Existentialism it Is Difficult to

Existentialism It is difficult to define the concept of existentialism because the term is used to describe a group of philosophies. According to Wikipedia: existentialism is a unilateral philosophical movement that emphasizes the individual, the self, the individual's experience, and the uniqueness therein as the only reality. Existentialists believe in sheer freedom and accept the consequences and ramifications of their actions wholly. Existentialists prefer subjectivity, and view general existence as arcane, that they are isolated entities in an indifferent and often ambiguous universe ("Existentialism").

Wyatt defines existentialism as the "doctrine that among sentient beings, especially humanity, existence takes precedence over essence and holding that man is totally free and responsible for his acts" (Wyatt). In existentialism, an individual is defined by thoughts and actions, rather than by any state of being. Furthermore, the freedom that man has is not a source of relief, but rather the source of anxiety.

In contrast, Banach chooses to approach existentialism with a series of questions: 1) What is human freedom? What can the absolute freedom of absolute individuals mean? (2) What is human flourishing or human happiness? What general ethic or way of life emerges when [people] take their individuality seriously? (3) What ought [people] to do? The one thing that the authorities really agree on is that existentialism emphasizes the individual, rather than the universal. Each person is responsible for their own choices and their own consequences.

Therefore, the idea of good and evil is not absolute, but is merely a construct of reality. If I chose to live according to the existentialist philosophy, it would have a dramatic impact on my life. My current personal philosophy could be described as semi-existentialist. I am a firm believer in the concept of personal responsibility and personal freedom. However, I also believe in the idea of universal values and mores, which guide people in their behavior.

To me, those that do not comply with those universal values and mores are those people that are presently considered sociopaths. To me, a movement towards a life of pure existentialism would be a movement towards sociopathy. The most dramatic change in my life that would occur if I were to embrace an existential philosophy would be the effect on my personal relationships. I am a very social person, whom enjoys the company of groups of people.

I take comfort in finding similarities in groups of people and believe that people are more alike than different, once the trappings of individuality are stripped away. In contrast, existentialists believe that they are unique in the world. Therefore, many existentialists are plagued by feelings of alienation and loneliness. Instead of feeling special because of personal differences, existentialists focus on the differences. Therefore, existentialists believe that men are islands.

The first relationship that would be affected if I were to embrace an existential philosophy would be my relationship with my parents. We currently have an extremely close relationship, which focuses on our common experiences. Not only do we celebrate the experiences that we have shared, but we celebrate those experiences that we believe are universal to the human experience. For example, we believe that the parent-child bond is the primary motive behind most human behavior.

To embrace existentialism would be to deny that the bond between us is more than just a relationship forged between individuals. The second relationship that would be affected if I were to embrace an existential philosophy would be my relationship with my boyfriend. Right now, I approach our relationship with the idea that my role is to give as much love and understanding to him as I can. I do not question his motives for being in our relationship, but take the love he offers at face value.

However, if I embrace existentialism, then one thing I have to contemplate is why my boyfriend wants to be loved. Furthermore, I believe that existentialism also places an unfair burden on love, especially romantic love. Because existentialists believe that they are judged solely by actions and thoughts, then the romantic partner becomes the prime barometer of personal worth. Therefore, I believe that my romantic relationship would suffer if I were to become an existential philosopher.

Furthermore, my relationships with my friends would be impacted were I to embrace an existential philosophy. My friends and I agree on the concept of universal good and evils- that some things are so egregious that they are uniformly demonized by mankind. Some examples of this behavior would be pedophilia, cannibalism, and torture. While there have consistently been members of society that have engaged in those behaviors, they have continuously been considered taboo by others and subject to penalties.

If I were to reject the idea that some behaviors are intrinsically evil, then I would lose one of the major areas of bonding with my friends. To us, society depends, not just on individuals resisting impulses that they believe are evil or immoral, but on societal pressure to resist individual impulses. I do not believe that embracing an existential philosophy would have much of an effect on my school work. I am going to school in order to increase my success in life.

Even if I were to embrace an existential point-of-view, I would still be forced to deal with the constructed realities of other individuals. Therefore, I would still be driven to succeed in school, so that I would be a more competitive candidate for employment. However, one way that embracing an existential philosophy might affect me as a student is that it might change my ethical approach to school work.

Because existentialism focuses on the individual, I would not be concerned about the way that my behavior would impact my fellow students. Therefore, I might feel compelled to seek out ways to have an unfair advantage over my fellow students, if that fit within the framework of my own personal ethical system. The most dramatic impact of embracing an existential lifestyle might actually be on my job and career. My career goal is to work in law enforcement, as a prosecutor.

To existentialists, "every law is a tyranny over the living man" (Wyatt). Obviously, that position is contrary to the idea of someone that is attempting to enforce the law. I currently see law as a way of preserving society and keeping it from devolving into chaos. Currently, I see law as the way for people to codify the universal ideas of good and evil. By embracing existentialism, I would reject the idea of good or evil.

Therefore, I would lose confidence in the ability of mankind to impose the rule of law upon their fellow man. Losing that confidence would strip me of my belief in the legal system and force me to reevaluate my career goals. However, one goal that I believe would be positively impacted if I were to embrace existentialism would be my goals for family.

Losing the belief in immortality, I would be left with the knowledge that my only way to achieve immortality would be to leave a lasting impact on mankind. Therefore, my role as a parent would become even more important. While I might still feel alienated from my child because of the individual nature of mankind, I would be driven to make a positive impact on my child's life, so that part of me would be memorialized after my death.

Furthermore, I feel that this drive for immortality of some sort would have a positive impact on both my educational and career goals. Instead of being drawn towards law, I might feel the need to go into a field, such.