exactly what is a existentialist?

Question

In simple terms

Answer 1

Existentialism can be seen as a philosophical movement that rejects the belief that life has an inherent meaning, but instead requires each individual to posit his or her own subjective values. Existentialism, unlike other fields of philosophy, does not treat the individual as a concept, and values individual subjectivity over objectivity. As a result, questions regarding existence and subjective experience are seen as being of paramount importance, and initially above all other scientific and philosophical pursuits

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialist

Answer 2

Existentialist in simple terms: a person who is anti "thinkingtoomuch" about life, the universe & everything. They are sure that man is free & responsible for all his actions, but only if "life" is something that is merely lived, & cannot/should not be comprehended by anyone. In otherwords, a person who says "screw it, I'll never understand it, so why bother trying to put it into words".

Answer 3

In simple terms an existentialist is a person that deals only in the reality of the now. So, if I'm now not at home, I don't accept that my home is there because I can't experience it right now.

Answer 4

"Existence precedes essence" (at least for humans).

The "essence" of a thing being its defining characteristic: what it is "about". A cigarette lighter's essence is making a flame, a car's essence is being driven, a dog's essence is wagging its tail and barking.

What is man's "essence"? The existentialists deny that he has one, or more precisely say that he must define his own. What's given to him is his existence - but nothing to guide him in how to use it, what to do, what essence to create.

Others follow what they claim is their nature (hey, I'm a guy - we do that sort of thing). The existentialist position removes this nice cosy possibility of going with the flow of your nature, your position in society, the dictates of the church, the pressure of your peers etc etc.

Like it or not you have decided to do what you do and there is no way of getting around that - in Sartre's words you are "doomed to be free". You have to make your own meaning of life, your own decisions and your own morality.

Is it any wonder that "Hello Dave" is right!

Answer 5

An existentialist is someone who believes that you can't explain human existence an you alone are responsible for your choices. In simpler terms...pro-choicers are existentialists.

Answer 6

Although often treated like a philosophical school of thought, it would be more accurate to describe existentialism as a trend or tendency that can be found throughout the history of philosophy. If existentialism were a theory, it would be unusual in that it would be a theory that is generally opposed to philosophical theories

Answer 7

It is a Da-sein, that experiences unpredictable nausea at the sight of things that ex-ist all around us. For fun, he enjoys pushing a huge rock up a hill, only to see it roll down the other side..and then he does it again..and again..and again..

Answer 8

Someone who is in basic agreement with the philosophy of Jean Paul Sartre as expressed in his seminal works La Nausée (Nausea) and L'Etre et le néant (Being and Nothingness). It is an absolute expression of human freedom dependent on the moral and rational autonomy of the individual. It both protects the rights of the individual and calls for 'engagement' in social and political causes promoting freedom. Since both the above works are relatively inaccessible I would recommend the shorter work by Simone de Beauvoir as a starting point, 'Pour une morale de l'ambiguïté' (Ethics of Ambiguity).

Answer 9

Existentialism is the philosophy of the pragmatist. Answers to philosophical questions are determined by observation and deduction rather than the airy fairy concepts of many earlier philosophers. (ie pre mid-nineteenth century)

Answer 10

noun: a philosopher who emphasizes freedom of choice and personal responsibility but who regards human existence in a hostile universe as unexplainable
adjective: relating to or involving existentialism