Essays on Existentialism

This paper will look at love, sex and gender within the backdrop of postmodernism, existentialism and orientalism in the novels The Women of Algiers in Their Apartment by Assia Djebar, Foam of the Daze by Boris Vian and The Lover by Marguerite Duras. In the novels love/ and sex are shown as something that a woman has no control over, something that destroys due to its intensity, and something that forever changes a person, respectively. While gender is seen as being something that disenfranchises women in a male dominant, unequal society and something that can destroy a man if ...

This is a dialogue between two lecturers. Each of them teaches philosophy but in different schools. They have met at a local restaurant for lunch after having not seen each other for a long time. The two are philosophical fanatics having their own firm beliefs in varying matters. At meetings like this, they do not fail to disagree on a thing or two. On several occasions, the two professors invite each other to their classes to help give students opposing views. The restaurant is moderately occupied and the atmosphere is humid and warm. The two gentlemen have just completed ...

Originating in the middle of the twentieth century, the theory of existentialism is based on the principle that it is a person’s actions that determine the course of his mental, emotional and spiritual development. The focus of the theory is on the fact that each individual has the freedom to choose a course of action that would to reach their maximum potential . More importantly, the theory states that in order to truly exist, a person has to be aware of his own hidden talent and it is this self-awareness that allows human beings to reach the stage of ...

Literature has always worked as the quintessential reflection of life and existence in the mortal world. The authors find their liberty as they engage in the portrayal of the fictional character as expressions of their creative zeal. Fiction goes on to get meshed with the elements of reality, thereby portraying the true picture of life in the literary works by the stalwart authors. A close introspection of one such work, The Moviegoer, by the acclaimed writer, Walker Percy would let one develop a perfect understanding of how literature can explore the true meaning of life in this temporal world ...

Introduction

Kneller (1958) defines existentialism as the philosophy that gives emphasis to the existence of an individual with choice and freedom whereby human beings decide on their paths and meaning of their lives as rational human beings with the capability of following unique directions in life. In essence, it is free will and each person has the responsibility of ethically making judgments and taking courses of action for which they are individually responsible. Chapter five gives an explanation of the philosophical view of existentialism and its relation to education.

Chapter Analysis

Existentialism primarily talks about the freedom to choose. According to this ...

Introduction

The notion of "nothing" is one of the most important and controversial concepts in the history of humankind. Its etymology is quite interesting for the consideration, as it can discover many different mysteries associated with the most important knowledge. In addition, the perception of this idea may be absolutely controversial, if one talks about it in the framework of religion and philosophy of the Western and the Eastern worlds. Nothing is everything, and at the same time, it is a lack of everything. This notion has a negative connotation; it denies everything to what it is opposed; moreover, it ...

Mid Term Exam

Discuss the impact of the theories of Immanuel Kant, Charles Darwin and Jean-Paul Sartre on modernity.

Jean-Paul Sartre was flourished in Existentialism. He believed that a man acts in his free will in the society and time in which he lives. This philosophy inspired others to acknowledge their own free thinking and live the life they believed in. It broke the cookie cutter of what people were otherwise programmed to be and motivated others to break free in essence of their true self. It’s the true quest to fine a purpose in life. Because Jean Paul Sartre wrote and published many of his writings on Existentialism, his readers began to think ...

The issue of prolonged life has been debated for centuries. In fact, Ponce de Leon spent his life’s work looking for the Fountain of Youth all over the globe. The century long limit of human life has essentially created the fantasy of those who wanted to live longer. This curiosity of these individuals has led to the fantasy of seeing history when it transpired rather than reading it in a book. For this reason, many television shows and books have explored the possibility of a human living beyond their one-hundred-year timeframe. For example, vampires, warlocks, and the like ...

Introduction

Many philosophers have identified various branches of egalitarianism. One such branch is the luck egalitarianism philosophy, which recognizes distinctive interpretations and critiques. Elizabeth Anderson formulates a distinctive branch of egalitarianism that opposes luck egalitarianism, namely the democratic equality philosophy. This essay will first delineate the main points of Anderson’s opposition to luck egalitarianism and democratic equality. After this review, there will be applied an insightful analysis of the presented principles, which will be opposed. For a balanced presentation, there will also be provided a response to the identified objections.

Section 1

Elizabeth Anderson is one of the major critics of ...

If death is really true, based upon the animistic quality of our five physical senses, then how do we know that we are truly alive and breathing and not in a dream? It has been proposed that people who are aware of the existence of their surroundings mostly rely on their five senses, which may cause illusions. The ethereal yet grounded theory of existentialism provides the landscape for a more positively-identified pathway which reaches across the separation that exists among humans.            When thinking about the quote ‘existence precedes essence’, the concept lends room for credibility that Morrie was right ...

If death is really real, based upon the animistic quality of our five physical senses, then how do we know that we are truly alive and breathing, not in a dream? It has been proposed that our dependence upon our five senses is extraneous at best, and totally illusory at worst. When thinking about the quote ‘existence precedes essence’ the concept lends room for credibility that Morrie was right in suggesting that the fundamental truth of human existence rests upon happiness. In Mitch Albom’s non-fictional piece, Tuesdays with Morrie, the college professor’s life, recounted during the last ...

Two of the most important existential philosophers have been Albert Camus, well known for both his novels and his philosophy, and Jean Paul Sartre, who, is aligned with the ideas of existentialism more than any other philosopher. In addition to sharing some ideas about existentialism (although both men also developed very different systems of this philosophy), both thinkers were atheists, and developed their systems of philosophy, from their belief in a world, or a universe without god. For Camus, the absence of god was one of the reasons why man could find the nature of existence meaningless, and his ...

Both Satre and Camus, important and famous French philosophers of the middle of the 20th century explored various facets of what may be called existentialist philosophy. Sartre grounded his work by focusing on the concept, and practice, of human freedom, While Camus approached existentialism from a tension between absurdity and the meaning of making choices and commitment. While both philosophers worked in very different areas of the wide branch of philosophy known as existentialism, both Camus and Sartre build their systems on the foundation of a life, or universe, without any divine force, and certainly without the idea of ...

Literature has the capacity to delve into varied themes and portraitures as per the perspective and vision of the literary artists. Thus, literary works can differ from one another in content and presentation only to enhance the scope and appeal of the field of art in general. As such, one can take into reckoning the short story, The Metamorphosis, penned by the stalwart literary artist, Franz Kafka that delves into the thematic content of existentialism. Again, the famous poem I wandered lonely as a Cloud (Daffodils) penned by the famous Romantic poet, William Wordsworth can be taken to be ...

1- Sheikh Zaabalawi

What does Sheikh Zaabalawi represent? Is he symbolic of anything in particular, or does he represent many things at once?  (Try and use specifics from the text to support your argument.) Zaabalawi is not just a man who can perform miracles and cure the body. The narrator’s search for him also represents a search for the mystical, a search for religious discipline. In that way, Zaabalawi comes to represent God. 2 - "Zaabalawi"--thinking about illness

The narrator’s illness is never defined because it is not just a physical illness. It represents more an eponymous malaise that ...

Theater of the absurd is an idea that started gaining relevance in the 1950s. The concept is essentially informed by the ideas of absurdism and existentialism. Their prominent trait includes having irrational plots that feature characters who seem to lack peace with their existence. This new style in the playwrights came out as controversial and amazing. Authors embracing this style mainly present the human’s state as futile. This is in line with the philosophical perspectives such as the ones presented by Albert Camus that insisted human being can only be in the position of exploiting their full potential ...

Philosophy

Jean-Paul Sartre is the most recognized name of a philosopher of the 20th century. “His diligent striving towards the philosophical reflection, literary creativity and, in the second half of his life, active political commitment gained him worldwide renown, if not admiration” (Flynn 1). Many of his stories and plays have deserved critical praise that exceeds that of other contemporary philosophers. It is mostly because “he is commonly considered to be the father of the leading philosophy of Existentialism, and whose writings set the tone for intellectual life in the decade immediately after the Second World War” (Flynn 1). In ...

The novel "The Stranger" by Albert Camus is one of the most important and popular of his works. It has a direct connection with the philosophy of existentialism and the absurd like most of the works of the author. The writer once again demonstrates the human and social relationships, as well as the internal conflict of the man himself by the example of the protagonist's life and feelings. The problem of the story touches upon many issues, but one of the main problems is the existence of God. The life of the protagonist Meursault is the way to truth ...

1

My Name We are undergoing a tremendous spiritual renaissance. The current awakening in spirituality is unparalleled, at least in modern world history and is somewhere linked with the all-pervasive desire for a better quality of life. The authors of this article make a case for existentialism as a pathway to achieve the dual goals of spirituality and psychological betterment. The aim of this paper is to provide a review and critique of the article titled ‘Existential Theory and Our Search for Spirituality’ by Eliason, G.T., Samide, J.L., Williams, G., & Lepore, M.F. (2010).

Religion Vs Spirituality

At the outset, one must make ...

Jean-Paul Sartre is the most name-recognized philosopher of the 20th century. “His indefatigable pursuit of philosophical reflection, literary creativity and, in the second half of his life, active political commitment gained him worldwide renown, if not admiration” (Flynn 1). Many of his stories and plays have earned critical acclaim that far exceeds that of other contemporary philosophers. Thus, it is that “He is commonly considered the father of Existentialist philosophy, whose writings set the tone for intellectual life in the decade immediately following the Second World War” (Flynn 1). One of his finest short stories, The Wall, involves three ...

This here is a paper that aims to address, in a philosophical manner, the question on whether an individual’s ideologies oblige him to enjoy or sulk in happiness. Drawing on the conclusions made in the assigned readings and other significant philosophical texts, the author of this paper tries to answer the main question in a close ended but evidence-based manner. In order to do this, a working definition of the term ideology must be provided first. There are numerous ways how one can define ideology. Within a philosophical framework, ideology can be defined as a collection of beliefs, ...

Western philosophy of the XX century significantly differs from the philosophy of the previous centuries. The main and most common difference is due to the fact that at the turn of XIX and XX centuries, there was a transition from traditional classical to non-classical philosophy. This transition was largely due to the fact that in this period, the whole of Western culture underwent profound changes, in particular in science. A new, non-classical science, which significantly differs from the classical one, started in the late nineteenth century as the result the second scientific revolution. It still has no claims to ...

Exam

According to Sartre, what is his idea that “existence precedes essence”, how is it related to the concept of “anguish” and how, in turn, is that concept related to his notion of responsibility? The literary and philosophical works of Jean-Paul Sartre, from his very first and defining novel “Nausea” (1938), are permeated with the ideas and notions of existentialism. Many a philosopher has tried to reason their own understanding of existentialism over the course of the 20th century and each of these reasoning was fairly unique, however, it was Sartre who provided the modern scholars with a number of ...

The search for a sense of self is one of the most important quests in the history of Western philosophy. Notably, it has been the main preoccupation of philosophers in the past few centuries. Before, people accepted people to have a certain nature, due to them being creatures made by and for God. They were all more or less alike, acknowledging a particular human nature given by this deity. Nevertheless, with the decline of the power of the Catholic Church and its consequences, along with the end of philosophy that G. W. F. Hegel heralded, the systems of thought ...

The qualities that humans possess make them special from other living forms or objects. Yet, the studied stories suggest that there is a man – made form of existence that resembles humans in terms of reasoning, cognizing or even feeling human emotions, embodied into robots that possess artificial intelligence. The studied stories, “Tomorrow is Waiting” (Holli Mintzer), “EPICAC” (Kurt Vonnegut), “Robbie” (Isaac Asimov) or “Birth of A Robot” (Abigail Tucker) address the difference between humans and robots only to suggest that the difference is only a human – built concept. The robots presented in these stories show human features, such as ...

Philosophy final

- What are Descartes’ arguments for Cartesian dualism? Do you find them persuasive? If you do not, do you endorse monism, or not? Explain your answer.

In the dualism, Descartes attempts to solve the problem of mind and body. Descartes contrast the mind and the body that the two exist separately. He believes that human beings have two properties, the physical and the mental properties (Stanford encyclopedias of philosophy, all). The physical properties are those that can be attributed to the physical sciences. For examples, size, height and weight, color, shape, and motion in space, among others. On ...

The curious case of Tala and Laila in the film Fire & I Can’t Think Straight by Sarif Shamim (2010) brings forth the question of the social construct of homophobia in relation to their different personal backgrounds. Whereas Tala, a Palestinian Christian with roots from Jordan and raised in England and Laila, a timid Muslim, are both initially depicted as being involved in heterosexual relationships, their innate attraction to women has brought them together as lovers later ...

In this presentation, I will describe my philosophy of education.

I don’t think that there’s a single view that completely describes my philosophy of education. I can say that in one way or another, I do apply all of the different views in my philosophy. However, I believe that the views that most closely compare to my personal views are a combination of the essentialist and the existentialist views.

Essentialism puts emphasis on the need for certain basic ideas, skills, and body of knowledge in the cultivation of human culture and civilization. This view has the belief that it is more important for students to learn from the ...

Summary and Response

Sartre as teacher believes that doctrines should be based on the one truth. And the absolute truth, according to him, is rooted in the man. Through the mediation, one can get closer to the absolute truth. Sartre’s theory is about the dignity of man and he does not treat the man as an object. Contrary to materialists, existentialists value humans. For Sartre, humans are isolated from the material world but never isolated from other men. The subjectivity of the individual is significant. Moreover, he sees the world around us as intersubjective. The man’s existence in this world ...

The ‘Power of myth’ is a six-part TV series and a book on six one-hour conversations between mythologist Joseph Campbell and journalist Bill Moyers. The series debuted on PBS in 1988. The discussions were based on universal and enduring themes which have featured in mankind’s oldest stories, and both men have tried spotting the relevance of the same in the modern world. According to Campbell, ancient myths are “clues to the spiritual potentialities of human life.” The talks in ‘Power of Myth’ include excerpts from Campbell’s other work ‘The Hero with a Thousand Faces.’ Its central ...

The concept of freedom, one of the most important problems of Existentialism, has been discussed among philosophers for thousands of years. Because it is vital to understand whether a human being is free, why he is free and is he supposed to be free. This concept is exhaustively revealed in the various works of Jean-Paul Sartre who made an outstanding contribution to this philosophical doctrine. His extraordinary understanding of the notion of “freedom” is clearly represented in his short essay “Existentialism is a Humanism”. The central idea of Sartre’s vision of human freedom is “We are left alone, without ...

In this quote Sartre reveals the main ideas of the existentialism movement. According to the philosopher, a person has influence on what he or she will be in the future. This means that an individual is responsible for creating his own inner world. Existentialists believe that nurture is more important than nature for the personal development. Furthermore, existence comes before essence. A person should define essence by him or herself. Also, Sartre states that life is hard and a person would encounter pain and constant struggling with many obstacles. However, it is the only way of defining a person and his or ...

Existentialism is a doctrine that states that every action means both an environment and a human subjectivity. There are two types of existentialists. The first ones are the Christians, such as Jaspers and Gabriel Marcel. The second ones are the existential atheists, namely the French existentialists. Christians consider each person as the realization of a concrete conception that lives. On the other hand, atheistic existentialists state that is God does not exist, then there is someone whose existence comes before its essence. It means that a person first of all lives, examines himself and the world and determines himself. The first ...

Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the individual. It maintains that each individual makes choices and possesses the freedom to make those choices despite their environment. This freedom comes with personal responsibility for the choices the individual makes. The consequences of making these choices results in consequences that can be positive or negative (Burnham and Papandreopoulus 2015). The existentialist movement is representative of a loosely knit group of philosophers and writers who emerged in the nineteenth century and twentieth century. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), a Danish philosopher and writer promoted the idea that truth is personal. Truth is different for different people ( ...

The movie The Best Intentions by Ingmar Bergman and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai by Jim Jarmusch both involve complex relationships between characters with a code of honor such as Ghost Dog and Henrik Bergman, and other characters that try to influence the lives of these two men. Henrik becomes a Priest, while Ghost Dog follows the Samurai way. The Bergman film is semi-autobiographical and is based upon his parents’ marriage. Ghost Dog is completely fictional. Jarmusch tries to explore the balance of crime under the context of an eye for an eye. Bergman displays the struggles between social ...

Both the theologian James Cone and the existential philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre looked at the world and were unsatisfied with the status quo they experienced around them. This dissatisfaction led them to know ideas and perspectives with which to see the world. These ideas resonated with others, which gained them the notoriety they have today as important philosophical/theological figures. The Public Broadcasting service (PBS) did a profile of James Cone in its series “This far by faith” which explains how the social and political tides at the time shaped his view of the world and his ideas for how he thought ...

Philosophy has been one of the most important disciplines in Western civilization. Many schools of thought have pondered over the great questions of human life. During the 19th and 20th century, the existential current questioned the nature and purpose of man, freedom and happiness. Miguel de Unamuno was a Spanish writer closely associated to this movement. His short story “Saint Emmanuel the Good, Martyr”, portrayed many aspects of this theory, such as: . Therefore, the present text will analyze the relations between existentialism and . Defining existentialism is problematic, as it is used to conglomerate many different systems of thought that ...

According to Albert Camus in his work The Myth of Sisyphus, man is engaged in a futile search for meaning, as the world itself is completely devoid of significant and universal truths. He compares life to the myth of Sisyphus, the Greek figure who was doomed to roll a boulder up a mountain, only to never reach the top. Instead of giving up and embracing oblivion, however, Camus believes that "The struggle itselfis enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy" (Camus 1955, PAGE). Sisyphus becomes the embodiment of Camus’ absurd hero – a man who attempts to persevere in a world that ...

Book review (The Quiet American Dream)

Ethnic Stereotypes: Americans vs. Europeans. Greene in his Quiet American Dream is vivid about the disparity between the Americans and the British in terms of their conduct. In this case, Pyle is one character that is used by Greene to establish the unruly conduct of the Americans. They are expressed to be untimely. That is; they are not time observant. On the other hand, they are different from the British people who are stern and concerned about what they do. For instance, Fowler, who represents the British, states that he, is not willing to wait upon a policeman to ...

Organization

Introduction The subject of existentialism is not easy to define as it is impossible to explain the purpose of human existence in few sentences. However, according to American Heritage Dictionary (3rd edition), existentialism refers to a philosophy that lays emphasis on isolation and uniqueness of the individual in an indifferent or hostile environment. This can be seen as the underlying theme of the short story by Jack London where a man in solitude travels through unfriendly areas of Yukon which symbolizes indifferent and cruel cosmos. “To Build A Fire” is a short story by Jack London which centers around a man travelling ...

Philosophy Journal

“Burnt Norton” by T.S. Eliot This poem is told through a narrator speaking directly to an audience. He warns of living in the present and not to suffer the past or worry about the future, “If all time is eternally” present. To worry about what one has already done in the past, “Down the passage which we did not takeTowards the door we never opened will not help to live well in the present.” (Eliot) To spend one’s time think and planning for the future is also a waste, “Here is a place of disaffection Time before and time after”. ( ...

Existentialism is a movement in both philosophy and literature that highlights the importance of individual freedom and choices. According to the philosophy of existentialism, some events or occurrences that happen with a person are irrational or absurd having no explanation for that. They believe that there are no universal guidelines to follow as well as there is no objective form of truth. Therefore, existentialism is based on one’s choices, decisions that are unique and unchangeable. The philosophers of existentialism argue that human choice is a subjective matter, because individuals are supposed to make choices without external influence of societal standards (ethical ...

The dictionary defines a stranger as “a person whom one does not know.” But what happens when the stranger is oneself? It seems like a contradiction, but this is the theme explored by Albert Camus in his novella “The Stranger.” Through the narrative of the protagonist Camus relates through his characters deep philosophical notions about identity and the self, and what we can fully know about ourselves in the world. The protagonist sees life as arbitrary. He attaches no emotion to the happenings in his life. As a result, he looses his self-identity, becoming a stranger to himself. The story is of importance because ...

Research Essay on the story "Behind the Law"

According to Jean-Paul Sartre, no God is responsible for creating human beings in tune with a conceptual divination. In his work on existentialism, Sartre wrote, “Existence precedes essence” (Jill, p.6). This basically means that each of us human beings has their philosophy about life. That what we are or become in life is due to the personal choices we make in our lives. We are wholly in charge of our lives, and we cannot just follow the choices and thoughts of others blindly and let them define our lives. Essentially, we define ourselves through our attitudes and perceptions we have ...

Absurdism as a worldview theory is a part of the philosophy of existentialism; and as the fundamental philosophical concept it was firstly developed in the work of Albert Camus “The Myth of Sisyphus”. As a system of philosophical views, it claims the lack of meaning of human life (the absurdity of life existence). According to the absurdism, people have been trying to find the meaning of existence throughout their history. Traditionally, these attempts have ended in one of two ways: man has come to the conclusion that all life is senseless or he has started to understand that everything is predetermined by ...

Charles Baxter’s What Happens in Hell essay is effectively a progression of sadness and occurrence of an existential crisis for the narrator after being driven from the airport to his hotel, the discussions about hell, and finally the near death experience in a car accident. Alice Munro’s Train short story revolves around the relationship between Jackson, a man who jumped out of a moving train on the Ontario countryside after serving in World War II, and Belle, a woman around 15 years his senior, whom he meets in a small farm just off the tracks. In Train, the personal family life of Belle ...

Abstract

In this paper is considered one of the most popular psychological theories – existential theory. This work is about the history of existential theory, its main questions, problems and purposes, about strengths and weaknesses of existential vision.

History of the Theory

Existentialism (or also the philosophy of existence) is a special area in the philosophy of the XX century, accentuate your attention on the uniqueness of human existence, proclaiming his irrational. Existentialism developed in parallel lines akin personalism and philosophical anthropology, from which it differs primarily the idea of overcoming (not disclosing) the person's own spirit and a greater emphasis on the depth of the emotional ...

Camus’ “The Stranger” is brilliantly as it crafts Camus’s absurdist view of the world. The novel came out in 1942, and tells the story of Meursault’s , an emotionally detached, but amoral young man. Meursault does not believe in God. Camus shows the main character’s callous nature as he does not cry at his mother’s funeral and he kills a man he hardly knows. Due to his crime, the society sees Meursault as a threat to the society, and as such, he faced death. Nevertheless, he comes to understand the simple coldness of the world. He eventually finds ...

The critical lens aspect in the most basic sense gives the human beings and society an avenue to view and gauge the behavior of others using the set philosophical aspects. It categorizes another human being using already established rules, spheres and fronts. It is to say and imply that the human beings have the impetus and insight to gauge human character and behavior on one of the most common principles of human existence. For the purpose of this essay, I will use the existential philosophy and critique to give insights on the subject. Given the existential aspects and philosophical ...

There are unique differences between Buddhism and existentialism. The uniqueness in differences mainly depends on the metaphysical traditions with unique phenomenological methodology. In the section of ethics, existentialism and Buddhism are different on how they influence the society. Proper understanding of the elements would mainly depend on the arguments by Nietzsche and The Buddha. There are controversial arguments by Nietzsche as he tries to argue against Buddhism. The influential arguments for the two are proper definition of Buddhism. Nietzsche is the main pioneer of existentialism in the western world. He takes exclusive positions against Buddhism. He defends various ...

- Socrates takes this to mean that the Oracle meant that no man is wise because all men do not know that they do not know. Therefore, Socrates refuses to accept that he is the wisest because if he did, he would have implied that he was wise, whereas he knew that he was not. Socrates believes that his source of knowledge is self examination and introspective assessment of one’s thoughts, characteristics, emotions, and actions. Socrates believes in distributing of wisdom to others, making goodness come first while wealth follows it, which he advised the Citizens of Athens ...

Someone must turn the hourglass over!

For somehow the grains of sand gently slide through the tiny space.

Someone must watch the grains of sand.

And someone must see the gap that remains As the young sand drops and nothingness remains Until the glass is turned over once more; Till life and love begin once more. The old grains of sand, now newly replaced, Can rest in peace, dream and hope That someone is still turning the hourglass. -- Roberta Israeloff. Having walked the earth for roughly seventeen years, I have been able to create a rich palimpsest of experiences. Some recent, and conspicuous ...

English: Critical Thinking

The first reproach is an invitation to the people to dwell in quietism of despair as if all solutions to a problems are barred, all actions in this world would be declared ineffective. This is a lead to the contemplative philosophy and as the contemplative philosophy is a luxury, this is another bourgeois philosophy and the reproach made by the communist. Another reproach that is ignominious in the human situation for neglecting things that possess charm and beauty and belongs to the brighter side of human nature. A man is considered in isolation in both the reproaches and the reason as per ...

Existentialism is defined as the study of being. It is a philosophy that struggles to find the true meaning and purpose of life. Existentialism therefore deals with the choices and ambiguity brought about by the circumstances that man must deal with when making life choices. In its explanation, existentialism states that the decision is important because it defines us as human beings and that every time we make a choice, we do it for the whole mankind since it is that act of choosing or decision that we create what it means to be human (The Atheist Scholar, 2012). The philosophy ...

Philosophy is the study that entails the issues related to reality, value, reasons, language and mind (Kleiner, 1). Thus, philosophy seeks to make clear issues that regard beliefs, attitudes and concepts of individuals or groups. Literature contributed by Philosophers like Aristotle, Plato, Aquinas, Jean and Descartes have shaped philosophy to a great extent. Their views concerning matters of the world have formed a basis upon which several decisions have been made. This article compares and contrasts their perspectives in the field of philosophy. Aristotle existed between the periods 322 to 384 BC. Plato, on the other hand, existed between the ...

There were many issues about equality between people, in the history of human civilisation. The sexual and gender equalities were the most difficult to identify. It was also difficult to achieve gender equality. In this regard, various philosophers and critical thinkers had diverse approaches and ways of their ideas realisation. The main relevance of exploring diversity in ideas on sexuality, gender equality and relationship between sexes is in an opportunity to achieve a systematic exploration of the subject. It can also help in finding new ways of problems resolution. The historical exploration of ideas development also provides an opportunity to ...

Introduction

Existentialism is one of the dominant philosophical movements that try to explain the existence, choice and freedom of a person. There exist several crucial philosophical propositions that are closely related to existentialism. The main one is and easily identifiable suggestion that states that existentialism is much more than essentiality. Basically, existentialism clearly indicates that human being exists. However, it stipulates that this existence defines him and that he meanders among choices, freedom as well as anguish of existence (Sartre 97). Different philosophers like Soren Kierkegaard and Jean Paul Sartre have different opinions and interpretations of existentialism. This essay intends to ...

Philosophy

Every creature is fundamentally based on two principles that elaborate its being, which is existence and essence. All living beings, God excluded, require both principles that explain the definite existence of individual thing. Each principle is considered dissimilar from the other, but this difference is not merely logical but it is a real one. Aristotle, Plato and St. Thomas Aquinas take the stand on explaining the essence. Both Plato and Aristotle simply explain essence as “the form” (Giles,& Michael, p.40). However, Aquinas argued that if the essence was merely the considerable form, then matter cannot be considered as essence of a ...

This paper is about whether physician assisted suicide should be allowed. Euthanasia has always been a controversial issue all over the world. This paper will look at physician assisted suicide and the arguments against and the arguments for as brought out by some philosophers like Kant and Jean Paul Satre. We will start with the arguments against physician assisted suicide, the arguments for and also other elements like the Hippocratic Oath which plays a major role in this topic of physician assisted suicide. There are many philosophers who do not support physician assisted suicide. One of these philosophers is Kant. ...

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a short story about a man who turns into a vermin. His family, the Samsas, instead of trying to help him, treats him cruelly and ostracizes him because of his uselessness and appearance. Kafka shows a dysfunctional family that exploits Gregor for its economic stability. The paper will try to analyze the text using the tenets of existentialism and how Kafka used them to portray Gregor and his society. Gregor Samsas, the protagonist of the story is a travelling salesman, who wakes up in his bed to find that he has metamorphosized into a large insect. He is ...