Knowra Existentialism Existentialism Existentialism is a philosophical movement emphasizing individual existence, freedom, responsibility, and the creation of meaning in a world without predetermined purpose.
Existence precedes essence : The existentialist claim that people first exist and then shape themselves through choices. It condenses the movement’s rejection of a fixed human nature that dictates a life’s purpose.
Søren Kierkegaard : A nineteenth-century Danish philosopher who explored faith, anxiety, and individual commitment. His account of subjective commitment helped establish existentialism’s focus on lived choice.
Romanticism : An intellectual and artistic movement that emphasized individuality, emotion, imagination, and nature. Its emphasis on singular experience helped prepare the ground for existentialist attention to lived life.
Existentialist ethics : Ethical approaches that ground value and obligation in human freedom, choice, and responsibility. It asks how moral commitments can be made without relying on predetermined values.
Essentialism : The view that things, including human beings, possess defining properties that make them what they are. Existentialism rejects the idea that a fixed human essence determines each person’s life.
Radical freedom : The idea that people remain responsible for choosing how to act, even under severe constraints. Existentialism links freedom to responsibility rather than treating it as mere permission.
Friedrich Nietzsche : A German philosopher who criticized inherited morality and examined how people create values. His challenge to established values sharpened existentialism’s problem of making meaning.
Kierkegaard's critique of Hegel : Kierkegaard’s objection that Hegelian system-building neglects the individual’s lived choices and inward commitments. It marks an early revolt against explaining existence through an all-encompassing philosophical system.
Existentialist feminism : Feminist thought that uses existentialist ideas to analyze gendered freedom and social constraint. It extends existentialist accounts of becoming and choice to women’s historically imposed roles.
Determinism : The view that every event is fixed by prior conditions together with the laws of nature. It challenges existentialism’s emphasis on meaningful choice and personal responsibility.
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