1
Q
What is existentialism?
A
a revolt or series of revolts against the supposed attempts of classical metaphysics to reduce human reality to abstract propositional terms and to embrace the individual in an absolute universal system
2
Q
What are some existential themes?
A
- the primacy of the individual
- the critique of reason
- the Authentic vs. the INauthentic
- the boundary situation
- alienation
- encounter with nothingness
- dread
- freedom, choice, commitment, community
3
Q
The Primacy of the Individual
A
- traditional philosophy was criticized for reducing the human person to an abstraction
- “What is the human person?” vs. “Who am I?”
4
Q
The Critique of Reason
A
- critique of the failure of rationalism to do justice to the complexities of human nature
- rational fulfillment is insufficient
5
Q
The AUthentic vs. The Inauthentic
A
Inauthentic - the human person is not truly oneself Authentic - self-awareness - chooses the true self
6
Q
The Boundary Situation
A
- the extreme and unavoidable situation that brings the human person to the limit of the boundary of existence where one must face the ambiguities of the human situation
- ultimate boundary situation is death
7
Q
Alienation
A
-failure of rationalism, futility of the inauthentic leads to a terrible sense of isolation and alienation from any sustaining reality, social, moral, or metaphysical
8
Q
Encounter With Nothingness
A
- an uncanny metaphysical phenomenon taht resists definition but can be revealed through certain experiences which produce ‘dread’
9
Q
Dread
A
- nothingness aggravates dread
- objectless fear; boredom; despair (ultimate sense of negation)
- can be experienced during the moment of conscious choice
10
Q
Freedom, CHoice, Commitment, Community
A
- freedom allows one the ability to make conscious decisions through which the human person is defined
Phenomenology and Existentialism
flashcards
Decks in class (2)
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