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Existentialism: Philosophies
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Existentialism is a very influential philosophy that went through periods where it greatly affected politics and pop-culture, and is still very popular in certain circles. It is often a difficult philosophy to understand as well. John notes that there is so much terminology like the for-itself, the in-itself, and other existentialist ideas, that Sarte outlined all of these concepts in what amounts to eight hundred pages of translations.
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Existentialism is not a philosophy but a label for several widely different revolts against traditional philosophy. Most of the living "existentialists" have repudiated this label, and a bewildered outsider might well conclude that the only thing they have in common is a marked aversion for each other. To add to the confusion, many writers of the past have frequently been hailed as members of this movement, and it is extremely doubtful whether they would have appreciated the company to which they are consigned. In view of this, it might be argued that the label "existentialism" ought to be abandoned altogether.
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Existentialism is generally an atheistic philosophy though some theists have attempted to adopt it into their individual theistic paradigms. “Although many, if not most, existentialists were atheists, [Søren] Kierkegaard, Karl Jaspers and Gabriel Marcel pursued more theological versions of existentialism. The one-time Marxist Nikolai Berdyaev developed a philosophy of Christian existentialism in his native Russia and later France during the decades preceding World War II.” 2
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Existentialism is philosophical and literary tendency that typically displays a dismissal of abstract theories that seek to disguise the untidiness of actual human lives and emphasizes the subjective realities of individual existence, individual freedom, and individual choice. It is virtually impossible to define absolutely as it is now so broad in its approaches but some of its major strands can be outlined.
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At the end of the war Sartre emerged as a world famous writer, and as the best known spokesman of what became then known as Existentialism. He became editor of Les Temps Modernes, an influential journal of ideas. Politically as well as philosophically he steadily moved to the left. He was active in the protest movements against the wars in Algeria and Vietnam. He was offered the Nobel Prize, and he refused to accept it. He died in 1980, eulogized as one of the most important minds of the 20th century.
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If a layman is interested in philosophy of any kind, chances are it is Existentialism. Whereas other philosophical theories, both current and historical, are typically esoteric and abstruse, Existentialists discuss issues that clearly matter to daily life—issues like volition, the nature of the emotions and autonomy. Many Existentialist positions seem similar to Objectivist ideas, such as the importance of volition and moral responsibility. And yet Existentialism has ... been characterized as a doom-and-gloom philosophy, the worship of death.
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