Existentialist Philosopher- Kierkegaard

Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish writer of philosophy, theology, psychology, literary criticism and more, made his mark in history as the “father of existentialism.” Born in 1813, he lived somewhat of a dull life, hardly ever leaving his hometown of Copenhagen throughout his 42 years.

Raised by a strict religious father, Kierkegaard took those beliefs with him into adulthood, often superstitious of his everyday actions.  As it turns out, most of his works in literature focused on ways to relate his readers to religion and Christianity.

Kierkegaard viewed a person’s life as a “single individual,” often believing only in what is reality rather than abstract thinking, even though he was a strong supporter of faith and “the God-Man” Jesus Christ. Taking everyday life choices, Kierkegaard examined the average persons emotions and approach throughout the occurrence.

Quotes:

“A man who as a physical being is always turned toward the outside, thinking that his happiness lies outside him, finally turns inward and discovers that the source is within him.”

“Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are.”

“God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: he makes saints out of sinners.”

Existentialist Philosopher-Socrates

Socrates was a Greek philosopher in the 469 BC – 399 BC. He was a teacher to Plato,  Xenophon, Aristotle, and Aristophanes. He was a critic of democracy and he clashed with the politics that was current in his time in Athens. He made several offences that led him to his death trial such as praising Sparta, archrival to Athens, directly and indirectly and holding a position as a social and moral critic. Rather than upholding a status quo and accepting the development of what he perceived as immorality within his region, Socrates questioned the collective notion of "might makes right" that he felt was common in Greece during this period. His attempts to improve the Athenians' sense of justice may have been the source of his execution.
He came up with dialectic analysis where to solve a problem, he would break it down into a series of questions which gradually distill the answer a person seeks. This was used to test scientific hypothesies as well as in politics, philosophy and ethics.
Socrates is notorious for asking questions but never answering them, claiming to lack the wisdom to answer the questions he asked of others. He believes that people should be worried about the "wellfare of their souls instead of being concerned with their families, careers, and political responsibilities.
Socrates' belief in the immortality of the soul, and his conviction that the gods had singled him out as a divine emissary seemed to provoke, if not ridicule, at least annoyance. Socrates also questioned the Sophistic doctrine that virtue can be taught. He said that successful fathers did not produce sons of their own quality. Socrates argued that moral excellence was more a matter of divine bequest than parental nurture. This belief may have contributed to his lack of anxiety about the future of his own sons.

Popular quotes:
"I know that I know nothing noble and good".
 "I only know that I know nothing"
"virtue was the most valuable of all possessions; the ideal life was spent in search of the Good. Truth lies beneath the shadows of existence, and it is the job of the philosopher to show the rest how little they really know."
 "ideals belong in a world only the wise man can understand"

Friedrich Nietzsche, (Neechae.)

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th century anti-Christian philosopher who questioned the value and objectivity of truth.  He grew up well-educated and quickly took interest in poetry and musical compositions.

    Nietzsche rejected the idea of God, and his works remained controversial throughout history due to many misinterpretations, examples including inferences that he rejected religious spirituality entirely.  Nietzsche embraced no established branch of philosophy, and created all of his ideas independently.  He believed that men must accept that they are a part of a material world, regardless of what else might exist, and as a part of this world, men must live as if there is nothing else beyond life.  A failure to live, to take risks, is a failure to realize human potential.
    He also developed the idea of “Will to Power”, which sought to explain sympathy in society.  Through evolution, humans crave power to ensure survival.  Darwin’s evolution proposes that to ensure power, organisms should use animalistic instincts to fight for survival.  Nietzsche believes that humans developed a sympathetic society instead to ensure survival, creating the social drive of humanity.
    Lastly, he idealized the perfect person to be a “Superman”; one who defines his own morality.  Nietzsche believed the idea that God is dead, that the Creator is no longer active in human development.  By rejecting faith, the superman can become responsible for his own morality.  However, he decided that no person has reached such a level yet, that people are flawed and “all-too-human”.


Some Popular Quotes:
“Once spirit was God, then it became man, and now it even becomes a mob.”


"Existence really is an imperfect tense that never becomes a present."


"What is good? -- All that heightens the feeling of power, the will to power, power itself in man."

Existentialist Philosopher- Sartre

Jean-Paul Sartre is known as one of the leading figures in the philosophy of existentialism. Born in Paris on June 21st, 1905 to two people of prominent families, Sartre went on to become a well-known philosopher, playwright, screenwriter, political activist and literary critic, but his ideas on existentialism have made the largest impact.

 In La Nuesse, a novel he calls his manifesto of existentialism, Sartre explains his beliefs that our ideas are the product of real life experiences and situations. In other words, rather than trying to understand the world as it is, he pushes for an understanding of human existence. Sartre continued his theory in other works of literature throughout his life including lending his name and writings to help end the struggle against French colonialism in Africa, but La Nuesse remain his greatest success.
Jean-Paul Sartre has continued to be known as a symbol and icon of resistance, imperialism, heroism and many other political forces throughout the world as many believe he will remain in the future to come.

Popular quotes by Jean-Paul Sartre include:

“Life has no meaning the moment you lose the illusion of being eternal.”
“Man can will nothing unless he has first understood that he must count on no one but himself; that he is alone, abandoned on earth in the midst of his infinite responsibilities, without help, with no other aim than the one he sets himself, with no other destiny than the one he forges for himself on this earth.”
“That God does not exist; I cannot deny, that my whole being cries out for God I cannot forget.”