We have all wondered at some point why we came into the world and what our role is in it. They are basic questions inherent to human beings to which philosophy and religion have always tried to find answers.
Existentialism is a current of thought that seeks answers to human existence Not only that; The existentialist current also tries to fill the anguishing void that occurs when human beings question the bases of their presence in the world. What am I here for? Why have I come? And, most importantly: does it make sense for me to be?
Existentialism has been developing over the centuries and, depending on the author and the historical moment, it has emphasized one aspect or another. However, despite the obvious differences, all these ramifications have one point in common: considering the human being as free and absolutely responsible for his own destiny.
In this article we will review the bases of this current of thought and we will stop at the most important existentialist authors.
What is existentialism?
Basically, and as its name suggests, Existentialism asks what the meaning of existence is or, rather, whether it has any meaning at all To reach certain conclusions, this current of thought carries out an analysis of the human condition, dissecting aspects such as the freedom of the individual or his responsibility for his own existence (and that of others).
Existentialism is not a homogeneous school; Its outstanding thinkers are spread both in strictly philosophical fields and in literary circles. Furthermore, there are many conceptual differences between these existentialists, which we will analyze in the next section.
However, we do find an element that all these thinkers share: the search for a path to overcome the moral and ethical norms that, in theory, belong to all human beings. Existentialists advocate individuality; that is to say, They believe in the responsibility of the individual when making their decisions so these must be subject to their own, concrete and individual needs, and not depend on a universal moral source, such as a religion or a specific philosophy.
existential individualism
Yes, as we have commented in the previous section, existentialists maintain that we must go beyond universal moral and ethical codes, since each individual must find their own path Why, then, do we find deeply Christian thinkers framed in this current, as is the case of Kierkegaard?
Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) is considered the father of existentialist philosophy, although he never used this term to refer to his thought. Kierkegaard was born into a family marked by the psychological instability of his father, affected by what, at the time, was called “melancholy,” which was nothing more than chronic depression.
Young Soren’s education was eminently religious, and in fact he was a believer throughout his life, despite the fact that he strongly criticized the Lutheran ecclesiastical institution. Thus, Kierkegaard would be limited to the so-called “Christian existentialism”, in which we find such important authors as Dostoevsky, Unamuno or Gabriel Marcel.
Christian existentialism
But how can we transcend universal ethical codes, as existentialism points out, through Christianity, which is nothing other than an ethical-moral code? Kierkegaard proposes a personal relationship with God; That is, he places the emphasis, again, on individualism.
It is necessary, therefore, to forget about any pre-established morality and norm, valid in theory for all human beings, and replace them with a series of ethical and moral decisions that emerge exclusively from the individual and his direct and personal relationship with divinity. All this entails, obviously, absolute freedom, a free will without limits, which is what causes, according to Kierkegaard, anguish in human beings.
Christian existentialism has Kierkegaard as its standard bearer, but we also find important writers framed within this current, such as Dostoevsky or Miguel de Unamuno The first is considered one of the first representatives of existentialist literature. Works like Underground memories, The demons either Crime and Punishment They are authentic monuments to the suffering and transformation of the human being who, through free will, accesses a higher spirituality.
As for Miguel de Unamuno, his work stands out Of the tragic feeling of life in men and peopleswhere the author relies on the theories of Soren Kierkegaard to delve into individualism and the internal anguish of human beings.
“Atheist” existentialism
There is another current within existentialism that differs significantly from authors such as Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, Unamuno or Gabriel Marcel. This other perspective has been called “atheistic existentialism”, since it distances itself from any transcendental belief. One of the greatest representatives of this trend is Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980).
In Sartre, free will and human freedom reach their maximum expression, when he maintains that man is nothing other than what he makes of himself. In other words, there is nothing defined when a human being enters the world; It is his own decisions that establish his own meaning.
This, of course, comes into complete contradiction with the idea of the existence of a creator God, since, if the human being arrives on earth without being defined, that is, without essence, it makes no sense to assume that he has been created. by a higher being. Any creationist theory maintains that divinity creates human beings for a specific purpose. In Sartre, this is not so. Most existentialist thinkers agree on this: existence precedes essence, so it is only the human will, his freedom and his free will that can shape the meaning of the human being.
Albert Camus (1913-1960) goes one step further by stating that, in reality, It is absolutely irrelevant to human beings whether God exists or not Thus, questions about human existence do not depend on the answer to this question. This is why Camus has often been classified as an agnostic existentialist.
Albert Camus is the father of the philosophy of the absurd Camus’s absurdity takes existentialist philosophy to its limit, because to the question “Does life have meaning?”, Camus answers with a resounding “no.” Indeed, according to this thinker, existence has no meaning; Human life sinks into the most absolute absurdity. Therefore, it is sterile (and useless) to look for answers. What needs to be done, then, and as stated by the author in his famous work The myth of Sisyphus, is to stop asking questions and simply live. Sisyphus must be happy as he pushes the stone, since he has no way to disengage himself from it.
Responsibility causes anxiety
If, as we have stated, human beings have absolute free will (an idea in which all existentialist thinkers agree), this means that their actions are, solely and exclusively, their responsibility. And that is why human beings live immersed in perpetual anguish.
In Kierkegaard’s case, this anxiety is the result of indecision Life is a continuous choice, a permanent encounter with one and the other. It is what the philosopher calls “dizziness or vertigo of freedom.” The awareness of one’s own responsibility and the fear that this entails is what leads human beings to place their choices in other people or in universal moral codes. According to Kierkegaard, this is the result of the terrible anxiety of having to decide.
For its part, Jean-Paul Sartre affirms that human beings are responsible not only for themselves, but for all of humanity In other words: the action you take individually will have consequences for the community. As we see, the anguish in this case is multiplied, since it is not only your life that is in your hands, but that of the entire society.
This vital anguish is what leads human beings to experience a deep crisis and project a disenchanted look at the world. Yes, indeed, all moral responsibility falls on the individual; If, as existentialists (even Christian existentialists like Kierkegaard) maintain, we cannot embrace a universal code of values to guide us, then we find ourselves facing an abyss, facing absolute nothingness.
How then to get out of this discouraging situation? But before focusing on the “solutions” proposed by the various existentialist authors (and we put it in quotes because, in reality, there is no absolute solution), let us review the historical context that allowed the emergence of this current of thought. Because, although we can find traces of existentialism throughout history (for example, there are authors who point to Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas as pre-existentialist authors) it is not until the 19th century that the current takes full force. . Let’s see why.
The context: the crisis of the 19th and 20th centuries
The Industrial Revolution, which began at the end of the 18th century, gradually turned man into a machine There is also a strong religious crisis, in which scientific discoveries, such as Darwin’s theory of evolution, among many others, have a lot to do with it. Labor movements begin to take over the cities. The criticism of the bourgeoisie and the Church is increasingly pronounced and fierce. Progress intoxicates human beings, and they forget God. The 19th century is, therefore, the positivist century par excellence.
At the same time, Europe is immersed in progressive armament that will lead to the First World War. The European powers sign continuous alliances between themselves, which break up the continent. And, once the 20th century had arrived, things would not improve at all: after the Great War, there was the rise of fascism and, with it, the Second World War.
In this context of wars and death, human beings have lost their reference He can no longer hold on to God and the promise of an afterlife; religious consolation has lost its capacity to convince. Consequently, men and women feel helpless in the midst of immense chaos.
In this context, the questions arise: Who are we? Why are we here? The existentialist current gains strength, and asks whether the presence of human beings in the world has any meaning. And, if he has, he wonders what his role (and his responsibility) is in all of this.
The search for answers
In reality, existentialism is a search, not an answer. It is true that, as we have commented previously, various thinkers venture various paths, but none of them fully satisfy the existential conflict.
Soren Kierkegaard’s Christian existentialism emphasizes a direct relationship with God, beyond pre-established moral and ethical codes. His philosophy is, therefore, radically contrary to that of Hegel, who forgets individuality as a motor of progress. For Kierkegaard, evolution can only occur from a constant vital choice, which emerges from the absolute freedom and free will of the human being.
For his part, Jean-Paul Sartre advocates an existentialism “without God”, in which human beings make themselves through their own decisions. Man exists in the first place; Later, he finds himself out in the world, alone and bewildered Finally, and exclusively through his personal acts, he defines himself, without any divinity intervening in this definition.
Finally, Albert Camus proposes a solution that we could call, perhaps, intermediate. Through his theory of the absurdity of life, he asserts that God’s role in human life, as well as the meaning of human life, is completely irrelevant, and that the only thing that really matters is living.