Philosophycalendar_todayLast updated: Apr 2026
What is Existentialism?
/ˌeksɪˈstɛnʃəˌlɪzəm/
Existentialism is the philosophical view that individuals are radically free and responsible for creating their own meaning and identity through their choices and actions, in a universe that offers no inherent purpose.
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Everyday Example
Feeling overwhelmed by life's possibilities — too many career paths, too many places to live, too many versions of yourself you could become — is the "existential anxiety" that existentialists describe.
publicReal-World Application
“Existentialist ideas influenced psychotherapy significantly — Viktor Frankl's logotherapy (finding meaning in suffering) and modern cognitive therapy both draw on existentialist premises.”
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Did you know?
Existentialism emerged as a formal movement in 1940s Paris, through the work of Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus, shaped by the trauma of World War II.
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Key Insight
Sartre's central claim: "Existence precedes essence." You are not born with a fixed purpose — you create yourself through action. This is liberating and terrifying in equal measure.
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