Why Philosophy? an Existential Approach

Why Philosophy? An Existential Approach

Among the many branches of philosophy is the philosophy of the person, which focuses on human freedom and individualism. The remaining time of the seminar was devoted to this branch of philosophy more specifically, existentialism. The presenter started off with the precursors of existentialism, Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche, and then moved on to the existentialist philosophers, Albert Camus and Jean Paul Sartre.

The arguments and statements made by the said philosophers were really well thought of and made a lot of sense. For Kierkegaard’s standpoint, his concept of the individual is about the choices and commitments a person makes more specifically, the conscious participation in an act. As he has once said, “what counts is not what is believed but the way it is believed.” This statement of Kierkegaard made an impact to me when I heard it. I think that this applies to our lives. Each and every one of us has his own beliefs. However, these beliefs have its own ways of how a person has accepted it. For instance, there is a huge difference when a person believed in Christ because he just what society says about Him between a person who believed in Him because he has accepted Him as his own personal savior. Thus, I agree with Kierkegaard’s point of view.

Nietzsche, on the other hand, believes in the will to power and the ubermensch. Basically, the ubermensch is the superman who has attained master morality and conquers one’s own instincts through aesthetics. Nietzsche believes that a person who has self-regulation is one who has achieved greatness in life. I somehow agree with Nietzsche. I believe that a person must take action in order to surpass the challenges in his life and have self-control of his own life. However, I disagree with his statement that God is dead, which is the total rejection of gods in general. As a Christian, I am a believer