Existentialism is a term that incorporates both a specific philosophical history and its subsequent literary reception and popular use. Philosophically, "existentialism" loosely describes a reaction against abstract rationalist...

The existentialist tradition has influenced European political thinkers in various ways since at least the 18th century. Its most recent significant manifestation is in French political thought, with the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre...

Existentialism [addendum] The development of "existentialism" in the last years of its leading French proponents, Jean-Paul Sartre and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, occurred in the areas of social philosophy and existential psychoanalysis in the...

A philosophical theory, first formulated by Kierkegaard, in which being is of fundamental importance. Each person is aware of their own self and able to act in the world on the basis of experience and the situation. It assumes a number of different...

Existentialism is a philosophical movement which posits that individual human beings create the meaning and essence of their lives. It emerged as a movement in twentieth-century literature and philosophy, though it had forerunners in earlier centuries....

article in this week's Observer about the unanimity among New York politicians in supporting Israel's bombing of Lebanon (surprise) contains an important statement by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (who was a brave opponent of the Iraq war): [Nadler] equated support for Israel at this moment with...

Two of the anonymous geniuses behind ABC's The Note did some musing on the Mayor's race in Sunday's City Section, offering seven reasons Mike will be hard to beat. The whole piece is worth a read, but this item in particular struck us: "The post-9/11...

Today's Post gives Cindy Adams a much-deserved page-one teaser: "WTC: Why I hate this lousy movie." Inside, on page 14, Cindy--self-nominated as "New York's watchdog" (motion seconded! And carried!)--touches all the critical bases: * Filmgoing experience? "Slow-moving and formulaic." * Commercial prospects? Oliver Stone's "handlers...

Provides answers to questions about existentialism, existentialist philosophers and their beliefs (Sarte, Nietzsche, Marcel) on what existentialism is.

Existentialism is a philosophical movement that argues, "Existence precedes essence." The individual must exercise his freewill to decide his or her own "essential" nature. The concept of existence preceding essence is very important to the philosophy of Existentialism because it describes the only possible reality as the judge of good or evil.

Essay contains questions and answers relating to Albert Camus's philosophy of existentialism.