What is existentialism?

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That the universe exists with or without our conscious awareness of it. Any meaning to the things that exist are strictly the meanings we give them, and not a meaning intrinsic to the things themselves....Show more

existence precedes essence at Wiki = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existence_precedes_essence

For me it is Brains before mind, man before God.

We start life without identity and value, and it is as we get older that we become who we are and are recognized as such. This learning process could be what defines existentialism.
Or that The high ideals of why Mankind is here, and the meaning of life, the construct of God, has only been thought of recently, and has never existed from the beginning....Show more

Existentialism is a term applied to the work of a number of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences,[ generally held that the focus of philosophical thought should be to deal with the conditions of existence of the individual person and their emotions, actions, responsibilities, and thoughts.The early 19th century philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, posthumously regarded as the father of existentialism, maintained that the individual is solely responsible for giving their own life meaning and living that life passionately and sincerely, in spite of many existential obstacles and distractions including despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom.

Subsequent existential philosophers retain the emphasis on the individual, but differ, in varying degrees, on how one achieves and what constitutes a fulfilling life, what obstacles must be overcome, and what external and internal factors are involved, including the potential consequences of the existence or non-existence of God. Many existentialists have also regarded traditional systematic or academic philosophy, in both style and content, as too abstract and remote from concrete human experience. Existentialism became fashionable in the post-World War years as a way to reassert the importance of human individuality and freedom....Show more

Philosophical movement oriented toward two major themes, the analysis of human existence and the centrality of human choice. Existentialism's chief theoretical energies are thus devoted to questions about ontology and decision. It traces its roots to the writings of Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. As a philosophy of human existence, existentialism found its best 20th-century exponent in Karl Jaspers; as a philosophy of human decision, its foremost representative was Jean-Paul Sartre. Sartre finds the essence of human existence in freedom — in the duty of self-determination and the freedom of choice — and therefore spends much time describing the human tendency toward "bad faith," reflected in humanity's perverse attempts to deny its own responsibility and flee from the truth of its inescapable freedom.

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existentialism is basically a thought that life is always a difficult place to be. That we have to encounter suffering to get to peace. Life is like a cavern that we have to cross to get to a better place. Spiritual growth through suffering.

Johnny Cash is an example of a modern existentialist singer. "I carry a little darkness on my back, because I'm the man in black"...Show more