Søren Kierkegaard

An Existentialist is someone who exercises their ability to be a free person, and takes responsibility for their own actions in life. Meursault, the main character of “The Stranger” written by Albert Camus, was not originally an Existentialist, but the events that occurred throughout the story forced him to contemplate the true meaning of life, and unintentionally transformed him into one. While this does lead to his death, he is at peace with what he has done in his life, and decides to just…

Absurdism is seen as “a metaphysical tension or opposition that results from the presence of human consciousness—with its ever-pressing demand for order and meaning in life—in an essentially meaningless and indifferent universe.”. Albert Camus thought there were three solutions to absurdism, which were physical suicide, philosophical suicide, and acceptance (Simpson, “Albert Camus”). Philosophical suicide is seen as a leap of faith, a sort of giving in. If death is looked at in those terms than…

Soren Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher who questioned the reflection of an individual. However, Kierkegaard was most known for fighting against the perversion of the individual by the Christendom (83). He believed the Christendom was ruining the overall essence of how to be a true Christian. Kierkegaard then came up with the belief that the Christendom, which he calls the crowd, is the untruth. This is because he believes the only way to be a true Christian is to be an individual, which is…

Camus’ philosophy adopts the third choice. His alternative to suicide or a false belief in some metaphysical or religious rationality is to live life in rebellion (Aronson 9). He proposes that living in defiance of the bereft condition of humanity is to live with integrity. Being fully conscious of life’s absurdity but carrying on with vigor and in earnest: this is how Camus proposes to make life worthwhile. By being aware of the human condition, Camus claims that one is taking ownership of it.…

Sartre describes the responsibilities of freedom through three principles of ideas in the passage written by John-Paul Sartre “Existentialism Is a Humanism.” Therefore, providing the understanding that we are free to make choices and have a responsibility to make choices as individuals with the absence of God. These principles or concepts regarding Sartre’s Existentialism of radical freedom and responsibility include that man exists and along the way defines himself, man is accountable for all…

What primary defining features set existential therapy apart from other approaches? The defining features that set existential therapist apart from other approaches because it’s a way of thinking more than a specific technique. Existential therapy gives the client’s freedom of choice but, also holds the client accountable for those choices. The therapist asks questions like, “Why am I here?”, “What is my purpose?”, and “Who am I?” Discuss anxiety from an existential perspective The therapist’s…

not least, Simone de Beauvoir, a Brilliant thinker in her own achievements. She made significant contributions to literature, feminism, and existentialism. Lastly, Albert Camus is the conscience of existentialism. His philosophy of existentialism was centered on what he considered the universe's greatest injustice -- death. He also wrote the greatest novel and most accessible of all existential novels. As a result to all the existentialists, they came together under one idea that’s growing…

Yalom has made numerous contributions to the teaching and practice of both group and individual psychotherapy. He is well known for the four givens of human existence, which are death, freedom, meaninglessness, and isolation. He believes that, “Therapy should not be theory-driven but relationship driven,” so as an existential therapists, he does not rely on symptom-based exploration of the client, but instead, in therapy he really focuses on having a more of a human encounter with his clients,…

Kierkegaard highlights one important difference between the knight of infinite resignation and the night of faith: the knight of faith goes one step farther. In his own words, both kinds of people have passed though the mindset of the Aesthete into that of the Ethical and transcended by means of a leap of faith into the religious. Even the knight of faith experiences the view of the knight of infinite resignation, but he can move one step farther by virtue of the absurd. The knight of infinite…

Simone de Beauvoir was born in Paris on January 9th, 1908 to a Catholic mother and an atheist father. At the age of fourteen, she followed her father’s steps and practiced atheism. When Beauvoir was twenty-one, she attended the Sorbonne and specialized in philosophy, a male dominated field. She was the ninth woman in France to pass the comprehensive philosophy exam and to receive her degree. During her studies, Beauvoir met philosopher, novelist, and playwright Jean-Paul Sartre. Both…