The terms translate a little funny, as many of the works were not written in English. The Wiki page is a great overview, but if someone really wants know know about Existentialism, they should read some of Simone de Beauvoir's work because it's a bit more condensed than some of the other writers. Also, read The Wall by Satre. Hovik has a small library of existential literature that I help myself to, but not everyone has access to it. The Wiki page is the synopsis, not the story.

La mort heureuse

Albert Camus

Why do people go to movies knowing they are going to end? Why do people watch sporting events knowing their team might win or lose and know whatever happens the game still ends?

There is no grand purpose to all this. And both good and bad always happen to some degree in everyone's life. That does not mean you cannot enjoy the finite life you have.

One can only be happy with themselves and make their own purpose. You are still going to have ups and downs in life, but you cannot be a clone of someone else, you can only be yourself in life.

There is no difference between an atheist or theist other than we don't believe. But we still find meaning and happiness and go through the same ups and downs. What drives the atheist to live without god?

My mother, my job, my pets, my friends and other things like debating and ranting here. My Redskins, even though they lost. It is still fun for my friend from Australia who doesn't like football, loves to listen to me rant at the tv like watching a train wreck when they lose.

I love telling really horrible jokes at work that make people think "SOMEBODY PLEASE SHOOT HIM!" "MAKE IT STOP"

I love simple things, even to the extent of my cat curling up next to me at night and annoying in the morning when he wants to eat.

My ride will end someday but I am not going to be scared of something that cant be stopped. I am simply going to be myself, and take the ups and downs as they come and enjoy life as much as I can, not according to the scripts of others, but enjoy it where I find enjoyment.

(January 7, 2013 at 1:19 am)Annik Wrote: The terms translate a little funny, as many of the works were not written in English. The Wiki page is a great overview, but if someone really wants know know about Existentialism, they should read some of Simone de Beauvoir's work because it's a bit more condensed than some of the other writers. Also, read The Wall by Satre. Hovik has a small library of existential literature that I help myself to, but not everyone has access to it. The Wiki page is the synopsis, not the story.

None of it is true, all of it is presumptive, some of it is based upon untenable definitions.

The wiki page is a joke, as are philosophers

Why is life worth living as a theist?
If you're a christian/jew/muslim, you just can't wait to go meet the big guy.... but you need to die first, so why don't you?

(January 7, 2013 at 11:34 am)Violet Lilly Blossom Wrote: None of it is true, all of it is presumptive, some of it is based upon untenable definitions.

The wiki page is a joke, as are philosophers

I respect your opinion, I just hold a different one. This particular philosophy has guided me to humanism and cautious pacifism (there are exceptions, of course), which I would've never considered when I younger. This does not lend any truth to the philosophy, of course, but I believe it has benefited my life.

(January 7, 2013 at 11:50 am)Annik Wrote: I respect your opinion, I just hold a different one. This particular philosophy has guided me to humanism and cautious pacifism (there are exceptions, of course), which I would've never considered when I younger. This does not lend any truth to the philosophy, of course, but I believe it has benefited my life.

I didn't need to subscribe to any particular philosophy to make me a nice girl and a doormat

I don't believe my being a deterministic existential nihilist has benefitted my life at all. For the most part, I recognize that what I believe if pressed has little bearing upon my appreciation for my life. It doesn't consume me, it is simply as much an inherent part of me as being a woman, loving pizza, and having silvery-blond hair.

I would ask... precisely what is 'truth'? How does recognizing that meaning is self-derived and otherwise likely nonexistent turn one into a pacifist? It seems just as likely one could take existentialism and be a mass-murdering psychopath... simply because the philosophy makes no claims past itself. It isn't a religion... so why do you hold it so reverently and suggest it has guided you?

Respect my opinions all ya like, I'm still asking questions when people say strange things

(January 7, 2013 at 11:36 am)pocaracas Wrote: Why is life worth living as a theist?
If you're a christian/jew/muslim, you just can't wait to go meet the big guy.... but you need to die first, so why don't you?

No one here should recommend that. But it does bring up the illogical nature of the need to live for a god. If your objective is to get there, be it through his hand or your own, or the hand of another, why the fear of death?

It makes no sense to me that if "they are up in heaven now" that people cry over the loss of a loved one.

It does make sense to me that evolution produces this mourning process because death reminds us of our finite nature and it is counter to our desire to spread our genes. That is the real evolutionary reason we mourn.

If we didn't fear death we wouldn't evolve. So that is why we mourn and why we try to avoid danger.

I fear it only in the sense of pain, and missing my loved ones. But I can't fear it anymore than I can or should fear what I was before I was born.

(January 7, 2013 at 12:26 pm)Brian37 Wrote:

(January 7, 2013 at 11:36 am)pocaracas Wrote: Why is life worth living as a theist?
If you're a christian/jew/muslim, you just can't wait to go meet the big guy.... but you need to die first, so why don't you?

No one here should recommend that. But it does bring up the illogical nature of the need to live for a god. If your objective is to get there, be it through his hand or your own, or the hand of another, why the fear of death?

It makes no sense to me that if "they are up in heaven now" that people cry over the loss of a loved one.

It was not a recommendation... Oh my! I surely hope no theist was harmed with the making of this post!

And you then addressed my post properly as the food for thought that it was!

(January 7, 2013 at 12:34 pm)pocaracas Wrote:

(January 7, 2013 at 12:26 pm)Brian37 Wrote: No one here should recommend that. But it does bring up the illogical nature of the need to live for a god. If your objective is to get there, be it through his hand or your own, or the hand of another, why the fear of death?

It makes no sense to me that if "they are up in heaven now" that people cry over the loss of a loved one.

It was not a recommendation... Oh my! I surely hope no theist was harmed with the making of this post!

And you then addressed my post properly as the food for thought that it was!

No it isn't that they would harm themselves, it is more like they would say "See how evil they are, they want us to shoot ourselves".

Some nuts who might read this, will take it that way, even if it is just a mental exercise to expose the contradiction they keep. Just sayin.