Grendel & Philosophy

Existentialism• To understand what it means to be human is

more than understanding the scientific and moral laws of humanity.

• It requires understanding the essential “you-ness” of being you, that element that cannot be captured in objective science but must be sought through SUBJECTIVE, PASSIONATE examination (think Fight Club)

• Jean-Paul Sartre’s motto; this phrase indicates what the author saw as a fundamental issue: – We cannot say what it means to be human,

because we create that meaning by the way we live as humans.

– In other words, we do not have a “standard” existence, but one that varies wildly according to the conditions affecting it.

“Existence precedes essence”

Sartre believed:

• We are free to choose our paths and are “self-creating” (in that we pick how we behave once we begin to exist), and thus, unlike objects, we are responsible for our own actions and choices.

• “I think, therefore I am.”

Problem is…• Since we are responsible for our choices as

individuals, we also must recognize that our individual choices have global impact – the choices each of us make affect everyone else, and therefore we are each responsible both for ourselves and for all of humanity.

• Since I am responsible for both myself and the rest of the world, and since I have no one to turn to for help or instructions (since there is no divine force giving us moral or physical guidance in this paradigm), I am doomed to live in despair.

What is Solipsism?• Solipsism is the view that “I am the only mind

which exists,” or “My mental states are the only states.” Specifically, solipsists believe the following:– Existence is everything I experience– Cannot attach meaning to the thoughts, experiences,

and emotions of anyone outside myself.– Egocentrism: I and only I am at the center of my

world.– Ex. you are all playing a part in the movie of “my” life.

Nihilism

• Nihilism is the viewpoint that traditional values and beliefs are unfounded and that existence is senseless and useless

• Nothing can be known or communicated because of varying perspectives.

• Therefore life is meaningless• Sometimes referred to as “fatalist”