IOP #1

For my IOP, I'm doing The Stranger and the connection to existentialism. I will discuss Albert Camus' views on existentialism and evidence in the text. Also, I will talk about Franz Kafka and his book, The Trial, and its connections with existentialism.

Existentialism: called existentialism because most of it's members are primarily interested in the nature of existence or being, meaning human existence.

Grew out of the work of Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. Edmund Husserl influenced the movement greatly.

Prominent existentialist thinkers: Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Gabriel Marcel (French writers); Karl Jaspers and Martin Heidegger (German philosophers); Nicolas Berdyaev (Russian religious and political thinker); Martin Buber (Jewish philosopher).

What is it?

Largely a revolt against traditional European philosophy.

*Traditional philosophers tended to consider philosophy as a science.

Existensialists reject the methods and ideas of science as being improper or philosophy. They argue hat objective, universal, and certain knowledge is an unattainable ideal.

They investigate what it is like to be an individual human being living in the world.

Existentialists stress the fact that every individual , even the philosopher or scientist seeking absolute knowledge, is only a limited human being. Thus, every person must face important and difficult decisions with only limited knowledge and time which to make these decisions.