/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.792675]

Can someone give a clear explanation of what Existentialism is?

[Anonymous No.792680]

no

[Anonymous No.792683]

>>792680

Yes

[Anonymous No.792687]

>>792683
>>792680
and there you have it OP.

[Anonymous No.792704]

It's like those guys who wear fish suits in Jet Grind Radio combined with a bearded man in his late 50s

[Anonymous No.792705]

bump

[Anonymous No.792711]

Surrealism for literature.

[Anonymous No.792713]

/lit/ - homework

[Anonymous No.792721]

Existentialism is like that thing that people who are 16 say they are after they reject God and need something clever to say when people ask them what they believe.

[Anonymous No.792726]

>>792673
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[Anonymous No.792731]

>>792721
Pretty spot on description.

If you want to know more about existentialism read The Stranger

[Anonymous No.792734]

>>792713

>/lit/ = homework
Fixed that for you.

[Anonymous No.792759]

HOLY FUCKING SHIT SHIT'S MEANINGLESS

[Anonymous No.792788]

>>792731
>existentialism
>read the stranger

[Anonymous No.792790]

>>792721

wow, your fucktarded. Dont you know the founder of existentialism was a theist?

[Anonymous No.792789]

>>792731

Very untrue; Camus did not consider his writings, nor his ideas existentialist. Existentialism, first off, was a primarily philosophical 'movement,' based on the ideas of existence preceding essence, the fallibility of reason, life having no innate meaning, individual identity being dependent on the 'other,' et cetera. Camus was a fiction author, journalist and essayist.

For a more thorough understanding of existentialism, read Sartre. But I wouldn't recommend it.

[Anonymous No.792793]

existentialism, at the core, is the belief that one must create ones own meaning for his life for oneself.

[Anonymous No.792808]

>>792793
Can we has a discussion on Solipsism nao?

[Anonymous No.792904]

Okay, here goes.

Your consciousness does not have any physical existence. Sure there's a brain and body attached, but we're talking about your conscious experience here. This experience, since it doesn't have a physical form, doesn't have the same sort of causality that physical objects have. There's no way around gravity, drop a book off your desk and it's going to fall. Now get a person to try to quit smoking, and there's no necessity that they quit or not. It's up to them. There's nothing essential to a human being that they make one decision or another. Certainly there are parts of the physical world that sway you one way or another (smoking is physicaly addictive, after all), but unlike a rock, you're making your own decisions. If you've heard the phrase "existence precedes essence", this is what that means. There is nothing in your very essence that says you will quit smoking, or will become a doctor.

[Anonymous No.792908]

>>792904
It goes much further than that though. Lots of existentialist writing is based off the relations between people. Sure your consciousness is mostly free, but anybody who's been around other people for more than two seconds realizes how much other people affect the way we think and determining our selves for us (for example, women are naturally dumb and weak - so they had better not work and should keep in the home). From here it's not too hard to see the relationship between feminist movements and existentialism (anti-colonialism too). Others write about how to deal witht he realization that we are basically perfectly free to act however we want and how intensely freaky that can be. Imagine you're standing on a cliff - there's no more necessity to your walking away or enjoying the scenic view than there is to your jumping head-first off the cliff. You're the only thing stopping yourself. That's a little crazy.

That's the abridged, undergraduate philosophy version, heavily influenced by Sartre's Being and Nothingness. Of course, almost any existentialist thinker was writing in response or expanding on Sartre, so hopefully not a bad place to start.

[Anonymous No.792910]

>>792808
No, solipsism is shit-tier philosophy for 12-year-olds.

[Anonymous No.792932]

>>792721
You do realize this is in no way a criticism or satire of existentialism, and merely a commentary upon adolescence, right? I hope we both understand that every time you say stuff like this (and you and I know you do it quite a lot, and we both know it's always you) it's quite clear you're trolling and you don't understand the philosophy itself. If you did, you might be able to make some sort of statement about it that actually tackles the subject itself. Instead you make jokes that aren't funny and on top of that have no relevant impact upon the subject.

[Game Designer !KQAbEcB7Uw No.792947]

>>792932
+1 Intelligent and Funny

[Anonymous No.792948]

>>792932
Well I mean

He is right about the social function of existentialism, I guess. Just not about its philosophical coherence or validity.

[Anonymous No.792971]

>>792948
Teenagers espouse views they don't understand due to emotional appeals. Yep. That's true. Thanks for confirming my point that that guy is only qualified to make statements about teenagers.

[Anonymous No.792975]

>>792932
Modern existentialism is kind of ingrained in society by now. You'd probably still have a extremely powerful branch of christian scientists if the revolution existential writers and thinkers kind of defused religious tradition and influenced science towards pure reason and progress.
You hear things like "well thats just what I think' and self-deferring policies all the time now, and its no wonder its a part of adolescents as well because they cling onto anything to rebel against the values they were taught. While most of us are just past that phase and realize how stupid we were and still are, that doesn't mean that its still not a valid form of growth.

[Anonymous No.793060]

>>792975
I'm really not sure what you're trying to say here. Yes, existentialism is, to an extent, ingrained upon society now. My main lack of understanding comes from two sentences:
>You'd probably still have a extremely powerful branch of christian scientists if the revolution existential writers and thinkers kind of defused religious tradition and influenced science towards pure reason and progress.
I don't understand what you mean. This sentence just doesn't really make sense to me. Also this idea that existentialism is a purely atheistic philosophy is entirely a social misconception. Existentialism can be addressed from either perspective, one of belief or disbelief. The perspectives, obviously, alter the conclusions drawn from it.
>You hear things like "well thats just what I think' and self-deferring policies all the time now, and its no wonder its a part of adolescents as well because they cling onto anything to rebel against the values they were taught.
Existentialism does not condone people to simply say "Well that's what I think" and move on. If you have drawn this conclusion from it, you have done so erroneously. Existentialism is a philosophy centered around the fact that others exist and influence your consciousness. It is not, and never has been, one that in any way condones a sense of nihilism, be that nihilism metaphysical, intellectual, or emotional. To exist with this sort of self-reference is solipsism, which existentialism also attempted to counter by the fact that what also exists is clearly "the other," those things and people outside of your consciousness.
I don't really understand what you meant by it, though. Again, teenagers espouse views they don't understand (and many times don't look heavily into) based upon emotional appeal. Ok. So what?

[Anonymous No.793088]

pussified absurdism, which is pussified nihilism, which is pure evil.

[Anonymous No.793124]

>>793088
8/10 I almost replied.

[Anonymous No.793134]

>>792932
Hi. I'm >>792721. It seems as if I have started quite a fuss in this thread.
To answer your question, yes, I am fully aware that my comment says little about existentialism, and much about adolescence. You are right, my comment was indeed intended as a joke, and I'm glad you noticed I was trolling. Thank you for typing all that shit out and giving me the attention I hoped for. You really showed me, you did!

In contrast to my self, you seem to be wanted to be taken seriously, so I will take you seriously. Let us examine the function of logic in your post. Your argument is as follows:
1. Sometimes people don't understand existentialism, so they troll threads on /lit/ about existentialism.
2. I troll threads on lit about existentialism.
3. Therefore, I don't understand existentialism.

This is the same as:
1. If p then q.
2. q
3. Therefore, p.

Inb4 butthurt, I'll admit I don't understand existentialism, but you certainly aren't going to prove it when you make such basic mistakes.

[Anonymous No.793148]

>>793134
I used faulty logic, but was still right, and you admitted it. Which is where analytics will always fuck up. Have a nice day, I'm going to go back to reading philosophies that actually stand for something.

[Stagolee !0Pey/QLK3E No.793151]

jet grind radio is such a fun game

[Anonymous No.793158]

OP
philosophy major here

you can't put it into words.
now, if you wanna know about analytic philosophy, we can help you there

[Anonymous No.793163]

>>793148
It's getting kinda late, you should probably skip the reading and go to sleep so you will be well rested for another day of grade 11.

[Anonymous No.793165]

>>793124
I take pride in my trolling, anon. lit's one of the hardest boards to troll, and therefore the best training ground

[Stagolee !0Pey/QLK3E No.793170]

>>793165
>he thinks /lit/ is one of the hardest boards to troll

[Anonymous No.793173]

>>793148
how is your logic faulty?

[Anonymous No.793175]

>>793165
>Implying /lit/ is /ck/

[Anonymous No.793176]

>>793170
>took the bait

[Anonymous No.793181]

Sagin' a sage thread.

[Anonymous No.793180]

>>793165
try /b/ just for fun. I hear it's super easy.

[Stagolee !0Pey/QLK3E No.793182]

>>793176
>implying there was bait

[Anonymous No.793187]

[Anonymous No.793193]

[Anonymous No.793589]

the lulz are on mr.

i have been trolled considering i followed this thread.

i need to put the booze away and get back to reading instead of playing vidya.

seriously... FF IV is more fun than the faggots trying to troll /lit/

Methinks i'll try trolling via solipsism later; I have doubts, but its always worth a shot in the dark.

I think you shall see me again.

[Anonymous No.793757]

Hey /lit/..srs question here, what do you guys think about birth? People dwell so much on death and resent/fear death so often..but isn't birth the initial..affliction?

[Anonymous No.793777]

/lit/ - Existentialism

[Anonymous No.793790]

>>792673

Ｉ LＩＫe TuRＴLＡＳ ｂｅｔｔＡr. cwtpi iwbc lm d i aa vh yb i tsl gjv

[Anonymous No.795904]

bump

[Anonymous No.795949]

>>792790
Yeah, Kierkegaard was a religious fanatic but he outright stated it was irrational. Try reading it before talking.

[Anonymous No.795952]

>>793757
GODDAMNIT YOU TROLL.
GODDAMNIT.

[Anonymous No.796002]

>>793060
I think thats how its been taken in popular meaning.
People don't think they are the center anymore, and I don't think existentialism is atheistic just that its taken that way because of Satre.

[Anonymous No.796004]

>>795949

> Implying his whole philosophy wasn't based around the fact that reason is fallible and that Christianity needed reform.