Camus, Coffee and Cigarettes

Existentialism isn’t your aesthetic

Another night, another mindless scroll through Instagram. But tonight, the curated chaos wasn't cutting it. Friends' posts? Been there, done that. Travel influencers? Yawn. Instead, I ventured into the murky depths of the Explore page, where existentialism had been reduced to an aesthetic – coffee cups, cigarettes, and brooding portraits of Albert Camus. This wasn't the existentialism I craved. It’s a far cry from the raw, unfiltered confrontation with human existence that existentialism truly represents.

Existentialism isn't about cultivating a melancholic persona or finding comfort in nihilism. It's about staring into the abyss of meaninglessness – the realization that there's no inherent purpose or grand design to our lives – and choosing to create meaning anyway. It's the exhilarating burden of freedom, the constant negotiation between responsibility and the absence of external guidance.

Existentialism slaps you with the bluntest truth: you exist. The universe, however, is remarkably indifferent to your existence. No divine programmer wrote your code. As Jean-Paul Sartre put it in his work, "Man is condemned to be free." Existence precedes essence. In simpler terms, we come before any preordained purpose. Life throws us this immense freedom, and with it, the responsibility to forge our own meaning.

For millennia, grand narratives – from ancient Greek philosophy to modern religions – have dominated our understanding of life. Existentialism challenges this. The sheer audacity of existing before any plan, any predetermined essence, rubs most people (and most thought systems) the wrong way.

Perhaps it's no coincidence that existentialism, along with its philosophical cousins – absurdism and nihilism – emerged from particularly bleak periods. Camus and Sartre wrote in the wreckage of two world wars, while Nietzsche grappled with personal illness throughout his life. Their philosophies, born from darkness, resonate in our own times, which, let's face it, haven't exactly been sunshine and rainbows.

Yet, within this bleakness, existentialism, absurdism, and nihilism offer a strange sort of solace. Consider Camus's "The Myth of Sisyphus." Sisyphus, condemned to eternally roll a boulder up a mountain only to watch it roll back down, finds a sliver of joy in his misery. It's in the walk down the mountain, the brief respite from his burden, that he glimpses meaning. He understands his punishment, the absurdity of it all, and yet, he crafts his own significance in the face of the indifferent universe. In that defiant walk, Sisyphus smiles. As Camus himself writes, "One must imagine Sisyphus happy."

Existentialism, though multifaceted, encompasses seven core themes that define the philosophy as what it is:

Philosophy as a Way of Life

Existentialism isn't a dusty tome gathering cobwebs on a shelf. It's a call to action, urging us to integrate philosophical inquiry into our daily lives. It’s not about passively absorbing information but actively engaging with life's complexities and crafting our own unique path, even if you know nothing about any of it.

Anxiety and Authenticity

The weight of freedom in an uncaring universe can be unsettling. This existential anxiety, however, is a catalyst for authenticity. By confronting these anxieties, we can shed societal expectations and forge a life true to our values and purpose.

Freedom

Existentialism places us firmly at the center of our existence. We are not predetermined products of fate or divine will. We are free, with the exhilarating and sometimes terrifying power to choose our paths and define who we become. This means that freedom, rather than being randomness or arbitrariness, consists in the binding of oneself to a law – but a law that is given by the self in recognition of its responsibilities.

Situatedness

Our freedom, however, doesn't exist in a vacuum. We are situated beings, shaped by our experiences, relationships, and social contexts. These factors influence our choices but don't define them entirely. We retain the power to navigate within these situations and forge our own identities. My freedom is always situated with respect to the judgments of others. This particular notion comes from Hegel’s analysis of ‘recognition’ and is found especially in Sartre, de Beauvoir, and Jaspers.

Existence

This seemingly simple concept is the bedrock of existentialism. It emphasizes that we exist, we are here, and this existence precedes any preordained purpose. We are not blank slates; we are constantly evolving and creating meaning through our actions and choices. According to Nietzsche and Sartre, the notion that the human being is all and only what that being does is central.

Irrationality/Absurdity

The universe, in its vast indifference, offers no inherent meaning. This lack of a grand plan can feel absurd. But existentialists don't wallow in despair. They embrace the absurdity and find meaning in the act of creating their own purpose in a meaningless world. Camus, for example, argues that the basic scene of human existence is its confrontation with this mute irrationality.

The Crowd

Existentialism critiques the tendency to blindly follow societal norms and expectations. The "crowd" represents the unthinking masses who relinquish their freedom and individuality to social pressures. Existentialism encourages us to stand apart from the crowd, think critically, and forge our own paths.

These seven themes, though distinct, are interwoven. Understanding them provides a framework for what this branch of philosophy stands for. Before we conclude this exploration of existentialism, it's crucial to acknowledge the contributions of the key thinkers who shaped this philosophy. These individuals, though diverse in their approaches, laid the groundwork for understanding the human condition in an uncaring universe.

Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855): Often considered the "father of existentialism," Kierkegaard emphasized the importance of individual choice and faith in the face of an indifferent world. He challenged established religious doctrines and championed the concept of "anxiety" as a catalyst for personal growth.

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900): A controversial figure, Nietzsche challenged traditional morality and religious beliefs. He introduced concepts like "the will to power" and "Übermensch" (superman), urging individuals to embrace their freedom and forge their own values.

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976): Heidegger focused on the concept of "being" and our experience of existence (Dasein). He explored themes of anxiety, authenticity, and our relationship with the world around us.

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980): One of the most prominent existentialists, Sartre emphasized the concept of "radical freedom." The themes we introduced above come together powerfully in his work. With the possible exception of Nietzsche, Sartre's writings are the most widely anthologized (especially the accessible, though some might say oversimplifying, lecture Existentialism and Humanism) and his literary works are widely read (especially the philosophical novel Nausea) or performed (plays like No Exit explore existential themes in a dramatic setting).

Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986): A close associate of Sartre, de Beauvoir applied existentialist ideas to feminist thought. Her seminal work, The Second Sex, explored the concept of "the Other" and the societal constraints placed on women. She challenged women to embrace their freedom and define their own identities.

Unlike Sartre, de Beauvoir was a scholarly reader of Hegel. This influence is evident in her position on existential ethics, which is more heavily influenced by Hegel's view in the Phenomenology of Spirit concerning the moment of recognition. De Beauvoir emphasizes that true freedom is not achieved in isolation. As she writes, "To will oneself free is also to will others free." Our freedom is intrinsically linked to the freedom of those around us.

Albert Camus (1913-1960): Camus grappled with the concept of absurdity – the inherent meaninglessness of the universe. The recipient of the prestigious 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature primarily for his novels, Camus is also recognized as a philosopher due to his non-literary work and his association with Jean-Paul Sartre. Despite this recognition, Camus himself consistently rejected the label of "philosopher." As he famously declared, "I am not a philosopher because I don't believe in reason enough to believe in a system. What interests me is knowing how we must behave, and more precisely, how to behave when one does not believe in God or reason.”

Existentialism offers no easy answers, but it equips us with a guide for grappling with life's biggest questions. However, witnessing its reduction to mere aesthetics on social media – posts with shallow captions or quotes wrongly attributed – can be disheartening. Perhaps, social media's existentialism trend is a gateway, a spark that ignites a deeper curiosity in some. For those genuinely interested, there's a treasure trove of knowledge waiting to be explored in the works of Kierkegaard, Sartre, Camus, and others. Existentialism isn't a destination; it's a lifelong journey of self-discovery. So, the next time you encounter an existentialist meme, don't just scroll by. Let it be a prompt, a reminder of the vast, meaningful existence that awaits your own authentic exploration.