Chapter 7 - Romanticism and Existentialism Flashcards
What was romanticism a response to?
It was a complex response to many simultaneous and competing social forces and changes that arose at the end of the 18th century
What does romanticism emphasize?
The irrational components of human nature
Who am I?
- Father of Romanticism
- feelings in contrast to reason as the important guiding force in human nature
- humans are born good but are made bad by societal institutions
- noble savage: social animals who wanted to live in harmony with other humans
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
What were Rousseau’s ideas regarding feelings?
Feelings should be used in guiding human behaviour, as opposed to reasoning
What were Rousseau’s beliefs regarding human nature?
Humans are basically good - born good but made bad by societal institutions
What were Goethe’s views on life experiences and science?
- life experiences tear humans (because of the stressors of life)
- insisted that intact, meaningful psychological experience should be the object of study, rather than meaningless and isolated situations (early phenomenologist)
What is existentialism?
stressed the meaning of human existence, freedom of choice and the uniqueness of each individual
What was Kierkegaard’s view on God and religion?
- truth (including religion) cannot be taught logically, it must be experienced
- truth is YOUR subjectivity
What was Kierkegaard’s approximation of personal freedom?
it occurs in stages:
1) aesthetic stage: people are open to many types of experiences and do not recognize their ability to choose (live on a hedonistic level)
2) ethical stage: people accept responsibility for making choices but use as their guide ethical principles established by others
3) religious stage: people recognize and accept their freedom and have a personal relationship with God (the nature of the relationship is personal)
What was Nietzsche’s view of human nature?
proposed 2 aspects of human nature:
1) appollonian aspect: rational side, desire for tranquility, predictability and orderliness
2) dionysian aspect: irrational side, attraction to creative chaos and to passionate, dynamic experiences
What was Nietzsche’s view of God?
Because of human acts, we had, in essence, made God “dead”
- philosophers and scientists who killed God took purpose from the universe and stripped humans of any special place in the world
What was Nietzsche’s theory of convictions vs. opinions?
convictions: are thought to reflect truth, but cause fanaticism
opinions: are tentative, challengeable and easily modified in light of new information
What was Nietzsche’s view of will to power?
All people have a will to power; to control one’s life, tendency to gain mastery over one’s self and one’s destiny
What was Nietzsche’s view of supermen?
Supermen: are people who are approaching their full potential because standard morality does not govern their lives
