One of the newer arrivals on the philosophic scene. 20th century product.

Closely related to literature and arts Deeply concerned with the emotions of individuals Individualism is the central pillar

American existentialist Introduced Existentialism from

Dosteovsky to Sartre existentialism is not a philosophy but a label for several widely different revolts against traditional philosophy. Most of the living existentialist have repudiated this label, and a bewildered outsider might well conclude that the only thing they have in common is a marked aversion of each other.

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The refusal to belong to any school of thought Repudiation of the adequacy of philosophic systems and bodies of belief Marked dissatisfaction with traditional philosophy as superficial, academic, and remote from life

Revitalized Christianity from within by uplifting the place of the individual and the role of personal choice and commitment

Denounced christianity, declare the death of God, uplifted his version of the superman

Karl Jaspers Gabriel Marcel Martin Heidegger Jean-Paul Sartre Albert Camus

Martin Buber Maxine Greene George Kneeler Van Cleve Morris

Individual existence is the focal point of existentialisms view of reality One way to look at the metaphysical foundation of existentialism is to contrast it with the Neo-Scholastic dictum that essence precedes existence in relation to time

Some neoscholastics have looked upon God as the creator of all things---including people. When God made humans, they claim, He had the idea of humanity (its essence) in mind before actually creating any persons

Who am I? What is the meaning of existence?

As an individual goes through life, he or she makes choices and develops

preferences and dislikes. It is through this activity that persons define who they are as individuals. Through this process a person comes to the realization that he or she is what he or she chooses to be.

Surrender the individuals authenticity to a logical system Christians leans on God Realist looks to nature for meaning Pragmatist relies on the community

If man as the existentialist conceives him, is indefinable, it is because at first he is nothing. Only afterward will he be something, and he himself will have made what he will be. Thus, there is no human nature, since there is no God to conceive it. Not only is man what he conceives himself to be, but he is also only what he wills himself to be after this thrust toward existence. Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself. Such is the first principle of existentialism.

Individual is the center of epistemological authority in existentialism Meaning and truth are built into the universe. Rather, it is the individual who gives meaning to such things as nature All knowing resides in the individual self, and it is the self that makes the ultimate decision as to what is true Truth therefore, can be seen in terms of existential choice, which is based upon the authority of the individual

Individual persons are not determinedthey are condemned to be free Because of this freedom, each person is responsible for his or her choices and actions Carl Rogers noted that individuals cannot rely on either the bible or the prophets, on Freud or research, or on the revelations of God or the decisions of other people Individuals have no excuse for their actions Each person has, in the idea of Sartre, no exit from his or her freedom and responsibility

Existentialists note that there is no tension after death, but that some people try to make their own lives like death by avoiding conflict at all cost Opposite of death is life Each individual is the supreme court in regard to what is beautiful No one can make decisions for other individuals

Education is nothing but propaganda served to a captive audience

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I am a choosing agent, unable to avoid choosing my way through life I am a free agent, absolutely free to set goals of my own life I am a responsible agent, personally accountable for my free choices as they revealed in how I live my life

Not be the one who is mainly concerned with the cognitive transference and who has the right answers Willing to help students explore possible answers Realize that no two students are alikeno two need exactly the same education Will seek to relate to every student in what Buber refers to as an IThou, rather than I-It, relationship Will the student as an individual with whom they can personally identify, rather than It that needs to be externally directed and filled with knowledge Facilitator Respect the emotional and irrational of individuals and will endeavor to lead students into better understanding of themselves

Indicates curricular flexibility as opposed to the traditional hierarchy of subjects in terms of importance basic subjects should be presented in relation to the students affective development rather than being isolated from individual meaning and purpose as they often are in traditional education Present a total view of humanity from both a positive and a negative perspective

Criteria of existentialist methodology center around the concepts of noncoerciveness and those methods that help each student to find and be himself or herself Existentialist are not generally concerned with the social policy of education or the school Philosophy lend itself to an emphasis on the individual rather than to the social aspects of human existence