Flipped Learning Activity on Existentialism:
- This blog is part of Flipped Larning Activity on Existentialism given by Dr. Dilipsir Barad.
I am impressed by the following thoughts:
Video-1 What is Existentialism?:
- In this first video, many great thinkers and writers are mentioned, including Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Dostoevsky, Kafka, Heidegger, Chesterton, and his faithful companion Simone de Beauvoir. Their views differ from one another in profound ways, but they all share a basic belief: for each of them, philosophical thinking and existence begin with the individual, the thinking subject.
- Individuality, passion, and freedom are the three key components that constitute existentialism.
- One reason why believing or not believing in God may not influence one's status as an existentialist is that existentialism focuses primarily on the individual's experience, freedom, and responsibility. Whether a person believes in God or not, existentialists argue that the individual must confront the meaning of life, make personal choices, and bear the consequences of those choices without relying on external structures or divine authority. Therefore, existentialism is more about personal authenticity and embracing one's freedom, regardless of religious belief.
- Albert Camus believed that "believing in God was considered philosophical suicide. He described himself as an existentialist and is regarded as an important figure in the field."
Camu begins the essay by drawing attention to a striking and somewhat unusual statement: "There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide." He suggests that when life is filled with despair and absurdity, and one perceives it as devoid of meaning, suicide may seem like an option. He continues, noting that many people die because they believe life is not worth living.
Cause of Death: Absurdity
We are concerned here with the relationship between individual thought and suicide, and in this light, it is prepared within the silence of the heart, a great work of art. He compares this with the movie Stay. "An elegant suicide is the ultimate work of art." When you feel absurdity in your life, you may consider suicide. The absence of any profound reason for living creates hesitation, and the uselessness of suffering becomes evident. When your entire universe feels like an illusion, the disconnect between man and life triggers the feeling of absurdity, which can lead to suicide.
It seems there's no further explanation; there's a direct connection between this feeling and the longing for death. He discusses hope versus suicide, stating that, in truth, there is no necessary common measure between these two judgments. Hope involves a belief in meaning, while suicide is a rejection of it.
Philosophical suicide is nothing more than feelings. In this video, he discusses the absurd and when it occurs. The absurd is not found in man or the world alone, but only in their presence together. If there were no human beings, there would be no desires, particularly the human nostalgia to be satisfied. This leads to philosophical suicide.
Camus calls philosophical suicide the belief that there can be no absurd outside the human mind. Like everything else, the absurd ends with death. Thus, you can either negate yourself to escape the absurd and commit physical suicide, or deny the absurd and live in perpetual denial, committing philosophical suicide.
You don't just see the problem; you must see:
1. A total absence of hope – Despair
2. A continual rejection – Renunciation
3. Conscious dissatisfaction – Immature unrest
This highlights the internal conflict in existential thought: the loss of hope, the rejection of meaning, and the restless dissatisfaction with life, all of which contribute to the feeling of an unresolved existential crisis.
Camus believes existentialists recognize the absurd but, instead of embracing it, suggest escaping it, often by appealing to religion for forced hope. A common theme among them is the existence of transcendence. This behavior, according to Camus, is a "leap." Sartre follows a similar line of thought, discovering the absurdity of existence but calling it God, asking us to rely on God, even if He doesn’t fit our rational categories. Camus argues that if the absurd is the opposite of hope, existential thought presupposes the absurd only to dispel it an emotional trick.
Faith is the solution to the absurd. It is the acceptance of uncertainty and the rejection of the absurd. This is why Camus rejects the existential solution and prefers to be called an absurdist. He considers the existential attitude to be philosophical suicide.
Negation leads to suicide. For existentialists, negation is their god, maintained only through the rejection of human reason. But "like suicides, Gods change with men. There are many ways of leaping the essential being to leap." Camus also criticizes Husserl’s philosophy for an abstract leap. An absurd man’s reasoning should remain faithful to the evidence that aroused it.
Video-4 Dadaism, Nihilism and Existentialism
The Dada movement emerged in 1916 as a response to World War I. For many, Dadaism is linked with nihilism. It was a quest for change and a new culture, aiming to create a path for new values. The absurdity of life is comparable to the Dada movement. Artists like Hugo Ball, Jean Arp, and others, disgusted by the war, moved to Zurich and founded the movement, believing that the war was caused by old values.
Creation isn't the primary goal of Dadaism; it's merely an art movement, free from rules. This lack of rules made it vulnerable to accusations of nihilism, but it was for good reason. Dadaism was the Socrates of the war years, as if Nietzsche's words described the movement: "Whom do they hate most? Him who breaks up their tables of values, the breaker, the lawbreaker; he, however, is the creator."
Dadaism pushes you to question the values others have created. Hugo Ball, in his manifesto, presents Dadaism as a path to freedom an opportunity to create your own values. He rejects the values invented by others, urging people to think of their own solutions. However, this is not entirely true today. Just as existentialism doesn’t align with nihilism, both are dissatisfied with everyday life and its arbitrary values, but that’s where the similarity ends. An absurdist would recognize the absurdity and embrace it.
Existentialism is often seen as a gloomy philosophy because concepts like anxiety, despair, and absurdity dominate the discussion. However, by exploring different philosophers in the field, one can find relief from these recurring struggles.
It's become who you are. To understand its gloominess, we should look at its history. Existentialism was a post-war movement that gained popularity as a response to World War II, where despair and absurdity lingered at every corner for individuals. Existentialism addressed the emptiness that followed the war, as people's lives seemed meaningless and filled with despair.
Video-6 Existentialism and Nihilism: Is it one and the same?
Existentialism and nihilism are not the same. Every existentialist has fought against nihilism. For Kierkegaard, nihilism is the loss of individuality, and his entire philosophical project promotes subjectivity. For Nietzsche, nihilism means "that the highest values devaluate themselves." Turin, who knows no better than to passively accept life, embodies what can be called nihilistic consent, despite his praise of suicide. Herman Hesse’s Steppenwolf states, "All suicides have the responsibility of fighting against the temptation of suicide." This responsibility entails rebellion, which Turin rejects.
Camus wrote The Myth of Sisyphus and The Rebel to argue that rebellion is the only proper response to the absurdity of life.
Video-8 Explain like I'm Five: Existentialism and Nietzsche:
Nietzsche would say that we don't have to believe in the rules that are made; we can create our own rules. He would argue that they are making up the rules, and that's existentialism. Nietzsche's idea of the Übermensch is to do whatever you believe is right, and that is his philosophy.
My favorite video with reason:
Video-2 is my favorite video. In this video my favorite paragraphs in Camus’ essay is when he begins with the statement, "There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide." I find this particularly intriguing because it immediately confronts the harsh reality of human existence one filled with despair and absurdity.
Camus doesn’t shy away from addressing the most extreme consequence of feeling that life is devoid of meaning. What I appreciate most is how he doesn’t just stop at describing the problem but goes on to explore why people sometimes choose death, showing how many view life as unworthy of living when trapped in these feelings.
This paragraph resonates with me because it captures the depth of human struggle and forces us to face the uncomfortable truth about the existential challenges we encounter.
It sets the stage for a deeper understanding of Camus’ philosophy, where the tension between despair and the search for meaning is laid bare.
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