The idea of
defining human nature has been perennially problematic. Man in his
inquisitiveness “to know” attempts to question his reality. Man’s quest to know
his reality over the ages gave rise to different schools and movements of
thought. However, Existentialism as a philosophical movement sees man in his
existential givenness as living in a concrete world.
Nevertheless,
this work aims at examining “Existentialism” which is never a school of thought
and cannot be reduced to any sect of tenets.
EXISTENTIALISM (19TH CENTURY) – A PHILOSOPHICAL MOVEMENT
Existentialism
is a technical philosophical position which came to its full development in
this contemporary period. It is never a school of thought per se. it is a term
that is directly derived from the parent word; “Existence” (Existere – Standing out), which views
with much disapproval the emphasis of the philosophical schools that
concentrate on things that are not related directly to how man exists.
Existentialism is however, an outlook of life that lays emphasis on human
existence. It is interested in the distinctive qualities of individual persons
rather than man in the abstract, nature and the world in general.
The
existentialists who thought and posited some questions that question the
existence of man, which can be referred to as theproblemacriticum or the argumentumpontumponti
of existentialism include; Sǿren Kierkegaard (1813 – 1855), Friedrich Nietzsche
(1844 – 1900), Albert Camus (1913 – 1960), Gabriel Marcel (1889 – 1973),
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 – 1980), and what have you.
Existentialism
is more or less a revolt against the methods and outlooks of traditional
western philosophy. Traditional western philosophy in its discourse employs the
method of generalisation and provides a trend of thought or system which they
ascribe to human nature. By so doing, they limit the abilities of man who is a
being of possibities to a sect of fixed-given system. For instance, Plato (423 – 348 Bc) in his
Idealism (a philosophical school of thought) opines that reality is one and
unchanging and that man’s essence lies in the world of form. He is of the
position that our existence in this world is more or less a reflection of the
ideal in the world of form. He also holds that the soul (which is his
definition of man) is imprisoned and since a prisoner has no freedom, man,
inferably has no freedom and is subjected to untold conditions of living.
However, this above position is a reduction of man’s innumerable freedom. It
denies “Existence” to be predicated of man. It seems to be prescriptive, in
that it conditions man to a dubious system.
Still on the
same line of thought, traditional thinkers tried to give a definition of man.
However, given a definition of man is more or less limiting man and clothing
him in some presumed essence. Moreover, man’s essence is not known because the
height of man is determined by the problems he has encountered. Consequent upon
these, existentialists see their stands as empty words (flatus vocis) and in contrast delved into the discourse on the
existence of man.
In another
vein, Hegel (1770 – 1831) denies the concept of individual existence. This is
vividly expressed in his idea that in each stage of human history, there is an
expression of a conceptual scheme. This conceptual scheme becomes the prevailing
philosophy of the age. As soon as this conceptual scheme is formulated, the
inadequacies and contradictions of the scheme are discovered. The discovery of
the faults in the scheme will necessitate the formulation of another scheme to
replace the earlier one. This process will continue until finally Absolute Knowledge
emerges. In Hegelian view, the individual just adopts the moral and religious tenets
of his age. In other words, the individual must therefore fall into the system
established during any given period.
Contrary to
the Hegelian view, existentialism negates the idea of systems. For the
existentialists, concepts and systems are inadequate attempts to grasp
individual existence, which always evades complete conceptualization. However,
existentialism is more or less a critique to Hegel’s dialectics which is that
of constructing a rational system which individuals have to follow. Kierkegaard
(1813 – 1855) the father of modern existentialism, rejects Hegel’s dialectics,
he rather proposed a dialectic that involves the progressive actualization of
individuals. It is a dialectics of choice. For Kierkegaard, existence is that
which is discontinuous with a system and remains paradoxical. Having noted
these, it will be a fallacy of argumentum
ad relinquo (omission) if I fail to observe that existentialism, as a philosophical
movement is neither a school of thought nor a sect of tenets. It seeks to
actualize the individual existent. This individual existent cannot be
actualized under a given system or sect of tenets because he is a being in
potential. The individual existent is a concrete, singular, unique, original,
free and responsible person. As such, he is opposed to the abstract, universal,
identical, necessary and eternal reality of logos
in its eternal process of dialectical manifestations.
Existentialism
is a philosophy that recognizes the worth of man’s life. It seeks to make an
authentically human life possible in a meaningless and absurd world. It is the
belief of existentialists that the individual is a starting point in the
question of existence. The existentialists approach to philosophy gave birth to
the following tenets; individuality, responsibility, absurdity, anxiety,
forlornness, authenticity, and what have you. Existentialism stresses the limit
of reason, not to dam it, but only demands that reason be understood in new and
less restrictive ways. Even though the existentialists rejected the much
emphasis of the Traditional thinkers on reason, that is not to say that the
discourse of existentialism is devoid of reasoning. It is not just mere
irrational speculations on the existence of man, neither is it reducible to
just a sect of tenets. It is a philosophical movement that emphasizes the
precedence of existence over essence.
Existentialism
however, seeks to understand human experience in personal terms. It is a
humanistic approach to the study of reality which emphasises the eminence of
man such that systematization of any sort is overlooked. It conceives the
existence of man as absolutely actualistic; it never is, it freely creates
itself, it becomes; it is projection with each instant, it is more (and less)
than it is. The existence of man is always particular and individual – always
my existence, your existence, his existence. Thus, concepts and systems are
inadequate attempt to grasp this individual existence.
EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION
Existentialism
is individualistic, in that each individual must decide the question for
himself. Each one’s existence is his own, characterized by an unique “mineness”.
There is no sect of tenets or universal pattern of a genuine humanity that can be
imposed on all or to which all must conform. Indeed, to impose such a pattern
or to demand conformity would mean to destroy the possibility of a genuine
human existence for the persons concerned. They become truly themselves only to
the extent that they freely choose for themselves. Existence is authentic to
the extent that the existent has taken possession of himself and has moulded
himself in his own image.
In a nutshell,
the mission statements of the existentialists is to recover man, the individual
self or the thinker that is lost in abstract universal or in a universal ego
and the speculative worldview of men like Plato (428 – 348 Bc) and Hegel (1770
– 1831).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABIOGU G.
C., Unpublished lecture note on Existentialist Thoughts and Thinkers. 2015.
ANENE, C. U., The
Existentialism of Kierkegaard. (Unpublished Bachelor’s Thesis,
Spiritan
School of Philosophy Isienu – Nsukka, 1986).
KAUFMANN, W., Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre, Meridian books, U.S.A,
1975.
OME, E. & AMAM, W., Philosophy&
logic for everybody; Enugu: Institute For
Development
Studies, 2004.
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