Its History, Proponents, and Classroom Implications

4. HISTORY OF EXISTENTIALISMTHE
It is not a set of doctrines or a
philosophical system.
It is a philosophical & cultural movement
that arose in the 19th
century Europe and
rose to fame in 1945 after the WW II
A movement that is primarily concerned
with the “Human Condition” which aims to
reassert the importance of individuality
and freedom.

5. HISTORY OF EXISTENTIALISMTHE
the slaughter at Verdun or the Somme or the Marne
What happened between 1914 and 1945?
What triggered the movement?
Destruction of Cities of Coventry or Dresden or
Nagasaki
Hitler’s Nazi concentration camp
Spanish Civil War
families fell victim to Stalin's purges
Great Depression of 1929-1935
the black-shirted and brown-shirted hysteria in Italy
and Germany
the Bolshevik terror in Russia

6. Battle of VerdunBattle of Verdun
Battle of SommeBattle of Somme
Battle of MarneBattle of Marne
Bolshevik TerrorBolshevik Terror
Black Shirts March onBlack Shirts March on
RomeRome
Stalin’s PurgesStalin’s Purges

7. Nazi’s Concentration CampNazi’s Concentration Camp
Destruction of CoventryDestruction of Coventry
Destruction of DresdenDestruction of Dresden
Destruction of NagasakiDestruction of Nagasaki

8. HUMAN CONDITION
violence and uncertaintyterror and inhumanity
civilization failed,
its values
meaningless
Reason failed,
Science failed,
“God is
nowhere/ is
dead”.
Man lived in
irrational
impulse and
will to power.
Technology was
advancing yet, we
were but a
“Lost Generation”.

9. HISTORY OF EXISTENTIALISMTHE
Something -- some system of values -- was necessary
for modern man. Man had to believe in something.
That something was an ordering principle. And this
was necessary, it seemed, because the scientific
temperament seemed not to satisfy man but to cause
him to wander even more aimlessly.
Mankind needed a new book of lessons.
A teacher as well.
Humanity demanded it.

10. HISTORY OF EXISTENTIALISMTHE
The considered founding figures or original giants of
Existentialism were:
Søren Kierkegaard
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Friedrich Nietzsche
It became more prominent and widely known after
WW II due to the ff. figures:
Martin Heidegger
Jean-Paul Sartre

11. HISTORY OF EXISTENTIALISMTHE
What tied all the existentialists thinker all
together?
“The problem of life as a human being.”
They take seriously the questions:
“Why Am I here?”
“What does it mean to be human?”
“How should I live my life?”

12. EXISTENTIALISM
Existentialists reject systems which propose to have
definitive answers to the questions of meaning and
purpose of life like Science and Reason.
The individual should figure out his own way of
answering these questions without generalizing the
solution to other individuals.
What mankind need is not a divine perspective but a
human perspective about life.
Existentialism is a philosophy premised on the individual.
as PHILOSOPHY

13. EXISTENTIALISM as PHILOSOPHY
The Existentialists sees something more in nature
of relationship between man and world. This has
little to do with the question of the world’s
finiteness or infiniteness; it has much to do with
the fact that existence is as man knows it; it is
specifically finite.
philosophical systems and religion doesn’t really know
what it is like to be human – to live in the world that
we’re living in – to experience all the fears and pain,
hopes and disappointments, and joy of life.

14. THETHE TAXONOMYTAXONOMY OFOF
EXISTENTIALISMEXISTENTIALISMMETAPHYSICAL/ONTOLOGY
Pluralistic worlds caused by experiencing one’s
own existing.
The Existentialist understands only his own
existence and struggle for essence. He is good
as no other alternative exists in the
confrontation of self and an end to self. The
world of mankind may have no meaning at all
except in the individual presence.

15. EPISTEMOLOGY
Truth a function of man’s choice of
alternatives he experienced.
The world is what each man makes it.
Truth – if there is a concern for truth getting
– is obtained in confronting dilemma of finite
existence with some kind of choice required.
Truth is in the act of choosing, not
necessarily in the particular choice.

16. ETHICS
AESTHETICS
Judged by individual forced into
existential choice.
Judged by individual independent of public
prescription.
In Axiological matters, the Existentialist must
choose what is beautiful and ethical in terms
relevant to his own existence/essence

18. EXISTENTIALISM’S BELIEFS
Meaninglessness. There is no inherent essence to
things, there is not an inherent morality to the universe,
and so each person and society must establish and
assert its own moral system.
A person as an individual is important simply because
he or she exists, and his or her "essence" develops over
time through life, rather than as a preexisting condition
inherent to his or her existence.
Moral Individualism where a person seek the greatest
good for themselves as opposed to the greatest good for
the universe or other people. It is subject to NO external
value judgment.

19. EXISTENTIALISM’S BELIEFS
Living an authentic life: This happens by making
independent choices and assuming responsibility for its
consequences.
Inauthentic life – when one’s freedom and anxiety,
values are just accepted from others because ‘that is
what everybody does’. How could a collective form of
existence ever be anything other than inauthentic?
We live in angst. We have no one to blame for our
choices but ourselves. This responsibility can lead to
dread and anxiety over choosing.

20. EXISTENTIALISM’S BELIEFS
Absurdity stems from attempts to assert purpose and
reason upon a universe that is meaningless. Rather
than all of this being seen as a purely negative concept,
however, it is important to acknowledge that people
move through and beyond this absurdity and do create
positive meaning for themselves.
The most important kind of knowledge is about human
condition and the choices that each person has to
make.

22. SSøren Kierkegaardren Kierkegaard
May 5, 1813 – Nov. 11, 1855
““Father ofFather of
Existentialism”Existentialism”
a Danish minister, philosopher,
theologian, and a religious author
Søren drifted into the study of theology at the
University of Copenhagen, but soon broadened
his study to include philosophy and literature.
Felt individual was responsible for giving life
meaning and living that life passionately
a Christian existentialist

23. Søren Kierkegaard “Father of
Existentialism”
Søren was worried that philosophy lost its way.
During the 18th century, reason and nature
were given more importance, objectivity was very
much emphasized, leading to industrial and
technological developments and Science was
given utmost importance. From the scientific
viewpoint, man was also regarded as an object.
Man became a slave to machines in developing
industrial society.
He felt the need to seek out answers regarding
uncertain things in life like our existence and
spiritual things.

24. Søren Kierkegaard “Father of
Existentialism”
His existential theology saw the birth of existentialism as
a philosophy because he wanted to see the individual
person as achieving the fullness of his own human
existence.
When people realize that they are alive and will one day
die--and there is no meaning to cling to– the person is in
an existential crisis and would feel a sense of dread or
angst.

25. Søren Kierkegaard “Father of
Existentialism”
Kierkegaard stressed the absurdity the human
situation and came up with the ff. principles:
An individual must live a totally committed life,
which is only understood by the individual
He advocated the leap of faith into Christianity
Although Christianity is incomprehensible it is the only
commitment that will save an individual from complete
and utter despair.
Once the person experienced existential crisis, he would
completely and without reservation commit himself to God,
even if it seems irrational to do so.

26. Søren Kierkegaard “Father of
Existentialism”
His philosophy can be seen in his doctrine that
there are three stages of life experience:
1
2
3
Aesthetic
Ethical
Religious

27. Søren Kierkegaard “Father of
Existentialism”
His philosophy can be seen in his doctrine that
there are three stages of life experience:
Aesthetic – the individual may just be
interested in pleasure or romance or in intellect
pursuits that are non-committal. The person
merely observes the world in a detached and
objective manner with no involvement
whatsoever. Here, Kierkegaard stressed that the
aesthetic mode of life remains futile and is
characterized by boredom.
1

28. Søren Kierkegaard “Father of
Existentialism”
His philosophy can be seen in his doctrine that
there are three stages of life experience:
Ethical – Man makes for himself a decision
coupled with resolute injunction ‘know thy self’
must be changed to ‘choose thyself’. This stage
is characterized by regard for duty.
2
3Religious – Obedience and commitment to God
manifest on this stage.

29. Søren Kierkegaard “Father of
Existentialism”
He brought about the ideas that people
should have morals.
He believed that each person has a history of
his own and that people’s spirit/soul should
be nurtured.
He also believed that children learn by
watching others. It is important for students
and educators to be morally sound.
Other beliefs:

30. Fyodor Dostoevsky
Nov. 11, 1821 – Feb. 9, 1881
born in Moscow, Russia
a Russian novelist, essayist,
short story writer, journalist and
philosopher
Wrote widely acclaimed books Crime and
Punishment, The Idiot , Notes from the
Underground, and The Brothers Karamazov

31. Fyodor Dostoevsky
What is permitted and what is not permitted is a
question that he dramatizes again and again,
and the development of his work as a dramatic
testing of the limits of freedom and a
progressive refinement of what he meant by the
concept of freedom.
At the center of all Dostoevsky's writing is the problem
of freedom.
Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, and
Notes to the Underground were viewed with
Existentialist philosophy.

32. Fyodor Dostoevsky
Themes of his Book:
“Life is in ourselves and not in the external”.1
2Man is limited by society, economic conditions,
laws, history, the church, and especially by
God. Man, however, does not want to be
defined and limited -- he wants to be free and
he wants to be totally and completely free.
3Man is right in wanting to be free, for freedom
is the essential attribute of his identity.

33. 4
6
“To be a human being among human beings,
and remain one forever, no matter what
misfortunes befall, not to become depressed,
and not to falter--this is what life is, herein
lies its task.”
Although consciousness arises from
suffering, allows for suffering, and
necessitates suffering, it also makes possible
free will and individuality. With
consciousness, man must suffer, but without
it, man will never be free.
5Suffering leads to the redemption of the soul.
Themes of his Book:

34. Friedrich Nietzsche
Oct. 15, 1844 – Aug. 25, 1900
“Atheist Existentialism”
born near Leipzig, Germany
one of the 19th century's most
influential philosophers, and his
work continues to influence modern existential
and postmodern philosophy.
known for his writings on good and evil, the end
of religion in modern society and the concept of
a “Superhuman".

35. Friedrich Nietzsche Atheist
Existentialist
He agreed with Schopenhauer that there is no
God and life is filled with pain and suffering, but
Nietzsche came to his own conclusion that
humans must get everything out of life and set
out to find out how to best do that.
in order to achieve anything worthwhile,
whether it be scaling a mountain to take in the
views or living a good life, hardship and effort
are necessary.
“no pain, no gain”
1
2

36. Friedrich Nietzsche Atheist
Existentialist
3 Superhuman - "Übermensch" refers to the person
who lives above and beyond pleasure and
suffering, treating both circumstances
equally, because joy and suffering are, in
his view, inseparable. Be in total freedom
and without the need for God.
4Will to Power - a source of strength and a
positive thing; people and animals willingly risk
their lives in order to promote their power. He
suggested that the struggle to survive is a secondary
drive in the evolution of animals and humans.

37. Friedrich Nietzsche Atheist
Existentialist
5 God is Dead
modern science and the increasing secularization of
European society had effectively "killed" the Christian God
that an individual will become who they are if they reject
outer dogmas, religion and philosophy and live their lives
according to the values and principles they themselves
created.
sorrows and troubles were not to be denied or escaped
(he particularly despised people who turned to drink or
to religion), but to be welcomed and cultivated and
thereby turned to one's advantage.

38. FriedrichFriedrich
NietzscheNietzsche
AtheistAtheist
ExistentialistExistentialist
In order to harvest great happiness in life, it
was necessary to live dangerously and take risks.
7
The only way in which life can be justified is as
an aesthetic phenomenon. His point was that, if
there is nothing outside this world (no God, no
transcendental realm of any sort), then any
justification or meaning that life has must be
derived from within itself.
8
“The Scientific assumption of an orderly
universe is a useful fiction that hides the
meaninglessness of existence.”
6

39. Martin Heidegger
German philosopher whose views on
human existence in a world of objects
He studied Catholic Theology however, Nietzsche’s God is
dead and Christ’s “My God why have you forsaken me?”
echoed through the words of Heidegger himself
and on Angst influenced the
existential philosophers.
September 26, 1889 – May 26, 1976
Messkirch, in South-West Germany
His interest in philosophy began upon reading Franz
Brentano’s book entitled On the Manifold Meaning of
Being according to Aristotle.

40. In 1927, he published Being and Time which
established him as the leading philosopher in the
German Language as far as fashion and influence were
concerned.
Martin Heidegger in his book Being and Time, gave a
very impressive analysis of human existence, the
prominence of the important themes of existentialism
like care, anxiety, guilt and above all death is brought
out here.
Heidegger's original treatment of such themes as human
finitude, death, nothingness, and authenticity led many
to associate him with existentialism.
Martin Heidegger

41. Does God (being)
exists?
Does this thing
exists?
Do we (beings)exist?
What is the meaning of
being ????
BEING AND TIME

42. BEING AND TIME
Human being (Dasein) stands out among other things
because they alone were able to encounter the question
of what it means to be and lead their own lives.
He introduced the concept of human being as DASEIN.
Dasein – is the “being” that stands back from everyday
consciousness and recognizes its own being. Dasein
asks the question: what does it mean to be?
Existence proceeds through understanding’s constant
projection of possibilities.
Living authentically involves Dasein’s understanding of
itself as something that exists and potentially doesn’t
exist (death).

43. Just jump
off the
bridge pal.
BEING AND TIME
You
should
become a
slave! You’re
weak!
I am weak. I will
not succeed. I
don’t think I can
be something
else except for a
slave. Where’s
the nearest
bridge???
INAUTHENTIC LIFE!!!
Pray that the
Lord have
mercy on
you.
You will
not
succeed in
life!

44. BEING AND TIME
You’re
weak!
Screw you all! I’m
gonna die one
day so I’m not
gonna live my life
according to your
opinions or
views.
I’ll do as I wish.
AUTHENTIC LIFE!!!
Pray that the
Lord have
mercy on
you.
Just jump
off the
bridge pal.
You will
not
succeed in
life!
You
should
become
a slave!

45. Jean-Paul Sartre
““AtheistAtheist
Existentialism”Existentialism”
the most widely known existentialist and
wrote Being and Nothingness.
Born in Paris on June 21, 1905
In 1944 during liberation he became a central figure in
the cultural life of Paris and the word he used to
describe his philosophy “existentialism” became the
main slogan of the day.

46. AtheistAtheist
ExistentialistExistentialist
Sartre’s Philosophy
The first philosopher who attempted to make
Existentialism into a coherent philosophy in
1943 in response to the absurdity of WW II.
“Existentialism is Humanism”, in a sense that
Existentialists start from nothing but humanity
itself.
Wrote Being and Nothingness; was considered
the “bible of the existentialists”.

47. Sartre’s Philosophy: Being and Nothingness
Humans are Being-in-itself
-we are conscious of our existence
Things are Being-for-itself
- unconscious
- unable to notice things
- existence is predetermined
BEING
-we perceive ourselves perceiving

48. Sartre’s Philosophy: Being and Nothingness
NOTHINGNESS
A hole inside the
consciousness.
actions
ideas
perceptions
The emptiness
gives human
potential for
multiple different
future and
possibilities.

49. Sartre’s Philosophy: Being and Nothingness
BAD FAITH
Man is free.
He can do anything.
Knowing that you have UNLIMITED
FREEDOM can cause fear.
You decide to ignore the realization
that you had and live as if you’re not
as free as you truly are.

50. Sartre’s Philosophy:
Being and Nothingness
“Existence precedes essence”. Man has no innate or
eternal 'nature.' Man must therefore create himself. He
must create his own nature or 'essence,' because it is not
fixed in advance."
existential moment arises when young people realize for
the first time that choice is theirs, that they are
responsible for themselves. Their question becomes "Who
am I and what should I do?
We are condemned to be free. Like actors dragged onto
the stage without having learned our lines, with no script
and no prompter to whisper stage directions to us. We
must decide for ourselves how to live."

52. EXISTENTIALISM IN EDUCATION
Existentialism in education is significant
in a number of ways. Some argue that
existentialism should be taught to students of all
levels. Others feel that the role of
existentialism in education should be
reserved for higher education.
Existentialism and Søren Kierkegaard had
a very important impact on education.

53. CONCEPT OF EDUCATIONCONCEPT OF EDUCATION
Education should be designed to create in us a
sense of self-awareness and to contribute to our
authenticity as human beings.
It is extremely important that schools get back to
the three R’s of education. Children need to be
taught how to succeed in life no matter what
career they choose and schools need to prepare
them for that life.
1
2
3
Concerning the curriculum content, an
existentialist experiences and subjects will create
room for dialogue. The subjects should be the one
that vividly portray individual men and women in
the act of making choices.
READING
wRITING
aRITHMETIC

54. CONCEPT OF EDUCATIONCONCEPT OF EDUCATION
4
Child – Centered Education. It gives full freedom
to the child. The teacher should help the child to
know himself and recognize his being. Freedom
is required for natural development. Education
should convert imperfection into perfection.
Education should be according to the individual’s
needs and abilities of the child. The relation of
the child to himself should be strengthened by
education.

55. CONCEPT OF EDUCATIONCONCEPT OF EDUCATION
5
The curriculum would avoid systematic
knowledge or structured disciplines, and the
students would be free to select from many
available learning situations. The learners would
choose the knowledge they wish to possess. The
humanities are commonly given tremendous
emphasis. They are explored as a means of
providing students with vicarious experiences
that will help unleash their own creativity and
self – expression.

56. CONCEPT OF STUDENTS
For Existentialists, the classroom is a free market of
ideas and as such, it must guarantee complete freedom
of thought for the individual.
Existentialists give students complete freedom, and
complete responsibility, with regard to their
education. The only authority is one’s self.
Students are encouraged to understand and
appreciate their uniqueness and to assume
responsibility for their actions.
Students are not expected to live up to anyone’s
expectations besides the expectations that they
have for themselves.
1
2
3

57. A student thrives better when relieved from intense
competition, harsh discipline, and fear of failure.
Thus each child can grow to understand his own
needs and values and take charge of the experiences
for changing him.
4The student accepts the discipline prescribed by the
teacher and does not become irresponsible. The
purpose of freedom given to him should be to enable
him to effect the full development of his individuality.
5Career-oriented education is seen as a means for
students to become aware of their individual talents
and potential, with “success” as a concept that’s open
to interpretation by the student.
“I’d rather see my educational efforts produce a
“happy street cleaner than a neurotic scholar.”
- Alexander Sutherland Neill
6

58. AT A TEACHER LEVEL:
The teacher’s role is to help students define their
own essence by exposing them to various paths they
may take in life and creating an environment in
which they may freely choose their preferred way.
1
2
The function of the teacher is to act only as a referee
in the intellectual play-field, but also a source person
or facilitator of the learning process and he must not
interfere with the students’ choices or decisions.
“Teach a student what to think and you make him a slave
of knowledge; but teach the student how to think and you
make knowledge his slave.”
CONCEPT OF TEACHERSCONCEPT OF TEACHERS

59. 3
A teacher should learn what each child’s needs are
and where the child is academically. The set of
curriculum should be modeled to fit each
individual students needs or at least come close.
4
The teacher’s characteristic of being ‘open’ to
possibilities includes a willingness to allow others
to re-evaluate those aspects of one’s
understandings that can be articulated. If one
chooses to ‘close’ oneself off from the criticisms of
others, one is no longer teacher.
The teacher must build positive relationships
between himself and his students. He should avoid
applying labels to children (such as ‘lazy’, ‘slow
learner’ etc.)
5

61. •An Existentialist Approach to Teaching
•Heiddegerr, Martin. (1927). Being and Time.
•Chapter7A EXISTENTIALISM
•Macquarrie, J. (1968) : Existenatialism, Pelican Book.
•Chaube S.P. & Chaube A. (1996) : Foundations of Education, Publishing House, New Delhi.
•Chandra S.S. & Sharma R.K. (2004) : Philosophy of Education, Atlantic Publishers.
•Ekanem, Dr. Francis E. (2012). Educational Existentialism. Journal of Humanities and Social
Science.
•Maheshwari, Dr. V.K. (2011). Existentialism – As an Educational Philosophy. College,
Roorkee, India.
•Miller, Kim. (2013). Existentialism-A Great Philosophy of Education. Retrieved from:
http://blog.enroll.com/view-post/Existentialism-A-Great-Philosophy-of-Education
•Goserud, Erik J.J. (2014). Applications of Existentialism in Education.
•(2005). Philosophy of Education. McGraw-Hill Higher Education
•Ivers, Gene. (2011). Existentialism.
•McGourty, M. Burwell, Don. (2000). Existentialism. Albertson College of Idaho.