# Humanities & Anthropology > Philosophy >  Philosophy: Are you an existentialist?

## No-name

Do you exist? What is the meaning of existence? Why do you exist?
What is the point?

What do you know about existentialism and are you an existentialist?
Do you live your life, as Thoreau proposed, deliberately, siezing every moment and sucking the marrow out of life? Or are you and absurdist like Sarte? Are you waiting for Godot? Entranced by Kirkegaard? or perhaps stuck in a room with No Exit. God, Existence, Reality....

Someone respond quickly!

Perhaps we can organize some of the responses into a poll.

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## Frank D. White

I was just waiting around to die, till I found nursing. Helping people is a good reason to get up in the morning and keep on living for me.That and hanging around to take care of my cats.

Frank

 :Blush:

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## Revenant

Thoreou got his ideas of contemplation from the Eastern religions, and it is similar to if not the same as the Buddhist Mindfulness. That is to always be present for this moment (even when planning, or remembering), and to create a calm space between stimuli and response. I attempt to live life mindfully, seeing in it a better understanding of myself, more serenity, and better control over impulses. I'm not finding the practice easy to remember, and go through long spaces of time not aware of what I was thinking, or being unaware that I was getting irritated, or the worst is climbing into some fantasy world and checking out for even longer periods of time. I try not to do these things.

As to my purpose in life, it is to enjoy this moment, connect more meaningfully with others, and hopefully leave behind a chain reaction of positive feelings. That's as I see it anyways.

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## Clawn

We must exist because we are here. From what we are givin as senses, we can only assume that we exist. If I didn't exist, I wouldn't be writing this, yet, none of us can ever be 100% sure of another's existence. I still like to think that the people I interact with exist.

Why do we exist? That is the million dollar question, my friend. If you're asking literally _why_ we exist, I can answer. In my opinion, God put us here. There are other reasons too, some say evolution, some say rebirth, some say destiny. But what reason do we have for existing? There are much too many too count, but I'll try to get some of the big ones.
ReproduceFind a purposeLearn all that the universe has to offerSurvive

I know its a shabby list, but those are the extremely basic human goals in life, in my opinion.

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## No-name

Why do existentialists seem to fall into two categories- the angst-ridden anxious Eeyore types and the Carpe-diem ascetic Whitman types?

What happens when you have reproduced, passed that phase, found a purpose and fulfilled it, learned almost as much as a human brain can hold, and survived for a while???

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## Clawn

> Why do existentialists seem to fall into two categories- the angst-ridden anxious Eeyore types and the Carpe-diem ascetic Whitman types?
> 
> What happens when you have reproduced, passed that phase, found a purpose and fulfilled it, learned almost as much as a human brain can hold, and survived for a while???


Then, you either: die, go into a coma, commit suicide from discovering the "ultimate truth", or keep on living. ^_^

Although I doubt one would be able to ever fully understand everything there is to know, if they did, I would just spend my time writing so as to better enhance the progression of the human race as a whole.

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## No-name

..and you won't find out what happens next.

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## Sensuikan San

I don't think I'm an existentialist ....

I don't look good in a black turtleneck ..... and blue lipstick brings me out in a rash ...!

W

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## Clawn

> ..and you won't find out what happens next.


Who said there was something next?  :Poh:

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## No-name

Have you tried the Belief-O-Matic Quiz? http://beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html

I match the Quakers 100% (And I kinda look like the guy on the oats box, too)

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## No-name

When we discuss the great Existential question, I know that it has to do with existence, but what is the exact question?
Is the question "Why am I here?", "Why are we here?", or "What is real?"

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## Tsuyoiko

> I kinda look like the guy on the oats box


I hope not! When I was little I used to spend Saturdays with my Auntie at her in-laws. They had Quaker oats, and I used to be scared to death of that guy. I thought he was watching to make sure I behaved while I was in someone else's house!

I came out as 100% Quaker too! Either the quiz thinks everyone is a Quaker, or it's not very accurate! I had to choose 'none of the above' for the first several questions, as it lumps 'no god' in with 'not sure or not important', which isn't how I feel.

Anyway, getting back ontopic..

Existentialism makes my brain hurt, even though I have a degree in Philosophy! I find Sartre particularly confusing. About the only thing I remember about studying _Being and Nothingness_ is that you just have to prove that existence is not a property, and then you can file the whole thing under 'b' for 'bin'. Anyway, I'm not an existentialist. I agree that anxiety, dread etc are fundamental to being a human, but I think they can be explained scientifically, as the result of genes, upbringing etc. I think neuroscience has made this aspect of existentialism somewhat defunct. I also don't buy the bit about humans having to impose their own meaning on life. The universe has many wonders that would exist without us, and these can give our lives meaning without any input from us - other than our observing them. Some damn good novels and films have been based on those themes though.

My therapist tried to use existential philosophy to help me find a means of coping with anxiety. She told me that I would always be anxious, so I had to find a way to use it to my advantage.

On the whole I have the same attitude to existentialism as I have toward anything else - there are useful bits in it, but no single philosophy can give a true picture.

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## Tsuyoiko

> When we discuss the great Existential question, I know that it has to do with existence, but what is the exact question?
> Is the question "Why am I here?", "Why are we here?", or "What is real?"


We don't know the question, but the answer's '42'  :Laughing:

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## mad pierrot

> When we discuss the great Existential question, I know that it has to do with existence, but what is the exact question?
> Is the question "Why am I here?", "Why are we here?", or "What is real?"


Seriously, I think the only real question is "Why?"

And, I think the only real answer is "Why not?"*





*Thanks to my grandpappy for that answer.

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## No-name

> Seriously, I think the only real question is "Why?"
> And, I think the only real answer is "Why not?"*
> *Thanks to my grandpappy for that answer.


I hate to ask....
But why?

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## PRIZMATIC

:Angel:  Fragment from one treatise- 
... Wandering roads of "time" we start to think by this " the time periods "... This " great fetters " - "Time" - withdraw us in labyrinthes of "heathland", taking away at us "reviver" of revelation of "Instant"... Only in an instant moment, and not up to it and next - last true...

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## mad pierrot

Why not?









 :Biggrin:

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## Sensuikan San

Very profound. Very profound.

I couldn't agree more! :) 


W

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## Sensuikan San

Sorry, folks - I just have to say it ....

This is so ...*deep*,man ... !

_Cool!_

W

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## No-name

Would this particular thread work better if I get on the bongos and djembe?
Bompitta tap pitta tap bom tap tap....
We could dim the lights and recite poetry?

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## bureto

My results for the Belief-O-Matic...
1. Neo-Pagan (100%) 
2. Mahayana Buddhism (84%) 
3. Unitarian Universalism (82%) 
4. Hinduism (82%)

On the bottom of the list is Roman Catholic, the church I grew up in...

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## Revenant

1. Liberal Quakers (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
3. Theravada Buddhism (96%)
4. Secular Humanism (93%)
5. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (86%)

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## No-name

Friends! Quakers of the world unite! (UUugh, Nixon was raised a Quaker!)

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## Tsuyoiko

Sabro and Revenant, I think we should start a group. Since none of us are really Quakers, why not call ourselves the Fakey Quakers?  :Laughing:

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## Clawn

1. Orthodox Quaker (100%) 
2. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (98%) 
3. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (95%) 
4. Eastern Orthodox (86%) 
5. Roman Catholic (86%)
 :Poh:

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## No-name

What is with the Quaker thing? Has anyone looked at the items that generate 100% Quaker?

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## GoldCoinLover

> We must exist because we are here. From what we are givin as senses, we can only assume that we exist. If I didn't exist, I wouldn't be writing this, yet, none of us can ever be 100% sure of another's existence. I still like to think that the people I interact with exist.
> Why do we exist? That is the million dollar question, my friend. If you're asking literally _why_ we exist, I can answer. In my opinion, God put us here. There are other reasons too, some say evolution, some say rebirth, some say destiny. But what reason do we have for existing? There are much too many too count, but I'll try to get some of the big ones.
> ReproduceFind a purposeLearn all that the universe has to offerSurvive
> I know its a shabby list, but those are the extremely basic human goals in life, in my opinion.


I hate my life. I am alawys so sad and feel terrible all the time. 

It'd suck if we died and then when we did we "woke" up from existance. I know it sounds crazy but no one knows.

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## No-name

GoldCoinLover-
Your pain seems so great and so real. I wish there was something- really anything I could do or say to take that away and help you onto a path with a life that is rich and abundant and certainly worth living. 

My friend and fellow musician Kelley Maiden died last Thursday of cancer- He was 42 and fought for every minute of life- wanting to go out and serve other. He was the biggest kid and always in trouble for all kinds of mischief and for buying toys that he could not afford. In the last two years he was always more concerned about making us unhappy than he was at his impending death. When he died, he was still planning on how to fix the tatoo on his neck, on the custom paint job for his big truck, on his son's next paintball party, on our next big Harley ride, on this big missionary trip to Romania. I miss the guy- we switched off on bass and guitar, but he was better at both... and I think he was better at life. In spite of the pain he felt during his illness, I think he was too busy living to feel it deeply or to worry about dying.

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## mapusyaw

1. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (100%) 
2. Unitarian Universalism (96%) 
3. Liberal Quakers (92%) 
4. Secular Humanism (88%) 
5. Neo-Pagan (84%) 




> It'd suck if we died and then when we did we "woke" up from existance. I know it sounds crazy but no one knows.


somehow, i agree. is the culmination of life. each is part of the other.

GoldCoinLover-
has this been going on for a long time?

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## mapusyaw

> Do you exist? What is the meaning of existence? Why do you exist?
> What is the point?


there is no real answer to them for they depend from person to person. the answer that one may fnd cannot be applied in general because how one lived id different to how others have lived. existential questions are keys to finding one's own identity.

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## No-name

Of course mapusyaw, Existentialism is wholly subjective -- that is, it begins and ends with the subject: man. "Existentialism is also an outlook, or a perspective, on life that pursues the question of the meaning of life or the meaning of existence. It is this question that is seen as being of paramount importance, above both scientific and other philosophical pursuits." (Wikipedia) Are you an existentialist?

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## mapusyaw

basically yes...




> "Existentialism is also an outlook, or a perspective, on life that pursues the question of the meaning of life or the meaning of existence. It is this question that is seen as being of paramount importance, above both scientific and other philosophical pursuits." (Wikipedia)


but what if the person's anwer to the meaning of life is centered on religion and divine providence, would that still be called existentialism?

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## Kuro_Tsubasa69

Do I exist? I hope so. I have always wondered that, especially after having watched the matrix.  :Relieved: 

See, the thing is, we have really no concrete evidence that we exist, except our perception that we do, the belief that we do. And really, that is all that matters to me. Somebody asked me that once, the same question you are, and when they brought that up, i told them that that is all the matters, is the feeling that i exist. Because, really, if you feel that life exists, it must.

But also, i just finished 1984. You know the thing about the past, how it is forever rewritten by the party, and how O'Brien says that is not a concrete thing and etc? That frankly freaked me out, because i realized that IT'S NOT. It is entirely based on the memories of people, and how people remember things is skewed by emotion. But then i was thinking, then what about the effects of it? But, if you rewrite the past, you can change how people are now, ne? Is it really concrete? If you think about this too much, you'll get a headache.....-_-

Sorry for this post, I'm not too good with expressing my thoughts. -_-;

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