Notes - Existentialism

Definition - A 20th century 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 one's acts.
(C.S. Wyatt)

Characterized by the following beliefs:

• Some things are irrational or absurd, without explanation.
• Life is suffering.
• Life is not fair.
• Individuals are alienated from themselves by the highly complex, sophisticated, technological, bureaucratic world in which they live.
• Individual alienation, the loss of a sense of identity, is perpetuated by the labels and categories we use to describe people.
• Because they are free, individuals are also responsible for their own actions.
• No determinism or fate.
• In Sartre’s formula, "existence precedes essence": we make ourselves with our decisions, our actions, and our purposes. To follow the herd is to act in "bad faith," and to limit one’s choices ("Existentialism").
  
• Nausea and sickness often represents an inner struggle.
  

For Further Reading:

• Wikipedia entry "Existentialism"