WOMS200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Albert Camus, Existentialism, Essentialism
23 May 2018
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Lecture 15
Existentialism
Response of Essentialism
• Held for thousands of years up until the 19th century
• Plato and Aristotle believed in the essence – a certain set of core properties that are
necessary, or essential for a thing to be what it is
• Everything has an essence
• Essentialism: e hae a essee ee efore e’re or, therefore e are or ith a
purpose
• Part of what it means to be a good human is to adhere to your essence
Friedrich Nietzsche
• Nihilism: the belief in the ultimate meaninglessness of life (extreme)
Albert Camus
• French philosopher and novelist
• the literal eaig of life is hateer you’re doig that preets you fro killig
yourself
Religion
• Existentialism does not equal atheism
• The existentialists refuse the notion that God made the universe, or our world, or us
(teleology) with any particular purpose in mind
• “ie there’s o teleology, the orld as’t reated for a reaso
• If there are no reasons for any of this, then there are no absolutes to abide by: no
justice, no fairness, order, or rules
WWII (during and after)
• Rise in existentialism, as the horrors of the Holocaust led many people to abandon any
belief in an ordered world
Jean-Paul Satre (1905-1980)
• Provided 1st framework for existentialism
• eig preedes essee
o We are born and then we find our essence through the way we choose to live.
We have no predetermined purpose.
o Our being is much bigger. It is all the things we are at present not but could
possibly become.
• Explored not lack of meaning, but abundance of freedom
o We are odeed to e free; he thought this idea as aful
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Friedrich nietzsche: nihilism: the belief in the ultimate meaninglessness of life (extreme) Albert camus: french philosopher and novelist, (cid:862)the literal (cid:373)ea(cid:374)i(cid:374)g of life is (cid:449)hate(cid:448)er you"re doi(cid:374)g that pre(cid:448)e(cid:374)ts you fro(cid:373) killi(cid:374)g yourself(cid:863) If there are no reasons for any of this, then there are no absolutes to abide by: no justice, no fairness, order, or rules. Wwii (during and after: rise in existentialism, as the horrors of the holocaust led many people to abandon any belief in an ordered world. Jean-paul satre (1905-1980: provided 1st framework for existentialism, (cid:862)(cid:271)ei(cid:374)g pre(cid:272)edes esse(cid:374)(cid:272)e(cid:863, we are born and then we find our essence through the way we choose to live. We have no predetermined purpose: our being is much bigger. It is all the things we are at present not but could possibly become: explored not lack of meaning, but abundance of freedom, we are (cid:862)(cid:272)o(cid:374)de(cid:373)(cid:374)ed(cid:863) to (cid:271)e free; he thought this idea (cid:449)as a(cid:449)ful.
