Q. What is existentialism?

A.This is for the enquiring minds out there! I want to give some special thanks to my friend, Matt Miller and his thorough help in giving a better response than I could personally. Matt even had some of his friends work with him to give a really good answer for our guestioneer out there in cyberspace! So buckle up for some great response! Existentialism is a body of loosely related philosophical ideas advanced primarily by French and German philosophers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Skeptical about the existence of God, and not too confident concerning any help that might be forthcoming from such a being if He did exist, Existentialists have tried to work out the implications for the conduct of the individual who has no reliable external source of moral support. Existentialists have often emphasized the radical freedom and responsibility of such an individual, but some have unfortunately tended to be vague about human teleology (i.e., the "meaning of life") while others have denied the very possibility of a meaningful way of life. A very brief history: Existentialism is a philosophical movement or tendency of the 19th and 20th centuries. Because of the diversity of positions associated with existentialism, a precise definition is difficult; however, it suggests one major theme: a stress on individual existence and, consequently, on subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice. Most philosophers since ancient Greek thinker Plato have held that the highest ethical good is universal. Nineteenth-century Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard reacted against this tradition, insisting that the individual's highest good is to find his or her own unique vocation. Kierkegaard held that a feeling of general apprehension, which he called dread, is God's way of calling each individual to commit to a personally valid way of life. Existentialists have taken this a step farther. In terms of moral choice, existentialists have argued that there is no objective, rational basis for decisions; they stress the importance of individualism in deciding questions of morality and truth. Most existentialists have held that rational clarity is desirable wherever possible but that life's most important questions are not accessible to reason or science. Nineteenth-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche espoused tragic pessimism and life-affirming individual will. Heidegger argued that human beings can never hope to understand why they are here; instead, each individual must choose a goal and follow it with passionate conviction, aware of the certainty of death and the ultimate meaninglessness of one's life. Twentieth-century French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre first gave the term existentialism general currency by using it for his own philosophy. Explicitly atheistic and pessimistic, his philosophy declared that human life requires a rational basis but the attempt is a "futile passion." Nevertheless, he insisted that his view is a form of humanism, emphasizing freedom and responsibility. The Christian Reaction: There are a number of real flaws in thinking here. 1. There is no God 2. There is no absolute truth 3. Man or each individual makes up his own mind on what is of value 4. Because of a lack truth or anything to measure man's subjective opinion on there is no way to know what is right or wrong. Man puts himself in the place of God. Everyone can do what he likes, and will be incapable, from such a point of view, of condemning either the point of view or the action of anyone else. This is a pretty sad way to live.