Posted: September 5th, 2022

Existentialism of Kierkegaard and Sartre Philosophy

Existentialism of Kierkegaard and Sartre Philosophy
Like any other philosophy, Existentialism is not easy to define. And with so many ambiguous and contradictory definitions, the term has become a common vocabulary in contemporary philosophy. The most widely acknowledged definition of Existentialism is that it is a philosophic viewpoint that emphasizes human existence over essence. It is also often described as the philosophy of existence.
Existentialism first began with the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard between the years 1813 and 1855. Kierkegaard was considered the father of the existentialism movement and popularly known for his strong interest in the relationship between man and God. According to him, the relationship was ultimately impossible due to the finite character of a man and the infinite and absolute form of God. Kierkegaard strongly rebelled against Christendom but not Christianity. The term would later gain more popularity at the end of the second world war, attracting the interest of many influential philosophers of the 20th century, including Jean-Paul Sartre.
There are two types of existentialists, Christian, and atheistic existentialists. Kierkegaard was the founder of theistic Existentialism, which regards God as the ultimate reality. Kierkegaard and other succeeding theistic existentialists considered God as the ultimate reality. According to Kierkegaard, God is the only subjective and supreme being. His only concern was in the way people expressed their true Christianity. He argued that Christianity had been reduced to rules that stressed conformity rather than self-reflection. He was for the belief that being true Christianity entails accepting and embracing the reality of God. However, Kierkegaard also strongly opposed the notion of God as being, expressing himself through humans and nature.
Atheistic Existentialism, on the other hand, regards Being-in-itself as reality. Sartre was one of the famous atheist externalists who passionately opposed the idea of God. In his book, Sartre argued that God did not exist and, therefore, could not have created being-in-itself. According to him, nothing created being-in-itself because it was not produced, to begin with. To him, a man begins from nothing and only then proceeds to become something. Hence the man is responsible for defining his existence through his plans and actions and can only exist to the extent of utmost self-fulfillment.
Existentialists philosophers accentuate the existence of people, their freedom to make choices, define their meaning in life, make efforts to make rational decisions, and be ready to accept the consequences of their choices. Atheistic externalists mainly focus on the issues of human existence, sharing the common belief that existence precedes essence. Christian existentialists, in contrast, believe and value the existence of God, and that the only way to find meaning in life is by accepting and embracing his existence.

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