According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, "existentialism is a catch-all term for those philosophers who consider the nature of the human condition as a key philosophical problem and who share the view that this problem is best addressed through ontology."

Major Existentialist Philosophers include:

Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)
Martin Heidegger (1889-1976)
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980)
Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986)
Albert Camus (1913-1960)

Without, I hope, an overdose of angst, the following are some more of my favorite existential quotes-note the emphasis on freewill and freethinking:

“Seeking what is true is not seeking what is desirable.”
― Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays

“There is something infantile in the presumption that somebody else has a responsibility to give your life meaning and point… The truly adult view, by contrast, is that our life is as meaningful, as full and as wonderful as we choose to make it.”
― Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion

“I rebel; therefore I exist.”
― Albert Camus

“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.”
― Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness

“Man is free, in so far as he has the power of contradicting himself and his essential nature. Man is free even from his freedom; that is, he can surrender his humanity”
― Paul Tillich, Systematic Theology 2: Existence and the Christ

“Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself.”
― Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism

“Obviously, all religions fall far short of their own ideals.”
― Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death

“To choose not to choose is still a choice for which you alone are responsible.”
― Gary Cox, How to Be an Existentialist: or How to Get Real, Get a Grip and Stop Making Excuses

“The supernatural is not as it claims, for it is inherently unnatural; it seeks to separate us from our natural world.”
― Joe Iacovino, In the Shadow of the Sun

“Regardless of the staggering dimensions of the world about us, the density of our ignorance, the risks of catastrophes to come, and our individual weakness within the immense collectivity, the fact remains that we are absolutely free today if we choose to will our existence in its finiteness, a finiteness which is open on the infinite. And in fact, any man who has known real loves, real revolts, real desires, and real will knows quite well that he has no need of any outside guarantee to be sure of his goals; their certitude comes from his own drive.”
― Simone de Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity


Last edited by LanceB.- Alter Ego; 09/05/13 04:16 AM.