Module 10 - Modern and Contemporary Worldviews: Modernism and Existentialism Flashcards
Existentialism was an incredibly optimistic philosophy.
false
Which of the following seemed inadequate to explain the world after WWI?
human reason
What did existentialism claim was an inevitable part of life?
tragedy
Who was the Danish philosopher who blended existential thought with the Christian faith?
Søren Kierkegaard
Friedrich Nietzche was known for his statement “God is dead.”
true
Existentialism is more pessimistic than nihilism.
false
According to existentialists, all humans are what?
situational
Existentialists sought to prescribe a solution to a meaningless existence.
true
What was the word that existentialists used to describe a person who was acting in line with their values?
authentic
Existentialism taught which of the following?
If people want to live meaningful lives, they must pursue what they value most.
Existentialists believed that science was able to reveal all truths to humanity.
false
In order to learn truths about their innermost selves, the existentialists turned to the human intellect.
false
What was the most important emotion to an existentialist?
anxiety
According to the existentialist philosophers, what truth can anxiety reveal about one’s inner self?
That they are overwhelmed at the choices they must make in order to live a meaningful life
To which new source of knowledge did the existentialists turn?
one’s inner emotions
True or False: The existentialists believed that situational rightness was the biggest threat to human freedom.
false
What did the existentialists think caused people to outsource their decision-making to a religious, political, or ethical set of guidelines rather than making choices for themselves?
The overwhelming responsibility of one’s own freedom
Which of the following biblical characters did Kierkegaard use to describe the need for the individual to make their own choices in their unique situation?
Abraham
True or False: Sartre claimed that a person who abdicated their responsibility to make their own choices was living in “bath faith.”
true
If a person was living authentically, which of the following did the existentialists say they should expect?
Such a person will have to stand out from the crowd.
The existentialist movement in philosophy created a parallel movement in art, but no other disciplines seemed affected by it.
false
Which of the following modern artistic movements is best exemplified by the painting The Scream?
expressionism
Action painting was art intended to capture the artist’s free choices at a particular moment in time.
true
Who was the most famous of the action painters?
Jackson Pollock
What did the surrealists seek to imitate in their art?
The dream state in which one’s deepest desires and fears are revealed
Existentialist political philosophy seemed to deny the core existentialist claim that everything was meaningless.
true
Who was the existential philosopher who was highly critical of the French during WWII?
Jean-Paul Sartre
Who was the feminist existentialist who wrote The Second Sex?
Simone de Beauvoir
Although many of the existentialists supported the bloody Marxist revolution in China, they all passionately decried the evils of the Holocaust.
false
