Richie Ren

- Irvin D. Yalom (2008) Staring at the sun: overcoming the terror of death is a book that is written by Irvin D. Yalom (2008), who is an existential psychiatrist and an emeritus faculty of Stanford University. Over the past decades, Yalom has impacted the field of existential psychology remarkably, and his ideas contribute to existential psychotherapy as well. In this book, Yalom fully addresses how to overcome one’s inner terror of death by telling multiple affecting stories of his own and…

Freedom can mean many things to many people, freedom to me means being liberated from what once held one in bondage. Although, freedom according to the Merriam Webster’s dictionary gives a concise definition which states: “Liberation from slavery or restraint or from the other power of another: independence. Nevertheless, Martin Luther king Jr. is a well-known activist who fought for the freedom for African Americans. Also know for the March and his I have a dream speech. He wrote a letter…

This paper is going to discuss the differences between Hegel and Sartre. It is going to discuss the difference between the Idealists and the Existentialists. It will also tackle my own comprehension of the said authors, and will discuss who I find more compelling. Lastly, it is going to conclude. Hegel and Sartre are two very powerful and convincing authors. Their voices in their writings can be heard loud and clear. However, their views clash most of the time. There are also some points…

Existential theory is a theory which in my opinion you need an open heart and mind to be able to fully understand. Existential theory concepts are great and many of the aspects of this theory I agree with. When looking into this theory the main aspect that I appreciated was that a lot of the values were the same as the ones I have. According to our textbook, the existential tradition definition is seeking a balance between recognizing the limits and tragic dimensions of human existence on one…

The categorical imperative, to Immanuel Kant, is an overarching principle of acting towards others the way you would like for them to treat everybody else; a slight furtherance of the ‘Golden Rule’(Where your actions are based upon the way you would like them to treat you). The categorical imperative creates a moral basis based upon one’s understanding of their own individuality coupled with an empathetic understanding of those around them, based upon their precepts that they’ve come to…

Kierkegaard, Camus, and Sartre are three main philosophers that have overlapping ideas of Existentialism. Throughout Kierkegaard 's book Fear and Trembling, Camus’ book Absurd Creation, and Sartre’s book Existentialism and play No exit, the idea of the ability for one to make one’s own choices and decisions through free will is shown. These philosophers opened my eyes to a new perspective on what existence precedes essence means. While reading these books, I agreed with some ideas as opposed to…

Existentialism “A philosophical theory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will.” –Internet meaning Existentialism is the idea that a man lives due to his free will and individuality. That every human define their own meaning in life. It also tackles what is human existence and that human defines their own meaning of life. This idea believes that there is no God, or any higher…

Philosophology The first thing that comes to mind while writing a paper about philosophy is “why”. The irony in this is that this is what philosophy is about—asking the “why”. Philosophers question the ideas that people often skip past. These questions, no matter how frustrating or mind numbing, can be some of the most important ones we contemplate. Although there is no definitive answer, it is still necessary to question the who, what, and whys of life. From pondering these types of questions…

In the early 20th century there were a lot of social and societal changes happening, and in Metamorphosis Kafka uses the absurd to explore and highlight different social themes ranging from work to the roles of women in society. One of the main things that Kafka uses the absurd to explore is the life of working people. When Gregor first wakes up and he realizes that he is infact a bug, He 's not terribly concerned by it. He is infact more concerned by the fact that he is late for work that that…

Sartre is well known for his work in developing existential thought. The question being addressed in this paper is one that asks what Sartre meant by a “monstrous freedom.” In other words, in terms of existentialism, what did this idea of freedom have to do with the way in which human behavior is explained? In order to understand Sartre’s idea of existentialism, then this question of monstrous freedom must be addressed. One author wrote, “there is an infinite gap between the past and the…