Existentialism Flashcards
1
Q
Albert Camus
A
- All meaning is just a construct of the human mind.
- “The meaning of life is whatever prevents you from ending it.”
- A meaningless universe allows us to be free.
2
Q
What is absurdism?
A
The idea that we seek meaning in a meaningless world and that we cry out but are met with the harsh sound of silence.
3
Q
What is living without appeal?
A
The idea that there is no meaning behind an action except the action itself.
4
Q
Plato and Aristotle
A
- Essentialism - what is the defining quality of something (e.g. knife, elephant).
- To be a good human is to adhere to your essence.
5
Q
Jean-Paul Sartre
A
- There is no human being essence that determines how we live.
- We shape ourselves through what we do.
- Everything can give your life meaning and so can nothing.
6
Q
Authenticity
A
- Sartre - best way to live as no one can give you an answer for your own decisions.
- The only true choice one can make.
- Example of the boy and his mother/war.
7
Q
Friedrich Nietzsche
A
- Nihilism - the total meaningless of life and a baseless value system.
- God doesn’t give the world purpose.
8
Q
Simone de Beauvoir
A
- “Our greatest imperative is to create our own life’s meaning whilst protecting the freedom of others doing the same.”
- Heavily influenced by the restrictions emplaced on women at the time.
- Published in The Ethics of Ambiguity.
