Kierkegaard's Existentialism
             I chose this theme because existentialism was a way of thinking in which so many philosophers, writers and poets subscribed to, that it warranted further study.
             Existentialism is a philosophical movement or tendency that emphasizes individual existence, freedom and choice. Existentialism places an emphasis on the individual. Human existence must include passion and emotion and focuses on anxiety and death and their roles in everyday life.
             I enjoyed the different philosophers' takes on the subject. They all basically believed the same thing but each had a personal flavor that was added with every ones' reasoning (Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Simone de Beauvoir and especially Sartre).
             Soren Kierkegaard is generally regarded as the founder of modern existentialism. He stressed the mystery and misunderstandings of the human situation. His solution to this was that the individual had to live a totally committed life and be always prepared to go against the grain of society's norms. Kierkegaard felt that this was required in order to live a personally valid life which holds more importance than society's perceptions. He advocated a Christian way of life and felt this was the only way to save oneself from despair. Existentialism acquires its name from insisting that existence precedes essence. What I think that means, is that we have no essence, no essential self and we are no more than what we really are, only the sum of what we have created in life.
             What a pessimistic view! I feel that what is totally ignored here is the power and importance of the spiritual self. That is our essence and what we really are in my opinion. Regardless of what we achieve in society, there is no guarantee of personal inner success or spiritual happiness unless we can look in the mirror and like what we see.
             What I understand about the Existentialists is that t...