PHL 366 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Existence Precedes Essence, Totalitarianism
12 Sep 2018
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Document Summary
School of thought within the western philosophical tradition concerned with problems of human existence. How to act on our freedom rather than trying to flee it. How to live a meaningful life in a meaningless universe. The intrinsic nature of something that defines that thing. What we can sense, perceive and experience, including our bodies and the world around us. Judging whether life is worth living or not amounts to the fundamental question of philosophy. The recognition of the ridiculous character of habit. Absence of any profound reason for living. Those who commit suicide are making a confession (pg 5): Beginning to think is beginning to be undermined (camus, 4) Alienation - feeling estranged from oneself and the world. Absurdity - human existence is absurd because it has no meaning and yet we are driven by a desire for meaning. Suicide is not the logical end to absurdity. People believe refusing to give life meaning makes it not worth living.
