existentialism
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Born October 10th,1844University of Bonn in 1864In 1865 he discovered Schopenhauer's World as Will and IdeaAt the age of 24, Nietzsche held a professional position at the University of BaselIn 1889 he collapsed
Main Points of Existentialism
•Human free will•Personal responsibility and discipline is crucial•There is no transcendent force and thus humans are free and responsible•The only way to rise above other brainwashed individuals is through self realization•Worldly materials are pointless
Main Points of Existentialism Social Values and structures
should not control the individual
Science can’t and will make everything better
How one should view Existentialism
Life has ultimately no meaning, man must create some meaning for his life.
People must make themselves who they want to be
Man defines his own existence through human action
There is no God There is no single objective truth or reality Human beings have no fixed nature
Beliefs of Existentialists One must be unique and
against the following of others
Every individual is born and lives through his or her own personal meaning of existence
Humans must achieve self awareness through consequences made by choices
Each individual must have his or her own philosophy of life
Nietzsche’s Beliefs
Will to Power The Übermensch One must reject faith and
immortality One must assume that
either "God is dead," or that the Creator is no longer active in human development
Thus the Superman and his ideal society become responsible for their own morality
Master Morality, Slave Morality
The aristocratic class, or ruling class, became leaders through their naturally superior abilities and stronger aggressive instincts
The ruling class accept the use of aggression and the use of force
They believed that competition would bring out strong character
Master Morality, Slave Morality
Such leaders do not see a right and wrong, only a superior and inferior combatant
Meanwhile the lower class will embrace a moral code based upon a mythical equality of individuals. Knowing this, the aristocrats claim to acknowledge this equality in ways such as equality under the law, which rarely occurs in reality
The lower class eventually realizes that life cannot be equal, so a religion is developed
Master Morality, Slave Morality
Religion sets up that they are actually superior to those in power on earth
Thus the slave class embraced democracy and the principle of equality in order to bring the naturally superior class down to their level
Sin and evil are artificial. The slaves demean sex, human desire, and teach humility instead of respect for power and authority