Existentialist View Of Human Condition Essay, Research Paper

Existentialist View of Human Condition

Two of the main principles of Existentialist Human Condition are: That man

exists and then creates himself and what man chooses for himself he chooses for

everyone else as well. Lets examine the first principle: man exists and then

defines himself. What it means is that man is created on this earth and is

nothing but a body, blood and guts. What he chooses to do and to be is what

makes him a man. If a man comes into this world and chooses to steal, cheat,

kill and lie then that is what that man has made himself to be. While society

may see him as a “evil” person, that is what is right for him. Now on the other

hand if a person chooses to be generous, kind, honest and loving, society may

see him as a “good” person while it is still right for him. According to the

Existentialists, a person is placed on this earth with no predisposed “good” or

“evil” values, one man is not created with any more good or evil than the next.

By the decisions we make in life we create ourselves. Next the second view,

what man chooses for himself he chooses for everyone else. This is a view I

really believe in. Everything we do in life effects someone else, whether we no

it or not. Every time we drive our car. Every time we eat something, spend

money, go for a jog someone else is effected. For an example: a man goes to the

store and buys a stereo.

First of all the clerk the clerk is effected because they have to check you out,

so you have taken some of their time. The store is effected because they are

minus one radio from their store. The manufacturer now has to make one more to

replace the one that was bought from the store. The manufacturing employees are

effected because put the radio together, and so on. On the other hand a man who

chooses to steal that same stereo will effect even more people. If he get caught

the store, the manufacturer, the police, the courts, the jails and all the

people who are involved with those organizations. So now the question is raised

“what if everyone acted the same way that man did?” Well there could be nothing

but anarchy, no laws, or government. Basically we would revert to a type of

Neanderthal type state. This is why many classic philosophers have problems

with the Existentialist point of view, because of the “what if” questions.