Existentialism

[swag]

Let's start with two basic definitions of existentialism:

The doctrine that existence takes precedence over essence and holding that man is totally free and responsible for his acts. This responsibility is the source of dread and anguish that encompass mankind.
- Webster?s New World Dictionary, Second College Edition; William Collins Publishers, Inc.; Cleveland, Ohio; 1979

A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one?s acts.
- American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from INSO Corporation.

I would consider myself an existential atheist; life has no real meaning or purpose. I'm not going anywhere when I die and, like in Sartre's book "Nausea", I do feel nauseous when I think about death. I also believe that I am responsible for my own actions, and that I am free to do what I want.

I highly recommend that everyone read the short story "The Wall" by Jean Paul Sartre

Here:
http://www.thecry.com/existentialism/sartre/wall.html

[Viking]

Let's start with two basic definitions of existentialism:

The doctrine that existence takes precedence over essence and holding that man is totally free and responsible for his acts. This responsibility is the source of dread and anguish that encompass mankind.
- Webster?s New World Dictionary, Second College Edition; William Collins Publishers, Inc.; Cleveland, Ohio; 1979

A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one?s acts.
- American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from INSO Corporation.

I would consider myself an existential atheist; life has no real meaning or purpose. I'm not going anywhere when I die and, like in Sartre's book "Nausea", I do feel nauseous when I think about death. I also believe that I am responsible for my own actions, and that I am free to do what I want.

I highly recommend that everyone read the short story "The Wall" by Jean Paul Sartre

Here:
http://www.thecry.com/existentialism/sartre/wall.html


I would consider myself an independant thinker. I believe that life has a meaning and there is a purpose. Each person can have a different purpose, you may find it or it may find you. I will be going somewhere when I die. It may be in the ground or it may be in the heavens. I just dont worry about it because there are so many things to do while Im above ground.

I never put that much into the philosophers of the world since most, if not all, just spouted commen sense in a different way. Some people think it was in a deep and thought provoking way....me, I just think they had too much time on their hands and spoke of what a lot of people already know and knew.
Regardless, they did it well I will give them that. However,

I think Monty Python's Eric Idle right when he composed........

Immanuel Kant was a real pissant
Who was very rarely stable.

Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar
Who could think you under the table.

David Hume could out-consume
Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel,

And Wittgenstein was a beery swine
Who was just as schloshed as Schlegel.

There's nothing Nietzche couldn't teach ya
'Bout the raising of the wrist.
Socrates, himself, was permanently pissed.

John Stuart Mill, of his own free will,
On half a pint of shandy was particularly ill.

Plato, they say, could stick it away--
Half a crate of whisky every day.

Aristotle, Aristotle was a bugger for the bottle.
Hobbes was fond of his dram,

And René Descartes was a drunken fart.
'I drink, therefore I am.'

Yes, Socrates, himself, is particularly missed,
A lovely little thinker,
But a bugger when he's pissed.

[DeathMonkey]

I would consider myself an existential atheist; life has no real meaning or purpose. I'm not going anywhere when I die and, like in Sartre's book "Nausea", I do feel nauseous when I think about death. I also believe that I am responsible for my own actions, and that I am free to do what I want.



Great book. I would also recommend The Irrational Man. I agree with the above."My name is DeathMonkey, and I approve this message."

[tallb73]

consider this... i believe it was the philosopher Zeno who mathematically proved the impossibility of basically all action. in this case, it would relate like this:

in order to exist, one must be born. before a child can be born, he ( for sake of length, i'm using he - instead of he/she ) must first develop half way. before developing half way, he must develop half of half way - thus 1/4 the complete development.... before that, 1/8th ..... before that, 1/16th..... so on... therefore, since there is always a limit he would have to reach before reaching the next limit, the baby would never be born.... ( on a graph, this would be a logarithmic equation, i believe. ) ...

i'm fairly sure i've translated the theory correctly. any corrections are welcomed. it doesn't relate too much, but it's vexing to think about.

-AT-

[Malone1234]

But Zeno's ideas form much of the basis for calculus (summing up infinitessimally small values), which is used to explain just about every type of movement there is.

[Craig]

consider this... i believe it was the philosopher Zeno who mathematically proved the impossibility of basically all action. in this case, it would relate like this:

in order to exist, one must be born. before a child can be born, he ( for sake of length, i'm using he - instead of he/she ) must first develop half way. before developing half way, he must develop half of half way - thus 1/4 the complete development.... before that, 1/8th ..... before that, 1/16th..... so on... therefore, since there is always a limit he would have to reach before reaching the next limit, the baby would never be born.... ( on a graph, this would be a logarithmic equation, i believe. ) ...

i'm fairly sure i've translated the theory correctly. any corrections are welcomed. it doesn't relate too much, but it's vexing to think about.

-AT-

Zeno has been refuted by modern mathematicians. I do not understand the mathematics behind it at all, but suffice to say Zeno was incorrect.

[Deslaar]

Zeno has been refuted by modern mathematicians. I do not understand the mathematics behind it at all, but suffice to say Zeno was incorrect.

Newton and Leibniz. It's a convergence on limits. An infinite series resolving to a finite sum.