Existentialism is a philosophical movement which places emphasis on individualism, an individual’s freedom and subjectivity. The philosophy was inspired mostly by Hegel, Husserl, and Heidegger. It gained popularity in the 20th C due to the works of Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus.
Sartre claimed that “existence precedes essence” which is deconstructed to mean that there is no particular predefined spiritual/moral essence to humans except that which we have made ourselves. They ought to be judged by what they do and not what they are -considering all that are is that which they do.
Viscous elements of existence trap the freedom of the human being and must be avoided at all costs.
Existentialists therefore reject Descartes’ “Cogito ergo Sum” (I think therefore I am) and accept instead “I am therefore I think”, yet again reducing the “I” down to “there are thoughts”. People are not self-contained but are rather a merge of the people they are surrounded by.
Kant, in his “The Critique of Pure reason” stated that existence is not a predicate of consciousness. Kant believed that existence is in fact a precondition of consciousness. Consciousness “just is”, and is not the result or the cause of any particular thing. The opposite of consciousness is unconsciousness; therefore we can never stand outside of consciousness.
Husserl’s “Psychology from an empirical standpoint” forms the foundations of modern phenomenology (the study of the structure of experience and consciousness) According to him, there is no real difference to whether a person’s ideas are in fact a representation of the real world or are merely hallucinations.
Heidegger was one of the central philosophers in the Existentialism movement. He declared the end of the metaphysical age, and believed Kant triggered its demise in the 1790s. In the metaphysical age, objects exist independently of the mind, and the mind mirrors reality. However, after Heidegger there are no absolute truths, only “weak/practical/convenient truths”. They are the only reliable truths and are necessary to our being. Truth no longer is a matter of matching thought to reality, but rather, truths are specific to the desires and moods of an individual. Unfortunately, Heidegger was a Nazi who believed in the authentic life-consisting of fertile women, strength, purity and organic foods. He believed Socrates corrupted Western civilisation and wanted to get rid of philosophical concepts and terminology since Socrates. He wanted to start afresh. He therefore decided to invent his own set of terms!
Dasein: Heidegger uses the term Dasein to refer to the experience of "being" that is peculiar to human beings.
To exist is to be bored. The opposite of boredom is Dasein. Therefore, Heidegger would encourage you to find your Dasein. His was “the authentic life”.
Existence requires time. If there were no time, there would be no boredom. The urgency that comes with the idea of a lack of time creates a sense of urgency and forces you to be in the moment. Dasein is to not think.
Time is divided into three categories: Attunement (reflection of the past/guilt), Being (presence/boredom/Dasein), Directedness (reflection of the future/fear)
