Jeremy+R,+Sean+S,+Spencer+T

Terms

1. Albert Camus Jeremy Roberts

Albert Camus was born in 7 November 1913 in French Algeria. Throughout his life he had a passion for literature and philosophy. He wrote a book entitled “The Stranger.” In this book Camus portrays his belief of the philosophical idea of existentialism (wikipedia.org). Camus’s importance is derived from his impact on society. According to Jean Paul Sartre, a fellow existentialist writer,” Albert Camus could never cease to be one of the principle figures in our cultural domain, or to represent, in his own way, the history of France and of this century.” Jean Paul Sartre was one of Camus’s few close friends, so he would be the best to tell about Camus. There is no doubt that Albert Camus is a principle figure in the culture of existentialism.

Works Cited 1. Category, By. "Albert Camus." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. 12 May 2010. Web. 18 Aug. 2010. .

2. Geoff. "Existentialism Philosophy: Discussion of Existentialist Quotes, Jean Paul Sartre, Simone De Beauvoir, Albert Camus." //Truth & Reality: Philosophy Physics Metaphysics of Space, Wave Structure Matter. Famous Science Art Quotes//. 1 Jan. 1997. Web. 18 Aug. 2010. .

2. Jean Paul Sartre Sean Sweeny



Jean-Paul Sarte was born in Paris to a normal family in 1905. After growing up, Sartre believed in Existentialism and Marxism. According to Petri Liukkonen “Sartre was never a member of Communist party, although he tried to reconcile existentialism and Marxism and collaborated with the French Communist Party” (1). It is ironic that he claimed Marxism and claimed to help the French Communist Party, but also claimed that he was not a communist. I do not understand how he could be Marxist and Existentialist at the same time, though. Existentialism means to be free of all bonds and only believing in yourself and what you do. Marxism is the belief that people come together as a community and are ruled by a government. These are contradictory beliefs, and it astounds me that Sartre can believe in both.

Works cited: 1. Liukkonen, Petri. //Jean-Paul Sartre//. Books And Writers, 2008. Web. August 21, 2010. 

2. //What is Marxism?//. All About Philosophy, 2002. Web. August 21, 2010. 

3. Martin Heidegger Sean Sweeny

Martin Heidegger was born on September 26th, 1889 in Messkirch, Germany. He was a very intrigued student and was introduced to philosophy at a young age. He applied a seminar to become a priest for the Jesuits, but they denied him entry because of medical reasons. Brent Dean Robins says that, “Shortly thereafter, Heidegger entered into the German army. He was promoted from private to corporal ten months later, but was soon discharged for health reasons” (1). This quote and the information before show that Martin Heidegger was a man of great belief. By wanting to be a priest shows that he believed in God and predestination, and by joining the military he showed that he was willing to be given orders and told what to do. It was after these events that he became a philosopher and was helping other philosophical colleagues. Being denied the rights to serve in both the military and priesthood because of a medical condition could have been the trigger that sent him into existentialism.

Works Cited: 1. Robins, Brett Dean. //Martin Heidegger//. My Thousand Logos, 1999. Web. August 21, 2010. < http://mythosandlogos.com/heidegger.html>

4. Friedrich Nietzsche Jeremy Roberts Friedrich Nietzsche lived from 1844-1900. Through this time he became a well-known philosopher, and his often credited as a co-founder of existentialism. He cared more about the advancement of self than doing what the Bible tells one to do. Because of these beliefs he is also known for shaking Christianity from its foundations. According to the philosophy department at Stanford,” Nietzsche's revitalizing philosophy has inspired leading figures in all walks of cultural life, including dancers, poets, novelists, painters, psychologists, philosophers, sociologists and social revolutionaries” (Stanford). Even though Nietzsche was alive during the 19th century he has continued to influence people from all walks of life, such as dancers and painters. Even in today’s society, psychologists and sociologist alike look on Nietzsche beliefs for inspiration. Without this mean Albert Camus may have never written “The Stranger”  Works Cited 1. Wicks, Robert. "Friedrich Nietzsche (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)." //Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy//. 30 May 1997. Web. 22 Aug. 2010. .

5. Søren Kierkegaard Spencer Taylor   Søren Kierkegaard lived from 1813 to 1855 and is considered by many as the founder of existentialism. Kierkegaard’s was a writer, and his works took two different directions. He composed both philosophical and religious writings. The method he used to write such inversely subjected material was by only using his real name for his religious pieces, and a fake for his philosophical ones.

In 1843, Kierkegaard began his philosophical works that led to existentialism. Kierkegaard’s main reason for writing his philosophical ideas “was mainly to undermine the Hegelian ‘system’ and an uncritical and dispassionate view of one's relationship with God” (Storm). Existentialism is the belief that man creates his own nature and values and that his actions are not predetermined. In his work that put his face to his philosophical writing, ‘//Concluding Unscientific Postscript’,// Kierkegaard stressed the importance of the individual and how people create their own values and beliefs.

Works Cited Storm, Dan. "//Kierkegaard, D. Anthony Storm's Commentary on Kierkegaard's Authorial Method.//" D. Anthony Storm's Commentary on Kierkegaard. 28 Dec 2010. Web. 22 Aug 2010. 