I chose this theme because existentialism was a way of thinking in which so many philosophers, writers and poets subscribed to, that it warranted further study.

Existentialism is a philosophical movement or tendency that emphasizes individual existence, freedom and choice. Existentialism places an emphasis on the individual. Human existence must include passion and emotion and focuses on anxiety and death and their roles in everyday life.

I enjoyed the different philosophers' takes on the subject. They all basically believed the same thing but each had a personal flavor that was added with every ones' reasoning (Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Simone de Beauvoir and especially Sartre).

Soren Kierkegaard is generally regarded as the founder of modern existentialism. He stressed the mystery and misunderstandings of the human situation. His solution to this was that the individual had to live a totally committed life and be always prepared to go against the grain of society's norms. Kierkegaard felt that this was required in order to live a personally valid life which holds more importance than society's perceptions. He advocated a Christian way of life and

Finally, I found Kierkegaard's three stages of existence very interesting. The movement of self from one level of existence to another appeals to my constant quest for answers in the spiritual realm. The first stage or the aesthetic stage, is described as an obsession with the enjoyment of pleasures without restrictions. The second stage is the ethical stage and is the direct opposite of the aesthetic stage. It is here that we conform to laws and moral expectations of society. Driven by reason, humans arrive at the third stage, according to the philosopher, which is called the religious stage. Conscious choice and commitment allows us to move on to this stage which culminates with the realization that without faith, one cannot realize the true self.

They feel that we are driven by anxiety. Anxiety rears its ugly head when we realize that we don't have all our ducks in a row, we can't control our destiny and are unable to predict our futures. Anxiety comes from simply having to make life's everyday decisions and is present every moment of every day.

felt this was the only way to save oneself from despair. Existentialism acquires its name from insisting that existence precedes essence. What I think that means, is that we have no essence, no essential self and we are no more than what we really are, only the sum of what we have created in life.

Isn't this called depression? Isn't this what millions of people go to therapists to come to grips with? How could the Existentialsts think that this is a perfectly normal way of life and subscribe to this way of thinking? No wonder the Romans dismissed this philosophy as heresy. (And we all know about their love of life) Why even bother to be born? O

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Approximate Word count = 1153
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)