Existentialism 7a.4 Themes
7A
EXISTENTIALISM
Unit structure
7A.0 Objectives
7A.1 Introduction
7A.2 Distinct Features of Existentialism
7A.3 Exponents of Existentialism
7A.4 Themes in Existentialism
7A.5 Educational Philosophy of Existentialism
7A.6 Critical Evaluation
7A.7 Summary
7A.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this unit you will be able to :
Understand the concept of existentialism.
Explain features of existentialism.
Identify the exponents of existentialism & their views.
Deliberate on some themes in existentialism.
Describe the educational philosophy of existentialism.
7A.1 INTRODUCTION
Existentialism is a way of philosophizing that may lead those who adopt it to a different conviction about the world and man’s life in it.
Existentialism is mainly a European philosophy that originated before the turn of the twentieth century, but became popular after World War II (1939 – 45).
The seeds of existentialism may be traced back to an earlier period of the history of philosophy. 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. Against this situation existentialism emerged as a protest against the society and asserted the supremacy of individuality of man. The existentialist philosophy is not a creation of any single philosopher. The existentialist writings scattered in the works of many philosophers, the important ones of which are : Friedrich Nietzsche, Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Martin Heidegger, Jean Paul Sartre, Karl Jaspers, Abbagnamo, Bardyaev and Albert Camus etc.
In American education, such people as Maxine Greene, George Kneeler, and Van Cleve Morris, are well-known existentialists who stress individualism and personal self-fulfillment.
7A.2
EXISTENTIALISM
Unit structure
7A.0 Objectives
7A.1 Introduction
7A.2 Distinct Features of Existentialism
7A.3 Exponents of Existentialism
7A.4 Themes in Existentialism
7A.5 Educational Philosophy of Existentialism
7A.6 Critical Evaluation
7A.7 Summary
7A.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this unit you will be able to :
Understand the concept of existentialism.
Explain features of existentialism.
Identify the exponents of existentialism & their views.
Deliberate on some themes in existentialism.
Describe the educational philosophy of existentialism.
7A.1 INTRODUCTION
Existentialism is a way of philosophizing that may lead those who adopt it to a different conviction about the world and man’s life in it.
Existentialism is mainly a European philosophy that originated before the turn of the twentieth century, but became popular after World War II (1939 – 45).
The seeds of existentialism may be traced back to an earlier period of the history of philosophy. 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. Against this situation existentialism emerged as a protest against the society and asserted the supremacy of individuality of man. The existentialist philosophy is not a creation of any single philosopher. The existentialist writings scattered in the works of many philosophers, the important ones of which are : Friedrich Nietzsche, Soren Kierkegaard, Gabriel Marcel, Martin Heidegger, Jean Paul Sartre, Karl Jaspers, Abbagnamo, Bardyaev and Albert Camus etc.
In American education, such people as Maxine Greene, George Kneeler, and Van Cleve Morris, are well-known existentialists who stress individualism and personal self-fulfillment.
7A.2
References: : 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.