Analysis of Existentialism: Introduction to Philosophy PHIL 1000

This essay provides an introduction to the philosophy of existentialism, focusing on its core tenets, including freedom and authenticity. It highlights Søren Kierkegaard's contribution to existentialism and discusses the impact of this philosophy on individuals and society. The essay also contrasts existentialism with Epicurean Hedonism, noting the differences in their views on reason and the existence of order in the world. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of existentialism as a life philosophy, particularly in contemporary society. Desklib provides access to this essay and a wealth of other study resources for students.

Running head: INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
Existentialism refers to the life philosophy that is extremely necessary to deal with in the
present world. The philosophy of the existentialism refers to the traditional philosophical inquiry
that is associated majorly with the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries philosophers. The
following essay attempts a discussion on the life philosophy of existentialism. The essay opens
with the summarization of the major points that have been put forth by the propounders of the
existentialist philosophy. The essay moves on to discuss the contribution of the Søren
Kierkegaard to the field of the researches that were conducted in the field of the existentialist life
philosophy. The essay further moves on to discuss the effects of the implication of existentialism
on the individual. The essay further proceeds with the discussion of the effects of the implication
of existentialism on the society at large. The essay nears the conclusion with the discussion of
the objection that is posed by the Epicurean Hedonism to the philosophy in discussion,
existentialism.
The philosophy of the existentialism refers to the traditional philosophical inquiry that is
associated majorly with the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries philosophers. Existentialism is
a life philosophy that is majorly concerned with the fact that the human beings were the central
figures in the philosophical thoughts. The key factor that has been discussed within the
philosophical theory of existentialism refers to the freedom that is considered to be central to the
human being (Falikowski, 2003). However, the other major factor as discussed within the theory
of existentialism is the factor of authenticity as maintained by the concerned person. The major
tenets of the life philosophy of existentialism state that the existence of the individual is majorly
free. The existentialist philosophy also aims to discuss the given individual to be a responsible
agent for the determination of the development of the actions that are based on one’s own will.
The theory of existentialism suggests that the human beings were created first. The theory further

2INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
states that the characteristics of the human beings have been created throughout their complete
lifetime. The concerned theory also states that the reason is not always dependable for the higher
decisions that are taken by the given individual. The theory of existentialism states that the factor
of reason is one of the major factors that help in defining the person (Falikowski, 2003). The
theory of existentialism states that the person should hold responsibility for his own actions.
The major contributor to the theory of existentialism is the celebrated Danish
philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard (Falikowski, 2003). The philosopher is often known as the father
of the philosophy of existentialism. The major contribution of the philosopher to the theory of
the existentialism was influenced by the criticism that were put forth by the concerned author in
the matters that were put forth by Hegel. The philosopher was majorly influenced by the Kantian
philosophy that has been existent. The philosopher was known to be criticizing the philosophy as
proposed by Socrates (Falikowski, 2003). The philosopher is known to lay more stress on the
importance of the subjectivity and the ways in which the people might relate to the objective
truths as depicted by the people.
The theory of existentialism might help in the development of the people who have been
residing in the society. The key factor that has been discussed within the philosophical theory of
existentialism refers to the freedom that is considered to be central to the human being. However,
the other major factor as discussed within the theory of existentialism is the factor of authenticity
as maintained by the concerned person (Falikowski, 2003). The major tenets of the life
philosophy of existentialism state that the existence of the individual is majorly free. The
existentialist philosophy also aims to discuss the given individual to be a responsible agent for
the determination of the development of the actions that are based on one’s own will. The theory
of the existentialism helps the concerned individual to put forth a discussion on the issues that

3INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
deal with the self-identification of the given individual (Falikowski, 2003). The theory of
existentialism further encourages the concerned person to put forth various questions regarding
the issues that are related to the existence of the person in discussion. This is helpful in the
discussion of the queries that might arise within the mind of the concerned individual in
discussion.
The theory of existentialism might help in the development of the society at large. The
major factors that are discussed within the life philosophy of existentialism refers to the
traditional philosophical inquiry that is associated majorly with the nineteenth and the twentieth
centuries philosophers. The existentialist philosophy aims to discuss the given individual to be a
responsible agent for the determination of the development of the actions that are based on one’s
own will (Falikowski, 2003). This helps the individuals who have been residing within the social
boundaries and the society at large to take responsibility of the actions that they have been
involved with. The theory of existentialism suggests that the human beings were created first.
The theory further states that the characteristics of the human beings have been created
throughout their complete lifetime. This enables the individuals to understand as well as take
responsibility of the events that take place within the given society (Falikowski, 2003). The
theory of existentialism as proposed by Kierkegaard also enables the society at large to be
answerable to the individuals residing within the system and vice versa. This on a positive note
helps in controlling the rate of the misdeeds within the given society.
The concept of existentialism might be contrasted to the philosophical concept as
discussed by the school of Epicurean Hedonism. Epicurean Hedonism states that the only
intrinsic goal of a given human being is pleasure. The Epicurean Hedonism further states that the
greatest pleasure that might be achieved by the concerned individual can result from the lack of

4INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
fear and pain within the life of the given individual. The school of Epicurean Hedonism states
that the lack of the fear and the pain from the life of an individual might result in the
simplification of the life of an individual. Epicurean Hedonism believes in the acceptance of the
ordered formation of the world on an apriori basis (Falikowski, 2003). The school of
existentialism, on the other hand, states that the reason is not always dependable for the higher
decisions that are taken by the given individual. The theory of existentialism states that the factor
of reason is one of the major factors that help in defining the person. The theory of existentialism
states that the person should hold responsibility for his own actions. The life philosophy of
existentialism outright denies the presence of an order within the daily activities around the
world.
In lieu of the above discussion it might be pointed out that the existentialism as discussed
by the celebrated Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard, is one of the most important life
philosophies that are followed by the residents of the world. The philosophy of the existentialism
refers to the traditional philosophical inquiry that is associated majorly with the nineteenth and
the twentieth centuries philosophers. The existentialist philosophy aims to discuss the given
individual to be a responsible agent for the determination of the development of the actions that
are based on one’s own will. The theory of existentialism suggests that the human beings were
created first and that the characteristics of the human beings have been created throughout their
complete lifetime.

5INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
Reference
Falikowski, A. F. (2003). Experiencing philosophy. Pearson.