Existentialism
Understanding existentialism is difficult for many people, mostly because its ideas contradict much of what both the eastern and western worlds have been taught to believe. Many people consider existentialism to be a dark and pessimistic philosophy, void of hope or faith. What many of these people fail to see is that existentialism has a different source of hope than traditional philosophy: one that some psychologists would even recommend.
Despite the various and often conflicting views held by many existentialist philosophers, there are several main concepts of existentialism that are present in virtually all their works:
- Sentient beings, especially humans, have free will.
- Humans are responsible for the consequences of their decisions.
- Extremely few, if any, decisions are void of negative consequence.
- Even when part of a group, each person acts and decides as an individual, and is accountable as such.
- The world is indifferent towards humanity.
- The Abusrd
- Existentialism & Religion
- Existentialism & Politics
- Phenomenology
- Existentialist Philosophers