2010) argues that existentialism, rather than a systematic
philosophy itself, is better understood as a general approach used to undermine existing
systematic philosophies. As a movement, existentialism arose in the nineteenth century with
the philosophical works of two profound European thinkers, namely, Soren Kierkegaard and
Fredrick Nietzsche. Nevertheless, it was not until the mid-twentieth century, and especially
after World War II that existentialism achieved prominence. In addition, existentialism was a
reaction of the philosophy of man in opposition to the dominance of the philosophy of ideas
and abstraction. Many European philosophers, writers and theologians contributed to the
movement with their fictional and non-fictional writings which greatly influenced the
literature of late twentieth century. It is suggested, therefore that existentialism is merely a
former cultural movement rather than an identifiable philosophical position.
Furthermore, all existentialists, whether past or present, share a deep concern about the
problem of life as a human being. According to Solomon (1987) the existential attitude
begins with a disoriented individual facing a confused world which he cannot accept.
Moreover, what is common among all existentialists is that addressing the human condition
they tend to vehemently reject the existing philosophical, scientific and religious systems or
theories which attempts to answer questions regarding the meaning and purpose of human
life in an absolute manner. Consequently, after rejecting an inherent meaning to human
existence and faced with an absurd world, an individual is entitled to assign a purpose to his
life and determine his own values. Existentialist have differed substantially in their evaluation
of human condition; however, every existential thought begins with an emphasis on man
rather than nature and a treatment of man as an existent being rather than a thinking subject.
Traditionally, existentialism is divided into two types, that being Theistic and Atheistic
Existentialism. Theistic Existentialism also known as Christian Existentialism emerged with
the philosophical works of Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard during the mid-nineteenth
century. Theistic Existentialism emphasises and weaves its thought around the existence of
God and consider ‘’man’s relationship with God as an important philosophical problem’’
(Nellickapilly, 2012, p.2). Moreover, the movement of Christian existentialism takes an
existential approach to Christian theology (Eliade and Adams, 1987). Contrastingly, Atheistic
existentialism exclude any religious beliefs from philosophical existential thought and is
cantered on an atheistic worldview. According to Nellickappilly (2012) this group of
existentialists deny the existence of God or do not consider it as posing any philosophical
problem. In this regard Jean Paul Sartre, Martin Heidegger and Albert Camus is considered to
be atheistic existential philosophers. Despite the distinction, the existence of God had always
been a matter of discussion among the existentialists.
In conclusion, existentialism is associated with all thinking that emphasises human existence
and consider the human condition to be a pivotal philosophical dilemma. In addition,
existentialism is a recent addition to the history of philosophy and, evidently, not a discrete
philosophical system. Moreover, Existentialists may differ in their assessment of the position
of an individual, nevertheless, they place a high premium upon man as the core of attraction
of the society. While theistic existentialists follow an existential analysis with an appeal to
traditional theology, atheistic existentialists reject any such approach whatsoever. The legacy
of existentialism is still alive and continues to influence modern philosophical thought.
Written By.
Waqas Ahmad
National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad
waqasss012@gmail.com
References:
Macquarie, J. (1972). Existentialism. New York: Penguin. pp. 14–15
Crowell, S. (October 2010). "Existentialism". Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy
Solomon, R. (1987). From Hegel to Existentialism. New York: Oxford University Press
Nellickappilly, S. (2012). Aspects of Western Philosophy. Chenni: India Institute of
Technology Press. p. 2
Eliade M.J. & Adams C.J. (1987). Encyclopaedia of Religion, 3rd edn. New York: Macmillan
Publishing Company
Reference System used: Harvard System of Referencing