Existentialism/Nihilism
Existentialism/Nihilism
Gel Gibson
Contents
• Existentialism
• Nihilism
• Differences
• Crime and Punishment www.businessinsider.com
Origin of Existentialism
• Arose in 19 th century Europe
• Founding fathers
• Soren Kierkegaard
• Friedrich Nietzsche
• Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Jean-Paul Sartre
• Became prominent after WWII
• Franz Kafka
• Martin Heidegger
Existentialism
• Existence precedes essence
• Classified as movement
• Tries to solve problem of life
• Questions human condition
• Tough to define
• Reject large systems
Rejection of Large Systems
• Appealing because they provide purpose
• Unauthentic and bound
• Inhuman perspective
• No recognition of morality www.world
ofsychiatry.com
Existence Precedes Essence
• Essence
• Nature of object
• Actualization of essence
• Humans choose to act on essence
• Cannot create essence (Aristotle)
• Free choices creates unique essence (Sartre)
www.rschindler.com
“Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.”
-Jean-Paul Sartre
Nihilism
• Mid 19 th century
• “Fathers and Sons”
• Ivan Turgenev
• Political Nihilism
• No meaning/purpose
• “Why” finds no answer www.listverse.com
Nihilism (continued)
• 4 types
• Moral
• Epistemological
• Cosmic
• Existential
• Doesn’t bow down to authority
• Relationship with science
• Necessary stage for truth
http://artsone-open.arts.ubc.ca/plato-gorgias/
“Nothing exists; even if something exists, nothing can be known about it; and even if something can be known about it, knowledge about it can't be communicated to others.”
-Gorgias
Existentialism vs. Nihilism
• Purpose/no purpose
• Nihilism is not necessary characteristic
• Nietsche viewed Nihilism as disease www.apocalypseant.com
Crime and Punishment
• Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• Human choice
• Religion
• Suicide
• Raskolnikov
• “Without God, all is permitted”
Bibiliography
Burnham, Douglas, and George Papandreopoulos. "Internet
Encyclopedia of Philosophy." Existentialism [] . Internet
Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 17 June 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
Crowell, Steven. "Existentialism." Stanford University . Stanford
University, 23 Aug. 2004. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
Palmieri, Aurelio. "Nihilism." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11.
New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 18 Feb. 2014
Phil. "Existentialism." Existentialism. N.p., 20 Sept. 2006. Web. 18
Feb. 2014.
Ross, Kelley L. "Existentialism." Existentialism. K12, 3 Apr. 2002.
Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
