Existentialism

First things first, so let's talk about what existentialism is. It is one of those things difficult to define in one sentence. Some catch phrases used to explain it are things like 'reality viewed from the perspective of the actor' and 'existence precedes essence.' Basically, the individual person decides what is right and wrong, and decides for himself what meaning and purpose is attached to reality.

In the ancient and medieval worlds man was compared to things higher than himself, ie, God/gods and angels, etc. There was a reality that transcended the physical universe. Mankind had a place of authority on earth, but understood there were laws, authorities, and reality that were greater that man was subject to.

Francis Schaeffer wrote a short little book on the history of the decline of western thought called Escape From Reason. It might be something worth exploring for us, as it is so short. He points out that starting with Thomas Aquinas, a schism was introduced into reality. Now, Aquinas was a smart guy, and I admire him a lot. So I had a hard time accepting what Schaeffer said at first. It is still true that there is a lot to admire about Aquinas, but in the end I saw that Schaeffer was right. Whereas prior to Aquinas there was one reality that involved both our everyday experience in the physical world and with 'higher' or 'heavenly' things, after Aquinas there was a separation. Although I think scripture itself does make a distinction between the two in some way, I think a lot of that has to do with the Fall. Although there are some distinctions, they are both aspects of one reality. Paul talks in Ephesians 6, for example, about spiritual realities that definitely are to be considered part of our everyday reality. But Aquinas separated reality into a 'higher story' and a 'lower story.' The rules were different if you were discussing 'things of faith' or 'things of reason.' This distinction was highlighted when it came to Kant, who called the two stories noumena and phenomena.

In addition, in the late medieval world, art (as an expression of the thought of the time) started to have less to do with strictly religious or heavenly things, and more about man in a more realistic setting. And then in the Renaissance man become less of an object of art altogether. The 'real' word became the focus, and things like landscapes began to show up in art.

These changes in focus were not necessarily bad in and of themselves. It reminds me a little of what happened in the 50's. There wasn't really anything wrong with rock 'n roll music, per se. But there was an attitude of rebellion that did come with it that was wrong. There is nothing wrong with the painting of landscapes. And some artists actually did try to present landscapes as a celebration of God's creation. But there was also a misguided sense of freedom from the reality of that 'upper story.'

Man's view of his relationship to the world went from an upward view, to a downward view. He stopped comparing himself to things above, and started comparing himself to things below. In particular man started comparing himself to the animals. This is particularly evident in Darwinism.

More or less at the same time this transition from the upward comparisons to downward comparisons was happening, the scientific revolution came along. We've talked about the birth of modern science before, but it is relevant here as well. Descartes' statement, 'I think, therefore I am,' is considered by some to be the start of modern science. Descartes' thought there shows the tendency to rely on yourself and your own observations of the world. Not that it was totally new or totally bad, but that thought allowed science to flourish. Not that science is bad, if it is kept humble, but there is an aspect of science that involves human self-reliance.

So as man's focus went from upward to downward, it also started going inward. The 'higher things,' the things of God and angels were no longer as important, and were started to be seen by many as irrelevant altogether. All that is left is man. Man doesn't have an essence determined for him any more, and there is no purpose or meaning presupposed in creation. But once man comes on the scene and develops this self-awareness, he is able to determine meaning and purpose for himself. Thus, 'existence precedes essence.'

This is a very brief overview. There is much more that could be said. So please do. Some similarities to other things we've talked about, like Nietzsche, can certainly be seen. But hopefully this helps with an understanding of what existentialism is. Then I think talking about Kierkegaard and Dostoevsky will make more sense.