Questions tagged [existentialism]
A loose title covering : the individual, the experience of choice, and the absence of rational understanding of the universe with a consequent dread or sense of absurdity in human life.
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Is the discussion of truth and perception circular in reasoning?
Can the cliche, "Perception is reality" be incorrect in that (objective) reality is a version of the (subjective) truth, and this version of truth is a form of perception?
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How Do We Understand our Existence? [closed]
I apologize if I tag this post incorrectly as this is my very first post. I’m rather new to philosophical topics and I find myself constrained in a state of disassociation. How do I know I’m here?
I ...
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Does self transparency mean that human like existence, and nothing else, can be intrinsically valuable?
Does self transparency mean that human like existence, and nothing else, can be intrinsically valuable?
I was thinking maybe it is, becasue humans are capable of positing themselves as valuable, while ...
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Help with the basic idea of free choices for Sartre
what is required of an authentic choice is that it involve a proper
coordination of transcendence and facticity, and thus that it avoid
the pitfalls of an uncoordinated expression of the desire for ...
user67675
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Is there any evidence to suggest that our conciousness regularly replaces itself?
I heard on some article that conciousness cannot persist through time and that every second ( or an even shorter duration ) it changes to a new one, is there any evidence to suggest this? Is our ...
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Burden of proof and solipsism
If we say that the burden of proof is on the one making the claim and thus we should only believe in something if we have proof and should otherwise discard it, than the saying that an external world ...
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Why should I seek to determine the ultimate nature of reality (i.e. whether God exists or not)?
Here is my argument:
Until recently, I considered the pursuit (and eventual determination) of the ultimate nature of reality to be one of the most (if not the most) important goals for me. This is ...
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Can life have meaning when all your happiness is from a clear illusion?
When all your happiness is from a clear illusion, is your life meaningless? I am not talking about intentionally living a lie, because I don't mean lying to yourself about it, but feeling as if it ...
user67521
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“That melancholy convention cannot be persuasive.” What does this quote mean (from the Myth of Sisyphus)?
For context, this is the paragraph:
I come at last to death and to the attitude we have toward it. On this point, everything has been said and it is only proper to avoid pathos. Yet one will never be ...
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Are there some or many songs by Georges Brassens which could be considered as existentialist?
Are there some or many songs by Georges Brassens which could be considered as existentialist?
A Wikipedia definition of the philosophy of existentialism (developed by authors such as Kierkegaard, ...
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What would be a reasonable response to this take that we shouldn't ponder abstract propositions about the meaning of life?
X says: “That moment when you realise that you've spent your entire life endlessly pondering abstract propositions about the meaning of life instead of actually feeling like you've led a meaningful ...
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Can we specify something vague with a definite time?
Can we specify something vague, e.g. without a boundary, with a definite time?
I am more satisfied with the idea that I became bald sometime in my 20s, I guess, than I am with the claim that I will &...
user66760
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Are there any philosophers who work on ideas related to cosmicism (H.P. Lovecraft's literary philosophy)?
I was reading up on this idea of cosmicism that H.P. Lovecraft espoused. Wikipedia summarises the view nicely saying, "Cosmicism shares many characteristics with nihilism, though one important ...
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Is "Why do we live?" a philosophical question?
After posting a question akin to "Why do we live?" in the r/AskPhilosophy subreddit its moderators got it removed, providing as motivation "All questions must be about philosophy".
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Did Kierkegaard believe that we should live seeking meaning and not happiness?
Before I pose my question I want to say two things:
I have no formal training in Philosophy
I searched for similar questions but found none, please excuse me if this is a duplicate
I saw a YouTube ...
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Is there a philosophical concept that describes the notion that all permutations of human experience must exist simultaneously?
It's the idea that, basically, if we each have our own paths to walk, so to speak, and if they are all unique to each individual person, then that must mean every possible permutation of a "life&...
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Thoughts on "Existential Flourishing: A Phenomenology of the Virtues" by Irene McMullin?
I recently came across a book titled "Existential Flourishing: A Phenomenology of the Virtues" by Irene McMullin and I'm considering purchasing it. Before I do, I wanted to reach out to the ...
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A newbie's highly thought-upon plan for starting philosophy [closed]
How's it going guys, I hope you're all having a great time!
Greetings, to all the great minds here!
I would really appreciate your help with my entrance to the infinite world of philosophy.
First, I ...
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Can existence be justified as ‘better’ than non-existence?
I’m relatively new to philosophy. Been doing some soul-searching, and asked myself ‘is good empirically better than evil’. Found a thread on here, where people pointed out that science cannot really ...
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An Eternal Reward for Our Actions - Are There Strong Incentives to do Anything
I'm wondering:
Humans are mortal. Death seems to nullify any gains made by the self to the self.
Humans are subject to natural impulses towards actions (for example, we are compelled by natural ...
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To what extent can one admit that language is an adequate outlet for explicit feelings and experiencings?
If I am sharing my thoughts and another person goes “oh, that’s relatable,” or “yeah, I totally get it,” and other variations like “I feel you on that one!” Do they, really? Is language ever enough, ...
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Who are some philosophers who explore the possibility/impossibility of the intimacy of understanding others?
Can one ever be understood? When people say “yeah, I feel you” do they really? Is language enough of an outlet to transmit feelings with enough exactitude?
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What is the anti-thesis of Existentialism?
Existentialism represents a turning away from systematic philosophy (with its emphasis on metaphysical absolutes and principles of rational certainty) and toward an emphasis on the concrete existence ...
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Are there secular philosophers who argue for predetermined and given meaning/value in life and essentialism?
In continental philosophy particularly existentialism, thinkers reject the idea that there are any predetermined or given meanings/values in life, and stresses that we must take up our freedom and ...
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Why care for anything in life? [closed]
Great philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in his Thus spoke Zarathustra told us a man should become an ‘ overman ‘ or ‘ ubermensch ‘i.e. someone who believes in the nihilism of the universe (Believing ...
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Do humans need some agency over the world around them for their lives to have some sense or purpose?
This is a follow up to this question I was told to revise: If all work is automated, what will humans be able to do? After consideration I think that the only way to salvage that question is to break ...
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What is the point of Human Existence?
I have no experience in formal philosophy, so I apologise for the crudeness and generalism of everything I say here.
The Issue-:
Every time I try to motivate myself by logically connecting the ...
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Should one abstain from a behaviour because they know why they engage in it?
I'm 16, I don't study psychology in college, only biology, chemistry, physics and maths, but I find evolutionary psychology incredibly interesting, because it's the only psychological theory that ...
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How should I contextualize this quote and understand its meaning? [closed]
Jean- Paul Sartre once said about Camus: "I would call his pessimism 'solar' if you remember how much black there is in the sun."
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Is there any way existentialism can be compatible with the idea of free will being an illusion?
I just read another question from this website about free will, decided to ask my own rather than comment on another. I have no formal education in philosophy. I almost want to ask this question from ...
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Is conscious thought ever necessary?
I have noticed that every time I end up "sitting down" and "thinking" about something as if it's some sort of exercise to plan out, I end up just repeating thoughts in my head or ...
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Why is being yourself so highly valued among existentialist philosophers? [closed]
From the Disney movie Wreck-it-Ralph:
I'm bad, and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be than me.
Is this sentiment wise? Is it truly good to be whoever ...
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Question about Sartre's distinction between "self-consciousness", "subject", and "ego"
I am reading the Routledge Critical Thinkers series on Jacques Lacan, and I have come across this passage about Jean-Paul Sartre:
In an early work entitled Transcendence of the Ego (1934) Sartre
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Where exactly does the value of an individual human lie?
I mean to ask where the value of a human lies, not within the context of the universe but within the room of humanity. What exactly makes a human important? And, is it always something she puts out ...
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What is the meaning of nothingness in Sartre's ⟪Being and Nothingness⟫?
A head-up: I am from an analytic background, and I have only read continental philosophy via second sources.
I am confused about what 'nothingness' mean in Sartre's ⟪Being and Nothingness⟫. Some ...
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Giving up or Moving on. What's the Difference?
I was struggling to decide whether to put this here or under Psychology, but here we are.
Usually when people face circumstances that are hard enough to be handled at a given moment of time. From ...
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What is good for humanity? [closed]
I'm thinking of "1. solving problems (being helpful) for others and 2. having fun while doing that".
Solving problems requires one to learn, apply effort and become better at something.
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What does Heidegger mean "the closedness of earth"?
What does Heidegger mean "the closedness of earth" in 'the origin of the work of art' aka 'Der Ursprung des Kunstwerkes'?
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What is the difference between romanticism and existentialism?
Both romanticism and existentialism may be considered as philosophy and literary movements. If I understand it correctly, both romanticism and existentialism see opposition between society and ...
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Is throwness personal?
As Dasein, I ineluctably find myself in a world that matters to me in
some way or another. This is what Heidegger calls thrownness
(Geworfenheit), a having-been-thrown into the world.
https://plato....
user59394
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Is Egoism of Max Stirner idealization of Free consciousness?
In more simple language when Stirner talks about having no fix ideas or not treating ideas as sacred somehow makes it (Egoism of Stirner) having a fix idea itself ? Is creative nothing an idea or ...
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What does play of reflexions mean here?
A passage from Ñanavira's Notes on Dhamma from Atta:
The puthujjana confuses (as the arahat does not) the self-identity of simple reflexion—as with a mirror, where the same thing is seen from two ...
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What are some philosophical works that explore constructing meaning in life from an agnostic or atheist view?
I've been deeply suicidal for years, but it's gotten worse recently. I grew up Mormon, and last year I realized I couldn't believe in it anymore. I just couldn't; it would take too long to explain.
I ...
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From which book is this quote? - “Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear.”
I know it’s a quote of Camus, but could you refer to the book?
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What secondary literature would you recommend to help me understand “The Sickness unto Death”?
I would like to know if there are any secondary literature that would help me understand main themes of this book and make it more understandable. So far I have read a few primary sources (Plato’s ...
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From which book is this quote? - "I stick my finger in existence — it smells of nothing"
I'm looking for a work by Kierkgaard in which he wrote this quote.
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Did Heidegger claim that his "inauthenticity" was to some extent unavoidable for the individual?
Did Heidegger claim that his "inauthenticity" was to some extent unavoidable for the individual? I think I know that Sartre's bad faith was a necessary feature of overcoming it.
Is the ...
user62233
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Please help with suggestions for existential or philosophical inspired team names? [closed]
I imagine that this question will be frowned upon, but it's a bit of fun and hopefully, we can have some fun with this.
I am doing the Mongol Rally in 2023 in a red Suzuki Alto and need to come up ...
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How does existence preceding essence not preclude the possibility of bad faith?
How does existence preceding essence not preclude the possibility of bad faith? In what sense is it possible to act inauthentically if there is no authenticity other than what we make for ourselves?
I ...
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Does an Absurdist try to create his/her own meanings?
I was reading about Existentialism in Wikipedia and in The Absurd section there are two sentences that seem conflicting to me. First we have:
The notion of the absurd contains the idea that there is ...
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