--- title: "Existentialism - Lecture by Daniel Bonevac" tags: camus existentialism literature-notes philosophy sartre date: 2020-11-28 18:10:55 --- # Existentialism - Lecture by Daniel Bonevac [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a-8xBbr05Y) Centered around the question what does life mean? Themes... - Alienation: from the world - you are alone in the world, the world is foreign to you. - Absurdity: You notice a lack of meaning [[Albert Camus]]: Central philosophical problem is that of suicide. Does life have a meaning? ### [[Aristotle]] - Human being strive for happiness - Our excellence consists in fulfilling our function well - What is our function? What are we for? His answer is Rational Activity. Humans can act rationally - which animals can't. ### [[Jean-Paul Sartre]] Jean-Paul Sartre says "Existence precedes essence". By that he means there is no intrinsic meaning to life. But we are free to define ourself as we choose. Facticity: There are things that are fixed - they can't be changed. But we are not - we have the power to chose and change as we wish. We are "Self interpreting animals"(Charles Taylor). Our essence is to chose our own essence. ### [[Heidegger]] I give my life meaning thru projects I choose. This is freedom - but a limited freedom. My range of choice is not decided by me. "I'm thrown into the world". And because of that, I will feel alienated from the world. ### The Absurd We confront the absurd when we seek meaning and can't find it. "We are not what we are - we are what we are not." ### [[Albert Camus]] According to Camus, we confront the absurd in various experiences - weariness with the routine - seeing something out of context - recognizing our own inability to act or understand. His goal was "to live without appeal". Ie. live on my own terms. I don't appeal to anything external. We create our own meaning - there is no external authority or meaning. Camus draw from the absurd three consequence... - my revolt (I revolt at the idea that life has no meaning - I will make one) - my freedom - my passion (I live meaning to my life - and that makes it my meaning. I'll be passionate about it) ### Saul Bellow "Seize the day, trusting as little as possible of the future" This is in opposition to what Aristotle says - act rationally, make plans, act long term. This tells us to be in the movement. This is an Epicurean view... - Materialism: World is only material things - I am my body. - Determinism: We have no freedom - everything is determined by physical laws and what has gone before. - Hedonism: Seek pleasure, seek freedom from fear, seek tranquility - Self Control: To attain pleasure and tranquility you must know the world and limit your desire. - Anonymity: "Live Unknown". Don't seek fame, glory or honor. Don't define success in a way that depends on other people - especially strangers. The Burden of existence - comes from the story by Saul Bellow called 'Carpe Diem' - Wilhelm confronts the absurd - He feels throws into the world and feels a sense of alienation - He mistakenly thinks of his life as a given, as a burden, as being in itself. - "He was a little tired. The spirit, the peculiar burden of his existence lay upon him like an accretion, a load, a hump." --- "The literal meaning of life is whatever meaning you give to it to prevent you from killing yourself" Albert Camus --- ### Tags #camus #existentialism #literature-notes #philosophy #sartre