Stranger+Terms

**Stranger Background Terms :3** All defined by Jessica Griffith __Modernism:__ Seen as both an art style and a theological idea of life itself, Modernism is commonly defined as a deep infactuation with what is modern and thus adopting it as a way of life. It is something that is constantly evolving as the years progress and will continue to do so as humanity continues to rule this earth. According to one website, "First it (Modernism) stands for certain tendencies, and secondly for a body of doctrine which, if it has not given birth to these tendencies (practice often precedes theory), serves at any rate as their explanation and support" (ourladyswarriors.org). This is basically comes to say that the way that modernism works is though actual movement and enforcement before the true idea and mental discision comes into play. The website later goes to say "Modernist doctrine, too, may be more or less radical, and it is swallowed in doses that vary with each one's likes and dislikes" (ourladyswarriors.org). With this final statement, it is almost a way of saying that modernism and the ideas that it is trying to portray is based on opinion and the way that one wants to take it in. One of the most interesting questions of modernism however, is what that of its cause and origins. Psychologically, modernism is seen as a rebellion based on "Curiosity and pride", though only remotely (ourladyswarriors.org). It is also looked to as a rebellion against religion under some lights, mostly based on only being shown the good side of the gospel without the bad. Overall, the ideas that come from modernism are usually based on going against the grain of what is the standard of public acceptance and belief.

VERMEERSCH, A. "Definition of Modernism." Reading. //Our Lady's Warriors//. Web. 22 Aug. 2010. [].

__Existentialism:__ Existentialism is the philisophical ideology that essence precedes existance. The easiest way to describe what existentialism stands for is that "Existentialism does not deny the validity of the basic categories of physics, biology, psychology, and the other sciences(...). It claims only that human beings cannot be fully understood in terms of them. Nor can such an understanding be gained by supplementing our scientific picture with a //moral// one" (plato.stanford.edu). This is to say that no amount of scientific infomation can define what is human and even clearer, what existing as human really is. So in as a clearer definition, "existentialism may be defined as the philosophical theory which holds that a further set of categories, governed by the norm of //authenticity//, is necessary to grasp human existence" (plato.stanford.edu). With both of these clarifying definitions on hand, it can go to be said that the main point of existentialism is that existance is not truly defined by anything but the personal acceptance and defining of what one truly lives for, which is known as their essence. Upon the confimation of essence, one can truly say what their existance is and means.

Crowell, Steven, "Existentialism", //The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2010 Edition)//, Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = [].

 __Fate:__ Fate, which is synonomous with destiny, is commonly defined as the set things that one is to achieve in their life, created by a higher power and thus, unquestionable. Fate also goes along with the idea of cause and effect being used in life. For instance, Plato is quoted saying " And in the beginning you know, is always the most important part, especially in dealing with anything young and tender. That is the time when the character is being molded and easily takes any impress one may wish to stamp on it" (astroconsulting.com). Simply, this is saying that the minds of children are the easiest to mold, and thus the descisions that are made and the lessons that are taught are among the most important in one's life. Another classic quote, this one from De Mysteriis, gives more information on the theory of fate being controlled by the gods, saying "But neither are all things comprehended in the nature of fate, but there is another principle of the soul, which is superior to all nature and generation, and through which we are all capable of being united to the Gods, of transcending the mundane order, and of participating in eternal life, and the energy of the super celestial Gods" (astroconsulting.com). This not only alludes to the idea of fate being linked ot the gods themselves, but the idea that all humans and gods share the same path of fate and maybe even supports reicarnation through similar eternal life streams, only being broken by the span of a human host. Needless to say, to believe in fate is to believe in lack of true control over the human course of life.

Wollmann, Edmond H. "Fate VS Free Will." //Astroconsulting.com//. Altair Publications, 02 Mar. 2009. Web. 21 Aug. 2010. [].

__Free Will:__ Free Will is the opposite of fate, and is clearest stated as the ability to control the future fully based on one's intentions and where they want to go in life. It could be said it is a more athiestic view of the future from a human standpoint. However, there are multiple views of what free will is defined and used as. One view is that "free willings are but a subset of willings, at least as a conceptual matter" (plato.stanford.edu). This is comparable to the simpler statement of humans doing what they feel to be right and how they feel that it should be done, so meaning it is based on moral and emotional reasons. However, other views of free will include ones like the one stated by the current philosopher René Descartes, who says "(Free Will) is the ability to do or not do something... the will is by its nature so free that it can never be constrained” (plato.stanford.edu). This would leave room to assume that even deep human inpulses like emotion and moral opinion cannot hold back the invincible flow of free will. However, defining whether or not humans have free will is extrodinarily difficult, mostly based on the fact that the medium is multidimentional and fairly impossible to predict or pinpoint.

O'Connor, Timothy, "Free Will", //The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2008 Edition)//, Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = .

__Freedom:__ Probably one of the most commonly sought after things in humanity, the idea of freedom is very similar to that of free will, but in a more contrained form. While free will is seen as something that is inevitably impossible to control, but still able to be enforced, freedom is the ability to act without fear of restraint from any outside force. The philosophy behind freedom is also connected and sometimes refered to as Monism, which says in a nutshell "as a man receives his moral principles from without, he is in fact unfree. But monism attaches as much significance to the idea as to the percept. The idea, however, can come to manifestation in the human individual. In so far as man follows the impulses coming from this side, he feels himself to be free" (rsarchive.org). To clarify, humans feel freedom based on the infectious ideas that find their way under his skin and into his mind, contrary to the simple statement that common ideals acted upon in one movement simply for to ability to define what freedom is. The best supporting quote found would have to be "According to the monistic view, then, man's action is partly unfree, partly free. He finds himself to be //unfree// in the world of percepts, and he realizes within himself the //free// spirit" (rsarchive.org). Overall, the freedom is not truly achieved until the realization that one is being bound by the surroundng world, where he then breaks those bonds and his mind begins to stir. So though it is similar to free will, it is different in the sense that freedom is needed to awaken the mind to the point where free will is able to be used without thought, and more upon impulse.

Steiner, Rudolf. "Book: PoF: Reality of Freedom: Chapter Ten: Freedom - Philosophy and Monism." //Rudolf Steiner Archive//. 15 Aug. 2010. Web. 22 Aug. 2010. .