EXISTENTIALISM

• Existentialism is a philosophical approach to understanding human existence and experiences.

• “Why Am I here?” “What does it mean to be human?” “How should I live my life?”
• It is based on the assumption that individuals are free and responsible for their own choices and
actions.
• Hence, we are not victims of circumstance because we are what we have chosen to be.
Existentialist belief
• Human freedom is understood precisely as the freedom to choose.
• “Existence precedes essence.”
• Human persons do not possess the essence; they make choices that create their own nature
• Individuals have to take responsibility for their own actions and shape their own destinies.
In short, existentialism: A complex philosophy emphasizing the absurdity of reality and the human
responsibility to make choices and accept consequences.
EXISTENTIALIST FLOURISHED DURING POST WORLD WAR II
• Man experienced a lot of problems during that time and started to become uncertain about
human existence and started questioning the existence of God.
• Man has left no philosophical control that can validate his suffering
• Man has to rely on his own sense of judgment, power of discretion and freedom of choice in all
matters of life
The Proponents
The considered founding figures or original giants of Existentialism were:
Søren Kierkegaard
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Friedrich Nietzsche
It became more prominent and widely known after WW II due to the ff. figures:
Martin Heidegger
Jean-Paul Sartre

Sӧren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

• Danish philosopher born in Copenhagen
• The father of existentialism
• Human existence is always individual in character, never social.
• born near Leipzig, Germany one of the 19th century's most influential philosophers,
• known for his writings on good and evil, the end of religion in modern society and the concept
of a “Superhuman".
• “God is Dead”
• He agreed with Schopenhauer that there is no God and life is filled with pain and suffering, but
Nietzsche came to his own conclusion that humans must get everything out of life and set out
to find out how to best do that.
• in order to achieve anything worthwhile, whether it be scaling a mountain to take in the views
or living a good life, hardship and effort are necessary. “no pain, no gain”
Martin Heidegger (1889-1976)
• German philosopher whose work is associated with phenomenology and existentialism.
• Man functions, grows, develops, makes choices, suffers, experiences intense feelings, and faces
God as an individual. (Sahakian and Sahakian, p. 553)
• “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”
• “Existence precedes essence.”
• Man first exists without purpose or definition, finds himself in the world and only then, as a
reaction to experience, defines the meaning of life.
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980)
• According to him, since there is no God or designer to give man a purpose, it is up to the
individual to choose the life they think best.
• We are responsible for everything we do.
• “Man is condemned to be free.” “The destiny of man is placed within himself.”
Educational Philosophy of Existentialism
The object of education is to give man the unity of truth… In the field of education, the contribution
of existentialism is as follows:
• The aim of Education
• Total Development
• Subjective Knowledge
• Importance of Environment Child – Centered Education
• Curriculum
• Learning Experiences
• The Teacher
• The Student
• Religious and Moral Education

The Aim of Education

• Existentialist believe that the most important kind of knowledge is about the human condition
and the choices that each person has to make, and that education is a process of developing
consciousness about the freedom to choose and the meaning of responsibility for one’s choices
Total Development
• The existentialists have aimed at total development of personality through education.
Education should aim at the whole man
Subjective Knowledge
The existentialists rightly, point out that subjective knowledge is even more important than objective
knowledge
Importance of Environment
The present industrial, economic, political and social environment is valueless. Therefore, it helps
confusion and corruption, tensions and conflicts
Child – Centered Education
Existentialist education is child – centered. It gives full freedom to the child. The teacher should help
the child to know himself and recognize his being.
Curriculum
Existentialists prefer to free learners to choose what to study and also determine what is true and by
what criteria to determine these truths. The curriculum would avoid systematic knowledge or
structured disciplines, and the students would be free to select from many available learning
situations.
Learning Experiences
• An existentialist curriculum would consist of experiences and subjects that lend themselves to
philosophical dialogue and acts of choice making.
Religious and Moral Education
• The existentialists particularly lay emphasis upon religion and moral education. Religion allows a
person to develop himself. Religious education gives him an understanding of his existence in
the cosmos. It shows the religious path of self – realization.
• The Teacher
• The teacher’s role is to help students define their own essence by exposing them to various paths
they may take in life and creating an environment in which they may freely choose their
preferred way
• The function of the teacher is to act only as a referee in the intellectual play-field, but also a
source person or facilitator of the learning process and he must not interfere with the students’
choices or decisions.
• The set of curriculum should be modeled to fit each individual students needs or at least come
close.
• The teacher must build positive relationships between himself and his students. He should avoid
applying labels to children (such as ‘lazy’, ‘slow 5learner’ etc.)
The Student
• Existentialists give students complete freedom, and complete responsibility, with regard to their
education. The only authority is one’s self.