EXISTENTIALISM

Educational philosophy
 WHAT IS
EXISTENTIALISM?
1. It is a philosophical belief that humanity existence comes before
essence.
2. It is mainly associated with 19th to 20th century.
3. It emphasizes the human responsibility, uniqueness, and the
freedom of choice.
FOUNDERS (PHILOSOPHERS
OF EXISTENTIALISM)
1. Soren Kierkegaard (1813- 1859)
2. Jean- Paul Sartre (1950-1980)
3. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1990)
4. Martin Heidegger (1889-1979)
 SOREN KIERKEGAARD

• He is a Danish philosopher and the father of existentialism.

• He said that human existence is always individual in character, never social.
• Human person makes his own decisions, endures, experiences intense feelings and meet God as
an individual person.
 JEAN-PAUL SARTRE

• He is a French philosopher.
• He believed that a person exists without purpose, he finds himself in the world through his
experiences.
• The individual person choose the life that he think is the best.
• Each person is responsible for his choice and the consequences that they initiate.
 EDUCATION AND CURRICULUM

• They teach students to be unique individual in the world and to be responsible for their own
choices, thoughts, feelings, and actions.
• Students are given humanities to supply them with many experiences that will help unleash their
own creativity and self-expressions.
• It consists of arts, drama, creative expressions, literature and philosophy.
• Child-centered Education, it offers entire freedom to the student.
 EDUCATION AND CURRICULUM

• Teaching history in order to provide the possible models for students’ behavior, rather than
emphasizing historical events. [ Actions of historical individuals]
• Teaching literature and art to stimulate the students’ creativity and imagination. [ creativity is an
expression of one self].
• It includes a diverse content as well as a discipline of varied pedagogical methods, which would,
significantly, include ample opportunities for learning.
• The significant types of knowledge is about the human condition and the choices that each
person has to make.
 ROLE OF TEACHER

• Teacher creates an educational situation in which the student establish content with himself .
• Teacher must tailor the subject matter to fit the students’ need in order to make their own choices
freely.
• Teachers are not the “superior” model, hence, the students are not “inferiors” , they do not
instruct classrooms, they are there to help create free, open, and stimulating environment.
• The pedagogical techniques should stress the co-creative and co-participatory aspects of
education.
 ROLE OF STUDENT

• The students determine their own values and identity.

• They maintain a dialogue between self and cultural values; considering the cultural values are in
relation to the self.
• They have the freedom to choose their pathways.
• They accept the responsibility for their own decisions, and actions.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF EXISTENTIALISM
PROS
1. Help people answer the personal question “Who
am I?”
2. student- centered
3. Encourages individuality.
4. Ability to analyze and use knowledge.
5. Encourages responsibility.
6. Respect and trust between the students and the
teacher.
CONS
1. Students lack Math and Science.
2. Fewer trained adults for higher learning.
3. Sometimes it is difficult to choose our own
existence specially when we go on a job
interview. We have to be what the interviewer
wants to be.
 EXISTING
We don’t have the essence given over in advance
of our life…. We ENTER the world

{ WE EXIST }

And then we CREATE our essence through

the free choices.

{ HUMAN FREEDOM}