Existentialism is more than just another philosophical movement

The most "common" definition of existentialism goes something like this:

• Existentialism: a chiefly 20th century philosophical movement embracing diverse doctrines but centering on analysis of individual existence in an unfathomable universe, and the plight of the individual, who must assume ultimate responsibility for acts of free will without any certain knowledge of what is right, wrong, good or bad.

Some definitions mention more key concepts of existentialism such as "alienation", the "absurd", "meaninglessness" and personal freedom to make choices based on the idea that there's no "god" or "gods" to intervene with one's personal affairs.

However, it must be mentioned here that Existentialism as a philosophy is not necessarily atheistic or Christian in nature. There are Christian existentialists, and atheist existentialists.

Other definitions maintain that the individual is solely responsible for giving his or her own life meaning and living that life passionately and sincerely, in spite of many existential obstacles and distractions including despair, angst, absurdity, alienation, and boredom.

I think the aforementioned definitions of existentialism are quite sufficient to describe its basic meaning. I tend to focus particularly on themes such as "anxiety", "despair" and "absurdity" when contemplating existentialism. I find existentialism to be a very "useful" philosophy because one can apply it to daily life in many "therapeutic" ways.

In a world where millions suffer from mental illness such as depression, I believe that "existential psychology" is one of the best approaches to fighting such illnesses. Knowing that "the human condition" is fraught with illness, loss and despair, we can begin to find ways to cope with what we know to be life's challenges.

By "studying" life, we can begin to discover ways in which we can make the pain less painful and we can suffer easier knowing that there are options to some of life's difficulties. Instead of suffering in silence, we can suffer "together" and feel a little less alone as individuals.

Existentialism has taught me that life is hard for everyone - not just some people. Daily life has its challenges. Each individual person is literally "thrown" into existence and is left to cope with whatever happens to them. Some existentialists such as "Martin Heidegger" have tried to separate "humans" from the other "animals" in the world. However, I maintain that we're not really all that different (existentially speaking) from the other animals.

All animals (including humans) are "thrown" into existence and never "asked" or "wanted" to be born. Think of the possibility of being born as a "frog" or "bacteria". What would our perception of the world be like? However, humans are unique in that we have "intellectual capabilities". We sort of "know" more about the nature of existence than most other animals. I do believe that some animals are "existentially aware" and have cognitive abilities that enable them to survive. Thus, all forms of life (especially sentient animals) are "existentially aware".

On the surface, human existence seems so ordinary and "natural" - but upon further investigation, we see that human life is just as "difficult" for us as it is for all other life forms on the planet.

Good News: Existentialism isn't just a "doom" or "gloom" philosophy. There are signs of "hope" and "happiness" in existentialism. For me, knowing that we can find ways to "cope with" some of the problems of life allows me to experience some degree of happiness. There's much more to say on this, and I will talk more about the "good aspects" of existentialism in subsequent parts of this website.

Existentialism seems (to me) to be a fairly scientifically accurate world view. By using the scientific method during philosophical contemplation and speculation, we can come up with a close estimation of "the truth". We can observe the effects of gravity, or we can "observe animal behavior" and draw conclusions based on "valid", "empirical" and "substantial" evidence.

So - existentialism involves science. That's cool. Learning about science always fascinated me. Science isn't just for school either. Specifically, thinking like a scientist can help ensure that one's thoughts are accurate and "congruent with" nature. Observation of "what is true" versus "what is false" makes a huge difference in one's own personal world view. If a person believes in "false ideas about reality", their behavior will be drastically different from someone else whose world views "are based on scientifically accurate" information.

Finally, existentialism can be a means to discover the "ultimate truth" of existence. We humans tend to talk a great deal about what is true and false. That is why I want to know as much as I possibly can about what "the Truth" is. And yes, I do mean capital "T" Truth, meaning: reality. I want to know what is "real", not what is false. Thus, existentialism helps me discover what I think is true. I know I could be wrong and in most cases, I think we humans probably are wrong about many things. However - I do think each person can create a "collection of beliefs and ideas" that represent reality in a very accurate way.